Overview

Cover that cat

• Put one set of word cards in a bowl, and give each child one game board and one set of word cards.
  • Have the children cut out the word cards and practice reading them as they cut them out.
• Pull a word card out of a bowl and read it to the children.
• Have the children identify which picture on their game board matches the word card.
  • Help them cover the picture on their game board with the correct word card from the set. 
  • Each time they cover a picture, have them say, "Cover that ___!," inserting the name of the picture (e.g., "Cover that cat!").
• Once all of the children have covered three pictures in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally is okay), have the whole class chant the three words together.
• Repeat the activity until the children are familiar with the -at and -an words or until they have covered their whole board. 

More Practice

Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• Have the children perform different actions as they hear different segments in the -an and -at words:
  • For example, for the word can,
    • Segment sounds: /c/ (march right), /an/ (march left).
    • Blend sounds: jump with both feet and say "can."
• Repeat with the other -an and -at words (e.g., man, fan, pan, cat, mat, and bat).
• As you change words, help the children identify which sound is different in each word.

Write about the activity using target words and phrases

• Choose a child to come up to the classroom whiteboard and write one of the target words.
• Help the students take turns coming up to the board to change either the beginning consonant or ending consonant to make a new word:
  • Change the beginning consonant: can→ fan→ man→ tan→ ran→ pan→ van (or pat→ rat→ cat→ mat→ sat→ bat).
  • Change the ending consonant: pan→ pat; ran→ rat; can→ cat; man→ mat.
• Have the children write a simple sentence using words that end with -an and -at (e.g., "The cat and man ran.").