Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 25

Letter Xx

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Leeds

---

Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Xx". Learners look at page 30 and meet four words that begin with "x": xylophone, X-ray, Xmas tree and xebec. They say the sound box from the page, talk about the Do You Know question about the Christmas tree and colour the picture that begins with "X". All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes

• Recognise the big "X" and the small "x"
• Say the letter's sounds in the page words
• Name the pictures that begin with "x"
• Pick out the picture that begins with "X"

Key Vocabulary

• xylophone
• X-ray
• Xmas tree
• xebec (a sailing ship)

Sound Box (from page 30)

• "/x/ /x/"

Do You Know? (from page 30)

• "When do Christians decorate the Christmas tree?" (Answer: at Christmas, in December)

---

Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 30
• A toy xylophone, if the school has one
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of xylophone, X-ray, Xmas tree, xebec

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Point to the big red "Xx" at the top of page 30 and say "X, x"
• Cross your two arms in front of you to make an "X"; learners copy you
• Draw a big "x" in the air with your finger and ask learners to copy you

Music Time (5 minutes)

• Play a few notes on a toy xylophone, or point to the colourful xylophone in the book and pretend to tap the bars
• Say "xylophone" slowly: "zy-lo-phone"; learners repeat
• Let a few learners tap the bars and say "xylophone"

Look and Say (12 minutes)

• Open page 30 and point to each picture with its label:
  • the colourful xylophone at the top: "xylophone"
  • the doctor holding up a picture of bones: "X-ray"
  • the green tree with balls, bells and a star: "Xmas tree"
  • the old ship with big sails on the sea: "xebec"
• Explain: an X-ray is a picture of the bones inside us; a xebec is a sailing ship; Xmas is a short way to write Christmas
• Learners repeat each word twice
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book

Sail the Xebec (6 minutes)

• Learners sit in a line and rock side to side like a ship on the sea
• Say "xebec" each time they rock; then say "X-ray" and learners hold up their hands like the doctor

Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

• Cross arms into an "X" and say "X, x"
• Say all four words together: xylophone, X-ray, Xmas tree, xebec

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

---

Day 2: Think and Colour (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 30
• Crayons

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 30 again. Point and say: xylophone, X-ray, Xmas tree, xebec
• Find the big "X" and the small "x" on the page
• Make an "X" with arms and with two fingers

Do You Know? (7 minutes)

• Read the question aloud: "When do Christians decorate the Christmas tree?"
• Point to the Xmas tree in the book and count the stars and bells together
• Help learners answer: "At Christmas", which comes in December
• Talk about how families decorate for their own festivals too

Letter in the Air and on the Page (6 minutes)

• Point to the big pink "X" at the bottom of page 30
• Show the stroke for "x": slant down from top left to bottom right, then slant down from top right to bottom left
• Learners draw "x" in the air, then run a finger over the pink "X" in the book

Book Activity: Colour the X Picture (8 minutes)

• Read the instruction aloud: "Colour the picture beginning with the letter 'X'."
• Point to the banana and ask: "What is this?" Learners say "banana"
• Point to the xylophone and ask: "What is this?" Learners say "xylophone"
• Ask: "Which one starts with x?" Learners colour the xylophone, using many colours for the bars
• Walk round and check every learner coloured the xylophone

Wrap-Up (4 minutes)

• Play "Cross for x": say a word; learners cross their arms if it starts with "x" (xylophone, banana, X-ray, xebec, Xmas tree)
• Wave goodbye: "Bye-bye, xebec!"

Differentiation

• Support: Colour one bar of the xylophone together first; say "xylophone" together
• Extension: Ask confident learners to name all four "x" pictures from memory

---

Teaching Tips

• "X" is a special letter. In xylophone and xebec it sounds like /z/. In X-ray we say the letter's name, "ex". Say each word clearly so learners hear it
• The book prints "X-mass tree". The correct word is "Xmas tree" (short for Christmas tree); say and write it that way
• The answer to the Do You Know question is at Christmas, in December