State and Model the Objective
Tell the children that they will bake a cake for Birthday Bear as they listen for words that start with the /b/ sound, such as bear, bake, bowl, and birthday.

Literacy Activities
Feed the bear

• Show the children the Birthday Bear graphic and tell them that it is Birthday Bear's birthday, emphasizing the /b/ sounds.
• Bring out the bowl and spoon and lay out all the objects or picture cards for the children to see.
• Explain that only objects or cards of things beginning with the /b/ sound can go in the batter.
• Hold up objects or cards one at a time and ask, “Could we put a ___ (e.g., bug) in the batter?”
  • If children are confused about whether or not the object or picture card begins with the /b/ sound, offer support by saying the initial letter sound a few times before saying the name of the item (e.g., /b/ /b/ bug or /t/ /t/ taco).
  • If the children determine the object or card begins with /b/, have a child put it in the bowl and mix it with the spoon.
  • If it does not begin with /b/, put it to the side.
• Once all the /b/ items are in the batter, let the children pretend to feed it to the bear, saying, “Bite the ___ (e.g., batter, or name of item they scoop up), Birthday Bear!”

More Practice
Identify and trace the target sound

• Invite the children to make birthday cards for Birthday Bear, explaining that he likes things that begin with the /b/ sound best.
• Encourage them to draw pictures of objects that begin with /b/, glue letter B graphics, and trace or copy the letter B on their cards.
• As the cards are being made, say together, “Birthday Bear is my best bud!” emphasizing the /b/ sound.
• When the children have finished decorating their cards, have them turn to a neighbor and tell each other the names of the /b/ sound objects on their cards.
• Have the children point to each B on their cards and make the /b/ sound, repeating until they run out of Bs.