Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 1

Letter Aa

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the capital "A" and the small "a" and the sound /a/. Learners look at a jungle picture where an alligator and an ant watch an aeroplane fly, and name the apple and the arrow. On the second day they trace and write "Aa", capital first, then small, and circle the pictures that begin with /a/. Talk stays oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read words.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Point to 'Aa' and say the sound /a/.
• Name three things that begin with the sound /a/.
• Trace and write 'Aa', capital first, then small.

Key Vocabulary

• apple
• arrow
• alligator
• ant
• aeroplane

Speech-Bubble Sentence

• "The alligator and the ant watch the aeroplane fly."

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 4
• A real apple
• A recording of animal sounds (with an alligator sound in it)
• Building blocks
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of apple, arrow, alligator, ant, aeroplane

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Draw a big "A" in the air, then a small "a", and ask learners to copy you
• Say the sound /a/ slowly, as at the start of ant
• Ask learners to open their mouths wide and say /a/ with you three times

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Pass a real apple around the group
• Let every learner hold it, smell it and say what colour it is
• Say together: "apple, /a/ /a/ apple"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 4 and point to the big "Aa". Say: "This is big A. This is small a."
• Point to the apple and say "apple". Learners repeat
• Point to the arrow and say "arrow". Learners repeat
• Point to the alligator, the ant and the aeroplane in the big picture and name each one; learners repeat twice
• Read the sentence in the red box aloud: "The alligator and the ant watch the aeroplane fly." Learners echo it in a sing-song voice
• Play "Point to it": say a word, learners point to the right picture in their book
• Ask: "Can you tell me three things that begin with /a/?" Help learners say ant, apple, alligator or arrow

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Play a recording of animal sounds
• Learners listen, and clap when they hear the alligator
• After each clap, say together: "/a/ /a/ alligator"

Little Builders (5 minutes)

• Give out building blocks
• See who can build an aeroplane with two long wings
• Learners hold out their arms like wings and "fly" the aeroplane round the circle

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Hold up the apple and ask: "What sound does apple start with?" Learners say /a/
• Wave goodbye to the alligator and the ant

Differentiation

• Support: Let shy learners point to pictures instead of saying words; say the word with them
• Extension: Ask confident learners to name three /a/ things on their own and say the whole sentence

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Day 2: Trace and Write (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 4-5
• A pile of apples (or apple pictures)
• Crayons (green and yellow)
• Pencils

Warm-Up (4 minutes)

• Show page 4 again. Point and say: apple, arrow, alligator, ant, aeroplane
• Say the sentence together: "The alligator and the ant watch the aeroplane fly."
• Sing the /a/ sound: "/a/ /a/ apple, /a/ /a/ ant"

Little Thinkers (5 minutes)

• Put a pile of apples on the table
• Count them together, pointing to each one
• Take two away and count again
• Ask: "Do we have more or fewer apples now?"

Finger Tracing (5 minutes)

• Open page 5 and point to the big outline "Aa"
• Show the capital "A": start at the top, slant down to the left; go back to the top, slant down to the right; then draw a line across the middle
• Show the small "a": start at the top, curve round to the left like a ball, go back up to the top, then straight down
• Learners run a finger round the big "A", then the big "a"

Trace and Write (8 minutes)

• Hand out pencils and check the grip (pinch the pencil, rest it on the middle finger)
• Remind learners: capital "A" first, then small "a"
• Row 1: point to the solid "Aa" model, then trace the four dotted pairs
• Row 2: trace all five dotted pairs
• Bottom row: learners try to write "Aa" on their own, with your hand over their hand if needed
• Praise every try: "Lovely tall A! Lovely round a!"

Circle the /a/ Pictures (4 minutes)

• Read the instruction: "Circle the pictures that begin with the sound /a/."
• Name each picture together: alligator, star, apple, tree
• Ask after each one: "Does it begin with /a/?"
• Learners circle the alligator and the apple

Little Artists (3 minutes)

• Learners colour the alligator at the top of page 5
• As they work, ask: "What is this? What sound does it begin with?"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Draw "A" and "a" in the air one last time and say /a/

Differentiation

• Support: Use a thick crayon for tracing; hold the learner's hand for the first row
• Extension: Let confident learners write "Aa" on the board with a marker and name another /a/ word from page 4

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• Guide learners to trace and write Aa, starting with a capital letter first, followed by a small letter.