Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 4

Letter Dd

Subject: English | Class: Playgroup | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Dd". Learners look at a big pond picture on page 6 and meet four words that begin with "d": dragonfly, drum, dog and duck. They say the sound chant from the page and the rhyme line "d / d / duck makes a quack". On the second day they find the big "D" and the small "d", say the words again and draw the letter in the air. All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes (from the Lesson Planner)

• Introduction to Dd
• Recognition of D used in different words

Key Vocabulary

• dragonfly
• drum
• dog
• duck

Sound Chant (from page 6)

• "d / d / dragonfly"
• "d / d / drum"
• "d / d / dog"

Rhyme Line (from page 6)

• "d / d / duck makes a quack"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 6
• A toy drum (or a tin to tap)
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of dragonfly, drum, dog, duck

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Point to the big red "Dd" at the top of page 6 and say "D, d"
• Draw a big "d" in the air with your finger and ask learners to copy you
• Say the sound /d/ with the tongue tapping behind the top teeth: /d/ /d/ /d/

Drum Pass (5 minutes)

• Pass a toy drum around the group
• Each learner taps it once and says "drum"
• Tap the drum on each sound: "d / d / drum"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 6 and point to each picture with its label:
  • the yellow dragonfly in the air: "dragonfly"
  • the drum the boy is playing: "drum"
  • the brown and white dog: "dog"
  • the white duck in the pond with three little ducklings: "duck"
• Learners repeat each word twice
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book

Sound Chant (8 minutes)

• Read the chant box aloud, tapping a drum beat on each "d":
  • d / d / dragonfly
  • d / d / drum
  • d / d / dog
• Learners echo each line
• Say it again in a big voice, then a tiny voice

Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

• Tap the drum and ask: "What does drum start with?" Learners say /d/
• Wave goodbye to the dog: "Bye-bye, dog!"

Differentiation

• Support: Let shy learners point to pictures instead of saying words; say the word with them
• Extension: Ask confident learners to name each picture when you point, without help

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Day 2: Find the Letter (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 6
• Letter cards for "D", "d", "b" and "c"

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 6 again. Point and say: dragonfly, drum, dog, duck
• Say the chant together: "d / d / dragonfly, d / d / drum, d / d / dog"

Rhyme Time (6 minutes)

• Read the rhyme line aloud: "d / d / duck makes a quack"
• Learners echo it and add "Quack, quack!"
• Point to the duck and the three little ducklings on page 6 and count them together: one, two, three

Big D and Small d (6 minutes)

• Point to the big red "Dd" on page 6
• Say: "This is big D. This is small d." Learners point to each one
• Hold up the "D", "d", "b" and "c" cards one at a time; learners say the letter name
• Teacher note: small "b" and small "d" are easy to mix up. Small "d" has the round part first, then the tall line

Air and Finger Tracing (7 minutes)

• Big D: a straight line down, then go back to the top and make one big curve round to the bottom
• Small d: curve round like a ball, then go up tall and straight down
• Draw both letters in the air together, slowly
• Learners run a finger over the big "Dd" on page 6

Find It Game (5 minutes)

• Say a word from the page; one learner points to the picture and says "d / d / ..."
• Use: dragonfly, drum, dog, duck
• Clap for every correct answer

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Draw "d" in the air one last time and say /d/
• Say the rhyme line together: "d / d / duck makes a quack"

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's finger and trace the big "Dd" on the page together
• Extension: Let confident learners find the letter "d" on the word labels on page 6

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Teaching Tips (from the Lesson Planner)

• Month 2, 1st Week: Introduction to Dd
• Month 2, 1st Week: Recognition of D used in different words
• Month 2, 3rd Week: Revision of Dd, Ee and Ff