State the Objective

Tell the children that they will help the mouse make a mess as they recognize and name the uppercase letter M and the lowercase letter m. 

Literacy Activities

Introduce the target letter

• Write the uppercase letter M and the lowercase letter m and name the letters.
• Have the children write the M and m in the air with their fingers. 
• Read Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley, emphasizing the letter M (optional). 

Make a mess

• Show the children the mouse (see below) and the tray and explain that the mouse wants to make a mess with the letter M. 
• Let the children take turns selecting letter cards (see below) from a bag or container. 
• Have each child identify the letter that he or she chose, and then ask, “Does ___ go in the mouse’s mess?” 
  • If the card is the letter M or m, have the child put it on the tray by the mouse. 
  • If it is not the letter M or m, put it in a discard pile. 
  • If a child misidentifies a distractor letter as an M or an m, have him or her look at the M and m on the whiteboard and compare them to the letter he or she picked. 
• Once all the M letter cards have been identified, have the children make, mix, mash, and move the mess of letter cards around on the tray. 

Write the target letter

• Have the children write the letter M and the letter m on pieces of paper.
• Help the children cut out the letters and add them to the mouse’s mess.