State the Objective

Tell the children that they will act out a story about napping pets and that they will read and write short-vowel words, such as dog, cat, mom, kid, bug, and rat.

Literacy Activities

Introduce target words

• Show the children the short-vowel target words.
• Read the words with the children.

Make a stack

• Read the Nap Stack target text (see below) with the children.
• Read The Napping House, by Audrey Wood, to the children (optional).
• Have the children read the short-vowel word cards (see below).
• Tape the picture cards (see below) to blocks.
• Let the children stack the blocks on top of each other.
• Have the children take turns reading the words on the picture cards as they take the blocks off the stack.

Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• With word-building cards (see below), have the children make new words by changing a consonant or the vowel.
  • Change the beginning consonant(s): bed→ fed; bug→ dug; dog→ log
  • Change the vowel: cat→ cut; bug→ bag; dog→ dig
  • Change the ending consonant: mom→ mop; dog→ dot; bug→ but

Identify vowel sounds

• Say short-vowel target words (e.g., dog, cat, mom, kid, bug, rat), stretching out your arms and lengthening the vowel (e.g., Dog. d-oooo-g. Dog.).
• Ask the children what vowel they hear.
• Have the children identify the sounds in the words and write the words.