State the Objective

Tell the children that they will stick the letter S to a spider and that they will recognize and name uppercase letter S and lowercase letter s.

Literacy Activities

S Spider

• Write and name uppercase letter S and lowercase letter s.
• Have the children write S and s in the air with their fingers.
• Read the book Spooky Spider, by Mark Shulman and Patti Jennings, with the children and emphasize the letter S (optional).
• Teach the children the Spooky Spider song (see below), which can be sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.”
• Help the children sort the letter cards (see below).
  • If the letter is an S, have the children put it on the S Spider (see below).
  • If the letter is not an S, have them place it in a discard pile.

Identify the target letter in a text

• Show the children the text of the Spooky Spider song (see below).
• Have the children circle the letter S every time it occurs in the text.
• Read the text slowly, following along with your finger, and have the children write the letter S in the air each time they see the letter S in the text.

Write the target letter

• Tell the children to draw a large spider (i.e., draw a circle with four lines on each side for the legs).
• Help the children write the letter S on the spider.
• Lead the children in singing the Spooky Spider song (see below).
• Allow the children to spin their spooky spider while singing the song.