Overview
The children will make and pretend to sell hats and caps as they read and write words ending in –ap and -at such as hat, rat, cat, sat, pat, cap, snap, flap, scrap, and wrap.

Literacy Activities
Make caps for the cap and hat store

• Make simple caps to sell in a store.
  • Cut out the parts of the cap pattern:
    • Snap (staple) the two sides of the slit to form the cap.
    • Attach the straps and snaps with the stapler.
    • You can repeat the word “snap” each time you use the stapler to snap on a strap or snap to the cap.
  • Cut out circles from scraps of paper or cloth and cut a slit to the center.
    • Snap (staple) the two sides of the slit to form the cap.
    • Make straps and flaps out of scraps of paper or cloth to snap (staple) onto the caps made out of scraps.
• Make silly hats to sell in a store.
  • Fold paper hats.
  • Attach graphics of cats, rats, and bats.
  • Color the hat and cap pictures to put in the cap and hat store.

Set up a hat and cap store

• Put up the "Cap and Hat Store" sign.
• Set out the caps and hats in two different areas so that the buyers have to point, saying “this hat” or “that cap”.
• Set out real hats and caps (optional).
• Have the children make a sign that says "Caps" and a sign that says "Hats" to label the hats and caps.
• Make comments such as the following:
  • “I’ll put the hat with a rat there.  That hat will go in a stack of hats.” 
  • “I’ll put the caps with flaps here and the caps with straps there.”
  • “I like these caps made out of scraps.”
  • “I like flat caps and hats.  I do not like hats that are not flat.” 
  • “I like the hats with rats, cats and bats.”

Sell hats and caps

• Let some children pretend to be customers while others pretend to sell the hats and caps.
• Have the customers point out the hats that they want (e.g. "that hat and that hat," "that hat with a bat," "this cap with flaps," "this cap with straps," etc.)
• Let the seller or customer hold up two hats and ask, “Which hat or cap do you like?” (They should answer, “I like that one.”)
• Have the sellers ask questions such as, “Do you like that hat?” “Do you want a hat like that?” “Do you like that cap with straps?” “Do you want a cap like that?” “Would you like me to wrap that cap?”

Wrap the caps and hats in scraps or place in tins that snap

• Let the children wrap the caps and hats in scraps of paper or cloth.
• Let the children place the caps and hats in tins that snap and with lids that flap.

More Practice
Identify, blend and manipulate sounds

• With word blending cards, have the children make new words by changing the vowel or either of the consonants:
  • hat → sat → mat → rat → cat → bat
  • cap → tap → lap → nap → zap → snap → wrap → flap
  • cat → cap; sap → sat; hat → ham; lap → lab
  • hat → hot; cap → cup; tap → top; bat → bet; sat → sit

Read target words in a text

• Read the target text I Like Hats together with the children.
• Read the target text again, fading support.
• Have the children underline the words that end in –at.
• Repeat with books (optional).

Write about the activity using target words/patterns

• Play a “pass the cap” game with children.
• Have the children sit in a circle and take turns passing a paper cap.
• As children get the cap, have them write a word that ends in -ap on the paper cap.
• Repeat the game with a paper hat, but this time, have children write words that end in –at.
• Give each child a whiteboard and have them write words from dictation, changing one or two letters each time to make a new word: sap, nap, snap, snip, lip, lit, fit, fat, hat, rat, ran, can, cat, cap, lap, flap, flat, bat.
• Engage the children in interactive writing about their experience. Review target words and phrases from the activities then present sentence frame, sentence completion, gestural, or question prompts incorporating target words and phrases. Provide verbal or written options if needed.
  • Example of an interactive text:
    • We made _____ (caps) and _____ (hats) to sell in a store.
    • We made caps with _____ (snaps), _____ (straps), and _____ (flaps).
    • We made hats with_____ (cats), _____ (rats), and _____ (bats).
    • We got to _____ (wrap) the caps and hats in _____ (scraps) of paper.
    • We got to put the _____ (caps and hats) in tins that _____ (snap).
    • We like to make and sell _____ (caps and hats).