Overview
The children will make shadows with shapes and then practice writing sh and saying the /sh/ sound as in shine, ship, and shark.

Literacy Activities
Make the shapes into shadows

• Cut out the shapes and tape the names of the shapes on the back.
• Write the letters sh on a whiteboard and explain that the two letters together make the /sh/ sound.
• Show the children that shape and shadow start with the letters sh.
• Put shapes into a bag and have the children choose a shape out of the bag one at a time.
• Tell the children to hold the shapes in front of a flashlight or place it on an overhead projector to make a shadow on the wall.
• Ask the children, “What shape is this shadow?”
• Have the children name the shape of the shadow (e.g., "The shadow is the shape of a ship").
• Help the children read the label on the object to check their answer.
• After you make the shadow, tape the shape in the appropriate column of the T-Chart.
  • If the name of the shape starts with the /sh/ sound, tape the shape in the "sh" column
  • If the name of the shape does not start with /sh/, tape the shape in the "not sh" column.
• Have the children take turns shining the light to make different shadow shapes.

Draw sh shapes

• Hold up a shape of an object that starts with sh and have everyone say the name of the shape.
• Have the children draw the shape on paper or on whiteboards.
• Tell the children to write the letters sh inside each shape.
• Have the children point to the letters sh inside each shape while saying /sh/.

More Practice
Make a shoe shape with sh letters

• Have the children place sh letter cards along the outline of the shoe shape.
• Have the children say the /sh/ sound as they place the sh letter cards along the dotted lines of the shape design.
• Once the children have finished outlining the shape design with letter cards, have them name the shape.

Write and read the target letter

• Review the T-Chart on the board.
• Write a few sentences about the shadow shapes you made (e.g., "We made a shadow the shape of a ___") that start with sh.
• Have the children help you by writing the initial /sh/ sound in each word.
• Read the text as a group.