Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 8

Letter Hh

Subject: English | Class: Playgroup | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Hh". Learners look at a farm scene on page 10 with a horse, a hut, a man in a hat and a hen with her chicks. They say the four words, chant "h / h / hen", "h / h / hat", "h / h / hut", and learn the rhyme line about the horse. On the second day they say the chant again, trace "Hh" in the air and in sand, and colour. All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes

• Introduction to Hh (Lesson Planner, page 2)
• Recognition of H used in different words (Lesson Planner, page 2)
• Say the sound /h/ and the chant from page 10

Key Vocabulary

• hen
• hat
• hut
• horse

Chant and Rhyme Line

• "h / h / hen", "h / h / hat", "h / h / hut"
• "h / h / horse gleams in the sunlit rays."

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 10
• A real hat
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of hen, hat, hut, horse
• A big "Hh" letter card

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Hold up the big "Hh" card. Say: "This is big H and this is small h"
• Say the sound /h/ like a little puff of air: hold a hand in front of your mouth and feel the air
• Learners put a hand in front of their mouths and say /h/ with you three times

Show and Tell (5 minutes)

• Pass a real hat around the group
• Let every learner put the hat on and say "hat"
• Say together: "hat, /h/ /h/ hat"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 10 and point to the big red "Hh"
• Point to each picture and say the word; learners repeat twice:
  • horse
  • hut
  • hat
  • hen
• Ask: "What is the hen doing?" (eating from a bowl) and "Who is with the hen?" (her little chicks)
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book

Chant Time (6 minutes)

• Read the chant box slowly, clapping on each "h":
  • h / h / hen
  • h / h / hat
  • h / h / hut
• Learners echo each line
• Say the rhyme line: "h / h / horse gleams in the sunlit rays." Learners echo it in a sing-song voice

Action Game (3 minutes)

• Call out a word and learners act it:
  • hen: flap little wings and peck
  • hat: tip your hat
  • horse: gallop on the spot
• Say the word each time: "hen", "hat", "horse"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Hold up the hat and ask: "What does hat start with?" Learners say /h/
• Wave goodbye to the hen: "Bye-bye, hen!"

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: Chant and Trace (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 10
• A sand tray (or a tray of flour or salt)
• Board and marker
• Crayons (brown, yellow, green)
• A sheet with a big hen outline for each learner

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 10 again. Point and say: hen, hat, hut, horse
• Say the chant together, clapping on each "h"
• Say the rhyme line together: "h / h / horse gleams in the sunlit rays."

Find the H (4 minutes)

• Point to the big "Hh" on page 10 and ask learners to touch it
• Point to the chant box and ask learners to find the pink "h" letters
• Learners only point and count; they do not read the words

Air and Sand Tracing (8 minutes)

• Draw a big "H" on the board: straight line down, another straight line down, then a line across the middle
• Draw a small "h": a tall line down, back up halfway, then a hump over and down
• Learners draw "H" and "h" in the air with a finger, saying /h/
• Learners take turns tracing "h" in the sand tray with one finger
• Praise every try: "Lovely tall h!"

Little Artists (10 minutes)

• Give out the hen outline sheet
• Learners colour the hen brown and the chicks yellow, like the picture on page 10
• Colour the grass green
• As they work, ask: "What is this?" Learners say "hen"

Picture Hunt (2 minutes)

• Say: "Find the horse!" Learners point on page 10
• Repeat with hut, hat and hen

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Draw "h" in the air one last time and say /h/
• Say goodbye to the horse: "Bye-bye, horse!"

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand while tracing in the sand; trace with one finger together
• Extension: Let confident learners draw a big "h" on the board with a marker

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Teaching Tips

• The Lesson Planner (page 2) places Hh with Ii in Month 3, Week 2; Gg, Hh and Ii are revised together in Week 3
• Use only the four page 10 words (hen, hat, hut, horse) so learners link the sound to the pictures they can see
• Keep the /h/ sound soft, like a puff of air; do not add "uh" at the end
• Clap on each "h" in the chant so learners hear the starting sound