State the Objective
Tell the children that they will make and stack caps and that they will read and write short-vowel words, such as cap, cat, top, tap, slip, scrap, and stack.

Literacy Activities
Introduce target words

• Display a list of short-vowel target words.
• Read the words with the children.

Make paper caps

• Read the Make a Cap target text (see below) with the children.
• Let the children trace a big circle onto a scrap of paper and cut it out.
• Have the children make two flaps by cutting in a straight line until they get to the middle of the circle.
• Help the children overlap the flaps and glue or staple them together.

Stack lots of caps

• Read the A Fat Cat Has Lots of Caps target text (see below) with the children.
• Tell the children that they will put caps on a cat (either a stuffed animal cat or a balloon with a cat face drawn on it).
• Have the children stack caps on top of the cat.
• Have the children tip or tap the cat to make the caps slip off.

Identify vowel sounds

• Say short-vowel target words (e.g., cap, cat, top, tap, slip, scrap, stack) and ask the children what vowel they hear.
• Stretch out your arms and lengthen the vowel as you say the target words (e.g., Can. c  aaaa  n. Can.).
• Have the children identify the sounds in the words and write the words.

Identify similar vowels

• Show the children short-a words, such as cap, cat, fat, and stack.
• Ask the children what is similar about the words.
• Repeat with short-i words, such as tip, slip, snip, and spill, and short-o words, such as top, dog, lots, and lost.
• Let the children write sentences using short-vowel words (e.g., We stack caps on a cat; We can tap the cat; The caps slip off; The cat has a cap on top of a cap).