Overview
The children will put Os on and take Os off an octopus as they recognize and name the uppercase letter O and the lowercase letter o.

Literacy Activities
O for the octopus

• Write the uppercase letter O and the lowercase letter o on a whiteboard, name the letters (pointing out that the uppercase and lowercase letter Os are the same shape), and have the children write Os in the air with their fingers.
• Invite the children to put the letter cards face down on the octopus graphic as they chant, "O, o, o, octopus!"
• Have the children take turns taking a letter card off the octopus, then decide together whether or not the card is the letter O.
  • If the letter is an O, have the children place their card along the edge of the octopus page.
  • If the letter is not an O, have the children place the card in the discard pile.
  • If a child misidentifies a distractor letter as an O or an o, have him or her look at the O and o on the whiteboard and compare them to the letter he or she picked. 

More Practice
Make the letter O

• Let the children make the shape of the letter O using different body parts (e.g., mouth, hands, arms).
• Let the children stand up and make the O shape together by standing in a big circle.
• Make the O circle bigger and smaller by holding hands and spreading out or taking steps in toward the middle of the circle.

Write the letter O

• Give the children an octopus graphic and let the children write the letter O on and around the octopus several times.