Click Clack Your Way to C

Click Clack Moo, Emergent Reading

Rebekah Aldridge

Emergent Reading



Student must be well equipped to enter the world of reading. They must understand that phonemes are represented by graphemes. Students who have a firm foundation in alphabetic knowledge have proven that it is easier to understand this relationship. In this lesson I will demonstrate how to write and pronounce /k/. I will teach a fun hand gesture and tongue twister that will stay in the minds of students. My goal for this lesson is for every student to recognize C automatically.


1.      Primary writing paper

2.      Pencils for every student

3.      Picture of a type writer

4.      Poster board with the tongue twister written on it "The cow copied the caterpillar and crawled across the corridor."

5.      Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type By: Doreen Cronin

6.      Worksheet with pictures of objects that begin with C.



1.      Review letters previously studied. "Today we will be learning about the letter C, but can anyone tell me what letters we have already studied and the sounds that they make?"

2.      After reviewing the letters learned, write the C on the blackboard, whiteboard, or smart board. "Thank you for everyone's participation, and you all did a very good job at naming those letters and sounds!" This will provide an example of how to write the letter and make it easier for the students to understand the sound if they understand the connection between sound and symbol.

3.      Now introduce the letter and sound. "This is the letter C. This is the capitol C and this is the lower case c. The C makes the /k/ sound, like you are typing on a typewriter."

4.      Introduce tongue twister: "The cow copied the caterpillar and crawled across the corridor." "Okay now let's say it together three times, and remember to concentrate on the /c/. Great job at pronouncing those C's. Now let's try it with the hand gesture. So everyone sit up straight, like you're sitting at a typewriter. Place your hands on the imaginary keyboard and whenever we make the c sound, pretend to be typing."

5.      Practice writing the letter. Pass out paper and pencils. "Let's practice writing the /c/ sound. C is written like this: Put a small dot just below the rooftop bring up to the rooftop and curve around to the sidewalk. For lower case C put a small dot just below the fence, brings it to the top of the fence and curve around to the sidewalk." Have the entire class practice this five times for upper case and five times for lower case.

6.      Show the students how to find /k/ in words. "I am going to show you how to find the /k/ in words. Take the word capture for example. I will stretch out the word and everyone should listen for the typing of the typewriter. C-c-c apture. C-c-c-apture, it is the very first sound in the word capture. I hear the typing at the beginning of capture."

7.      Introduce the story: "Farmer Brown has a big farm, but he has a problem. All day long he hears click, clack, moo in the barn. Come to find out the cows have typed up a request. To find out what that request is we have to read the book!" Read Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. While reading the story, talk to the students about the book and have them use the typing gesture every time they hear the /c/ sound.


Hand out the attached work sheet. The instructions are to circle and write the name of the objects that have the /c/ sound in the name of the object. Tell the students not to worry about the correct spelling, but to spell the word the way it sounds.


Adams, Marilyn Jagger, Beginning to Read: Thing and Learning about Print, 1990, pgs 36-47

Cronin, Doreen, Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, 2000

Simpson, Cassie, The B Beat,

Whitcomb, Amy, Sammy the Slimy Snake,


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