Sift for a Gift
Objective
Recognize words that rhyme with gift (e.g., "Do gift and sift rhyme?") and produce rhyme words (e.g., "Think of a word that rhymes with gift.").
Lesson Plan
Target Words:
- swift
- lift
- gift
- sift
Materials:
- Gift graphics or small items wrapped up
- Beans, rice, or sand
- A large container
- Sift for a Gift chant
Overview
The children will sift for objects as they recognize and produce words that rhyme with gift, such as swift, lift, and sift.
Literacy Activity
- Hide real gifts (e.g., rings, stickers, lollipops) or gifts graphics in beans or rice.
- Have the children take turns sifting through the container with their fingers for a gift while saying, “Sift for the gift” when they are looking, and, “Lift the gift” when they grab it from the pile.
- After every child has a gift, say, “Now be swift and open your gift.” (If using graphics, have the children pretend to open the gift.)
More Practice
- Write or display the Sift for a Gift chant on the board, and point to each word as you say it, repeating it at a moderate pace, slowly, and then quickly.
- Using the text from the chant, help the children identify rhyming pairs (e.g., “Which two words rhyme? Sift and gift or lift and open?”).
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SEEL Target Texts
Sift for a Gift chant
Sift the gift.
Lift the gift.
Be swift; open the gift.
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SEEL At Home
Print
Objective:
Recognize and produce words that rhyme with gift.
Materials:
- Bucket or container
- Beans, rice, or sand
- Small gifts
Activity: Sift the Gift
- Fill the bucket or container half full with something your child can sift through, and bury the small gifts inside.
- Have your child sift through to find the buried items in the bucket.
- As he or she sifts, say together the following chant:
Sift the gift.
Lift the gift.
Be swift; open the gift.
- Say the chant in creative ways (e.g., slowly, quickly, loudly).
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Standards
SEEL lessons align with Common Core Standards. Please see the standards page for the code(s) associated with this lesson.

http://education.byu.edu/seel/library/
542951
Sift for a Gift