State the Objective
Tell the children that they will go under an umbrella that goes up as they learn about the letter U and associate it with the short-u (/ŭ/) sound.

Literacy Activities
Make the U go up and under

• Display an umbrella, or draw or make a paper umbrella (see examples below).
• Write the letter U and explain that it can make the short-u (/ŭ/) sound.
• Have the children make the /ŭ/ sound as they write U in the air.
• Let the children write Us on the umbrella.
• Have the children go under an umbrella and say, “Under!”
• Comment on how the U makes the /ŭ/ sound as you lift the umbrella up.
• When the umbrella is lifted, have the children stand on tiptoes and say, “Up, up, up!”

Make a U go up

• Tie a string on a U and let the children pull the U up (optional).
• Have the children write the letter U on small pieces of paper.
• Have the children slowly move their Us up as you say, “Make the U go uuuuuup!”

Recognize U in words

• Teach the children the signal for short-u (raise both hands above your head).
• Write a list of words that begin with U (e.g., up, under, upon, umbrella).
• Have the children find the U in each word and say /ŭ/ while raising their hands. 

Find the U in a text

• Read the Under an Umbrella target text (see below).
• Have the children raise both hands when they hear the /ŭ/ sound.
• Reread the text and let the children act the story out.
• Have the children pretend to hold onto the umbrella and go up, up, up.