State and Model 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 

• Create a Santa hat out of a large piece of red construction paper and a cotton ball. 
• Write the letter S on the board and tell the children that the letter S makes the /s/ sound in words such as secret, Santa, socks, sandwich, scooter, sweater, and sack. 
• Teach the children the Secret Santa Chant (see below), explaining that a Secret Santa does kind things for others secretly. 
• Have the children sit in a circle, then choose one child to be the Secret Santa and wear the paper Santa hat. 
• Lead the children in the Secret Santa Chant 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 from the sack. 
• Let that child show the picture card he or she selected and help him or her identify it (as needed), emphasizing the /s/ sound at the beginning of the word. 
• Invite the children to join together in saying, "Secret Santa sent a ___" (insert the picture card name). 
• Have the Secret Santa trade places with the child who picked from the sack, then repeat the activity with the new Secret Santa.

Re-create the target letter on Santa's cap 

• Give each child a piece of red construction paper (or white paper and a red crayon) and have them practice writing the letter S on it as they make the /s/ sound. 
• Help the children roll their paper into a cone and tape or staple it in shape, 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 he or she would send that starts with /s/, such as soup, snowmen, saddle, or sandwich.

More practice
Read an alliterative text to the children 

• Display the Silly Secret Santa target text (see below) large enough for children to easily see. 
• 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/ like Santa and have the children echo them back.