Quack Back

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Objective

Blend a beginning consonant or consonant blend with -ack to make words such as back, quack, and track.

See Standards

Lesson Plan

Target Words:

quack
back
track
Jack

Materials:

Duck family graphic
Duck family masks
Craft sticks
3x5 index cards
"Quack Back" song
Book: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (optional)

Overview
The children will quack along a track while they add sounds to the -ack ending to make words such as back, track, quack, and Jack.

Literacy Activities
Pretend to be ducks and quack

Cut out the duck face masks and attach them to craft sticks.
Read Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey to the children, pointing out that the ducklings' names all end with -ack.
Invite five children to play the roles of ducklings and give them each a mask.
Hold the Mama Quack face mask as you play the role of Mama Quack.
Help the children say a duckling’s name, segment the initial sound and the –ack ending then blend the sounds together to say the complete name (e.g., /z/ + /ack/ = Zack).
Have the children figure out which of the "ducklings" that name belongs to, and have that duckling quack as they go back to their seat.
Repeat with the other duckling names.

Sing the "Quack Back" song

Use masking tape to make a track on the ground that goes around the room.
Teach the children the "Quack Back" song (sung to the tune of "Five Little Ducks")
Let the children pretend to be ducks and waddle along the track made of masking tape as everyone sings the "Quack Back" song.
Repeat as desired.

More Practice
Segment words into sounds and blend sounds into words

Invite the children to march to each sound in the word back.
- Produce the initial sound (e.g., /b/): march right.
- Produce /ack/: march left.
- Have the children blend the sounds together to produce the complete word (e.g., back) as they jump in place with their feet together.
Repeat with other –ack words, such as quack, lack, tack, sack, and rack.

Read and write target words

With the children's help, make a list on the board of the ducklings' names.
Point to each of the names written on the board and have the group read each name first with the sounds separated (e.g., "/z/ + /ack/"), and then with the sounds blended together (e.g., "Zack").
Have children write the name of their favorite duckling on an index card.
Hold up the different face masks one at a time, inviting the children to hold up their index card when the corresponding face mask is shown.

Quack Back

Five little Quacks went out in back.
Jack said, “Quack,” and waddled to the track.
Mama Quack said, “QUACK, QUACK” back to Jack,
Jack left the track saying, “Quack, quack, quack!”

Four little Quacks went out in back.
Mack said, “Quack,” and waddled to the track.
Mama Quack said, “QUACK, QUACK” back to Mack,
Mack left the track saying, “Quack, quack, quack!”

Three little Quacks went out in back.

Pack said, “Quack,” and waddled to the track.
Mama Quack said, “QUACK, QUACK” back to Pack,
Pack left the track saying, “Quack, quack, quack!”

Two little Quacks went out in back.

Lack said, “Quack,” and waddled to the track.
Mama Quack said, “QUACK, QUACK” back to Lack,
Lack left the track saying, “Quack, quack, quack!”

One little Quack went out in back.

Zack said, “Quack,” and waddled to the track.
Mama Quack said, “QUACK, QUACK” back to Zack,
Zack left the track saying, “Quack, quack, quack!”

(Sung to the tune of Five Little Ducks)