Overview
The children will pretend to be rabbits and raccoons that rescue roosters as they practice saying the /r/ sound in words such as rescue, run, and ribbon.

Literacy Activities
Rescue the hidden R letters

• Place R and r letter cards around the classroom.
• Invite the children to search the room and find the letter R around the classroom.
• Have the children chant, “/r/, /r/, /r/” as they race around the classroom to rescue the Rs.
• Have the children say, “R makes the /r/ sound” when they find an R letter card.

Rescue the roosters

• Divide the children into two teams: the rabbits and the raccoons.
• Label one tub “rabbits” and one tub “raccoons” and have the children form one line next to each tub.
• Place red roosters at the opposite end of the room.
• Have one member of each team run to rescue a rooster, write an R on it, and bring it back to their tub.
  • At the same time, have the rest of each team cheer for their team by chanting, “/r/, /r/, run! R says /r/”
• Repeat until all of the red roosters have been rescued.
• Count the red roosters in each team’s tub together as a class by saying, “One red rooster, two red roosters, three red roosters" and so on.
• Reward the rabbits and the raccoons with red ribbons for rescuing the red roosters.

More Practice 
Play Pass the Red Bag game

• Fold R and non-R picture cards in half and put them in a red bag or container.
• Have the children sit in a circle to take turns passing the red bag.
• Have each child remove a card and decide if it begins with the letter R.
  • If the card begins with the letter R, have the child read the word.
  • If the card does not begin with the letter R, have the child put the card back in the red bag, shake the bag, and pass it along.

Write the target letter

• Have the children write the uppercase letter R and lowercase letter r on the red ribbons they received for rescuing the roosters.
• Have the children say the /r/ sound each time they write the letter R.
• As the children write, point out the shapes included in the letters R and r (i.e., lines and circles).
• Let the children color the ribbon red.