Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 20

Letter Ss

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Ss". Learners look at page 24, say the sound /s/ and name four pictures that begin with "S": sun, snake, sunflower and sack. On the second day they answer the Do You Know question about a planet, read the letters "Ss" and tick the picture that begins with "S". All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read whole words.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the capital and small letter "Ss"
• Say the sound /s/
• Name pictures that begin with the letter "S"
• Read the letters and tick the correct picture

Key Vocabulary

• sun
• snake
• sunflower
• sack

Do You Know

• "Which planet begins with 'S'?"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 24
• Letter cards "S" and "s"
• An empty cloth or jute sack (optional)

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Show the big red "Ss" on page 24. Point to the big "S" and the small "s"
• Draw a big "S" in the air: start at the top, curve to the left, then curve back to the right, like a wiggly snake. Learners copy you
• Say the sound /s/ /s/ like a hissing snake: "sssss". Learners repeat three times

Look and Say (12 minutes)

• Point to each picture on page 24 and say the word. Learners repeat twice:
  • sun (a bright yellow sun)
  • snake (a green snake on a branch)
  • sunflower (a big yellow sunflower)
  • sack (a brown sack tied at the top)
• Point to the pink "S" at the start of each word. Say: "S, /s/, snake"
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book

Sun and Sunflower (4 minutes)

• Point to the sun and then the sunflower
• Say: "Sun, sunflower. Both begin with /s/"
• Learners stretch their arms out wide like sun rays and say "sun"

Act It Out (5 minutes)

• Wiggle your arm like the snake and hiss "sssnake"
• Pretend to carry a heavy sack on your back and say "sack"
• Grow tall like a sunflower and say "sunflower"

Wrap-Up (4 minutes)

• Hold up the "S" card. Learners say "S says /s/"
• Name the four pictures together 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 the picture when you point, without help

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

Materials

• Textbook page 24
• Pencils
• Letter cards "S" and "s"

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 24 again. Point and say: sun, snake, sunflower, sack
• Hiss the sound together: "/s/ /s/ sun, /s/ /s/ snake"

Do You Know (6 minutes)

• Read the question aloud: "Which planet begins with 'S'?"
• Give a clue: "It is a planet with big rings around it"
• Accept "Saturn". Learners draw a ring in the air and say "Saturn"

Letter Hunt (5 minutes)

• Hold up the "S" and "s" cards
• Learners find the big "S" and the small "s" on page 24
• Ask them to point to the pink "S" in Sun, Snake, Sunflower and Sack

Book Activity: Read and Tick (10 minutes)

• Read the instruction aloud: "Read the letters and tick the correct pictures."
• Point to "Ss" in the first box. Learners say "S, /s/"
• Point to each picture and name it together: plant, snake
• Ask: "Does plant begin with /s/?" (no, it begins with /p/) "Does snake begin with /s/?" (yes)
• Learners tick the box above the snake

Wrap-Up (4 minutes)

• Ask each learner to say one "S" word from the page
• Clap once for every correct word

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand to make the tick; say "snake" together first
• Extension: Ask confident learners which letter plant begins with

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Teaching Tips

• Say the sound /s/ as a long hiss, not "es"
• The "S" shape looks like the snake on the page; use this to help learners remember it
• The plant in the activity links back to Letter Pp; praise learners who remember it