State and Model the Objective
The children will swirl and twirl things and then read words with the /er/ sound that are spelled with -ir or -ur, such as twirl, swirl, girl, curl, and turn.
 
Literacy Activities
Twirl, swirl, and whirl a streamer

• Give each child a paper streamer and show how the streamer can be twirled around. 
• Have the children take turns swirling and twirling in a circle.
• Invite the children to swirl, twirl, and whirl around a girl, pointing out that all three words have the /er/ sound.  

Curl and swirl paper

• Display a list of -ir and -ur words on the board.
• Give each child a strip or two of paper, and have the children write one of the words from the list on their strip(s) of paper.
• Show the children how they can curl strips of paper by pulling the strips along a dull surface (a pencil). 
• Have the children curl their strips of paper.
• Draw a girl’s face on a whiteboard or poster and have the children attach the curls to the girl’s head.

Swirl and twirl wearing a skirt or shirt

• Choose a child to wear a large, unbuttoned blouse or men’s dress shirt. 
• Choose a child to wear a large skirt.  
• Invite the other children to watch the children wearing the shirt and skirt twirl, swirl, and whirl.
• Write the -ir words on a board and have the children take turns drawing a swirl around the “ir” in each word.

More Practice
Read target words in texts

• Read the Twirl, Swirl, and Whirl in a Circle target text to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you.
• Read the target text again, but this time invite a child to whirl and twirl when the word girl or boy is read.
• Repeat the activity as desired, and end by inviting everyone to twirl, swirl, and whirl around in a circle.

Identify the /er/ sound

• Read the Give It a Whirl target text to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you, emphasizing the medial /er/ sound.
• Have the children circle the medial /er/ sound in words in the target text.