Overview
The children that they get to draw a magic rat, cat, and bat as they read and write words ending in –at such as cat, bat, rat, and sat. 

Literacy Activities
Is it a Rat, a Cat, or a Bat?

• While telling the story, A Rat, a Cat, or a Bat, draw a rat, cat, and bat, described as follows:
  • To draw a rat: Draw a small circle sitting on top of the larger circle, dots for eyes and nose, two round ears, whiskers, and a long thin tail in a rainbow shape to the right. Write rat underneath it and have the child read the word altogether.
  • To change the rat into a cat: Draw pointed ears over the round ears and make the tail fat. Change the letter R in rat to the letter C to make cat. Have the children read cat altogether.
  • To change the cat into a bat: Extend the tail to look like a bat wing.  Draw a wing on the left of the bat. Change the letter C in cat to the letter B to make bat. Have the children read bat altogether.
• Hand out a white boards and marker to each child (or a paper and pencil). Take them through each step of drawing a rat, a cat, and a bat.

More Practice
Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• With word blending cards, have the children make new words by changing either of the consonants or the vowel:
  • rat → cat; fat → bat; sat → pat
  • pat → pot; cat → cut; bat → bit
  • bat → bag; cat → car; rat → ram

Read target words within a text

• Give each child a copy of the A Cat, a Bat, or a Rat story target text.
• Have each child underline the words ending in –at.

Write about the activity using target words and phrases

• As a class, create a list of –at words on the white board.
• Have the children write under their drawn rat, cat and bat: I am a rat. I am a cat. I am a bat.
• Tell each child to write a few sentences in which they describe how they get to draw a rat, a cat, and a bat. Encourage them to use as many –at words from the board as they can.