Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 18

Letter Rr

Subject: English | Class: Playgroup | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Rr". Learners look at a picture on page 20 with a grey rabbit, a small rat on a log, a blue and white rocket flying in the sky and red roses. They say the chant "r / r / rabbit", "r / r / rat", "r / r / rocket" and the rhyme line "r / r / rose is the king of flowers". On the second day they find big R and small r, draw the letter in the air and trace it. All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes (from the Lesson Planner, page 2)

• Introduction to Rr
• Recognition of R used in different words

Key Vocabulary

• rabbit
• rat
• rocket
• rose

Chant and Rhyme Line (page 20)

• "r / r / rabbit"
• "r / r / rat"
• "r / r / rocket"
• "r / r / rose is the king of flowers"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 20
• A real rose (or a picture of one)
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of rabbit, rat, rocket, rose
• Letter cards: R, r and two other letters

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Draw a big "R" in the air with your finger and ask learners to copy you
• Say the sound /r/ like a little engine: "rrr"
• Ask learners to say /r/ with you three times, softly and then loudly

Rose Pass (5 minutes)

• Pass a real rose around the group (take care with thorns)
• Let every learner smell it
• Ask each learner: "What colour is it?" and accept "red" (or the real colour of your rose)
• Say together: "r / r / rose"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 20 and point to the big red "Rr"
• Point to big R and say "big R". Point to small r and say "small r"
• Point to each picture and say its label. Learners repeat twice:
  • rabbit (the grey animal with long ears)
  • rat (the small animal on the log)
  • rocket (the blue and white rocket in the sky)
  • rose (the red flowers)
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book

Chant Time (5 minutes)

• Point to the chant box at the top of the page
• Say each line slowly and clap on each "r": "r / r / rabbit", "r / r / rat", "r / r / rocket"
• Learners echo each line, first softly, then loudly
• Say the chant two more times together

Act It Out (4 minutes)

• Learners hop like the rabbit and say "rabbit"
• Then they crouch down and count "3, 2, 1" and jump up like the rocket, saying "rocket"
• Finish by creeping quietly like the little rat and saying "rat"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

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

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: Rhyme Line and Letter Shape (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 20
• Letter cards with R and r mixed with other letters
• Crayons and pencils
• A sheet with dotted R and r rows (or the worksheet)

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 20 again. Point and say: rabbit, rat, rocket, rose
• Say the chant together: "r / r / rabbit", "r / r / rat", "r / r / rocket"

Rhyme Line (5 minutes)

• Point to the roses and read the rhyme line: "r / r / rose is the king of flowers"
• Learners echo it in a proud voice, sitting up tall like a king
• Ask: "How many red roses can you count?" Learners count the roses on the page with you

Big R, Small r (4 minutes)

• Lay out the letter cards
• Ask: "Where is big R?" and "Where is small r?" Learners point
• Show that big R has a round part and a leg, and small r is short with a little arm

Air and Finger Tracing (6 minutes)

• Big R: start at the top, go straight down, go back up, curve round to the middle, then slide a leg down to the right
• Small r: start in the middle, go straight down, go back up and make a little curve over to the right
• Learners draw both in the air, then run a finger along the big red "Rr" on page 20

Trace and Write (8 minutes)

• Hand out pencils and check the grip (pinch the pencil, rest it on the middle finger)
• Work through the dotted rows one line at a time
• Row 1: trace big R, starting at the top
• Row 2: trace small r, starting in the middle
• Praise every try: "Lovely R!"

Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

• Draw "R" in the air one last time and say /r/
• Say the rhyme line together: "r / r / rose is the king of flowers"

Differentiation

• Support: Use a thick crayon for tracing; hold the learner's hand for the first row
• Extension: Let confident learners trace a big "R" on the board with a marker

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Teaching Tips

• Rabbit and rat are both animals; ask learners which one is big and which one is small on page 20
• Big R starts like big P, then adds a leg; show the two side by side
• Keep the chant rhythm steady with claps so learners remember the order
• Learners only point and say; they do not read the labels