Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 1

Letter Aa

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Aa". Learners look at the big capital "A" and small "a", say the sound /a/, and name four pictures that begin with "A": aeroplane, alligator, apple and ambulance. On the second day they answer the Do You Know question and complete the tick activity, choosing the apple and not the cake. All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the capital letter "A" and the small letter "a"
• Say the sound /a/
• Name things that begin with the letter "A"
• Tick the picture that begins with "A"

Key Vocabulary

• aeroplane
• alligator
• apple
• ambulance

Do You Know

• "Name another fruit which begins with 'A'."

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 3
• A real apple
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of aeroplane, alligator, apple, ambulance
• Board and marker

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Draw a big "A" in the air with your finger and ask learners to copy you
• Say the sound /a/ slowly, as in apple
• Ask learners to open their mouths wide and say /a/ /a/ with you three times

Meet the Letter (5 minutes)

• Open page 3 and point to the big red "Aa"
• Say: "This is big A. This is small a." Learners point and repeat
• Point to the /a/ /a/ bubble and say it together
• Show that every word on the page starts with a pink "A"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Point to each picture and say the word; learners repeat twice:
  • aeroplane
  • alligator
  • apple
  • ambulance
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book
• Then swap: you point, learners say the word

Move and Say (5 minutes)

• Aeroplane: learners stretch their arms out and fly round the circle
• Alligator: learners open and close their arms like a big snapping mouth
• Ambulance: learners make a siren sound and drive a pretend steering wheel
• Each time, say the word and the sound: "/a/ /a/ aeroplane"

Apple Pass (4 minutes)

• Pass a real apple around the circle
• When a learner holds it, they say "apple" and the sound /a/
• Point to the cut apple on page 3 and ask: "What colour is the apple?"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Hold up the apple and ask: "What does apple start with?" Learners say /a/
• Draw "A" in the air one last time

Differentiation

• Support: Let shy learners point to pictures instead of saying words; say the word with them
• Extension: Ask confident learners to name all four pictures without help

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Day 2: Do You Know and Tick (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 3
• Pencils
• The real apple from Day 1

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 3 again. Point and say: aeroplane, alligator, apple, ambulance
• Sing the /a/ sound: "a, a, apple; a, a, aeroplane"
• Draw "A" and "a" on the board; learners trace them in the air

Do You Know (7 minutes)

• Point to the boy in the hat and read his question aloud: "Name another fruit which begins with 'A'."
• Ask: "Which fruit on this page starts with A?" Learners point to the apple
• Let learners share ideas for another fruit. Accept any fruit name that begins with "A" and praise every try
• Say together: "Apple is a fruit. Apple starts with A."

Listen for /a/ (6 minutes)

• Say each word from page 3 slowly. Learners put a hand up when they hear /a/ at the start: aeroplane, alligator, apple, ambulance
• Then say "cake". Learners keep their hands down
• Ask: "Does cake start with /a/?" Learners say "No"

Tick the Picture (10 minutes)

• Read the instruction aloud: "Read the letters and tick the correct pictures."
• Point to the pink "Aa" in the first box and say /a/ together
• Point to the apple and ask: "Does apple start with A?" (yes)
• Point to the cake and ask: "Does cake start with A?" (no)
• Show how to make a tick in the small box above the apple
• Learners tick the apple; walk round and help with the pencil grip

Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

• Ask each learner: "Which picture did you tick?" Learners say "apple"
• Say the four words one last time together

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand to make the tick; say "apple, /a/" as you tick together
• Extension: Ask confident learners to tell a friend why the cake does not get a tick

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• The /a/ /a/ bubble shows the sound of the letter; say it twice each time
• The first letter of every word is printed in pink to show the "A"
• Read the activity instruction aloud: learners tick the picture, they do not read the words