State the Objective
Tell the children that they will see what secrets are in Santa’s sack as they listen for words that start with the /s/ sound, such as send, socks, scooter, sandwich, and Santa. 

Literacy Activities
Secret Santa sends something 

• Make a Santa hat out of a large piece of red construction paper and a cotton ball. 
• Write the letter S on the hat and tell the children its name.
• Say that S makes the /s/ sound in words such as secret, Santa, socks, sandwich, scooter, sweater, and sack. 
• Have the children sit in a circle, then choose one child to be the Secret Santa and wear the paper Santa hat. 
• Explain that Secret Santa sends silly things for others secretly. 
• Lead the children in the Secret Santa Chant (see below) as the Secret Santa walks around the circle. 
• When the children say, "What did Santa send?" have the Secret Santa stop and let a child select a picture card (see below) from the sack. 
• Let that child show the picture card and help them identify it, emphasizing the /s/ sound at the beginning of the word. 
• Have the children say, "Secret Santa sent a ___" (insert the picture card name). 

• Repeat the activity with the new Secret Santa.

   

Re-create the target letter on Santa's cap 

• Let each child write letter Ss on a piece of red construction paper as they make the /s/ sound.
• Help the children roll their paper into a cone and tape or staple the edges, then glue a cotton ball on top. 
• Invite the children to wear their Santa caps as they pretend to be Santa, encouraging them to say, "/s/, /s/, /s/, Santa!"
• Let each “Santa” say something to send that starts with /s/, such as soup, snowmen, saddle, or sandwich.

Read an alliterative text to the children 

• Display the Silly Secret Santa target text (see below). 
• Read the text to the children, emphasizing the /s/ sound at the beginning of words. 
• Say and point to each of the words in the text that start with /s/ and have the children echo them back.