Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 24

Letter Xx

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "Xx". Learners look at the big capital "X" and small "x" and a sea picture of a colourful xylophone on the deck of a smiling xebec (an old sailing ship). They name the labelled pictures, Xbox and Xmas tree, and the xylophone and xebec in the scene. On the second day they trace and write "Xx", capital first, then small, write "X" at the start of three words, and colour the xylophone. All talk is oral and playful.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

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

Key Vocabulary

• xylophone
• xebec (an old sailing ship)
• Xbox
• Xmas
• X-ray
• box (used to hear the /ks/ sound)

Speech-Bubble Sentence

• "The xylophone is placed on the deck of the xebec."

Note for the Teacher

• "x" is a tricky letter. On its own it says /ks/, as at the end of box and fox. Teach /ks/ as the sound of "x"
• The words on the page all start with the letter "x", but they do not start with /ks/: xylophone and xebec start with a /z/ sound, and Xbox, X-ray and Xmas start with the letter name "ex"
• Say the words clearly and let learners copy you. Praise them for spotting the letter "x" at the start of each word
• The page labels the tree picture "x-mas". The usual spelling is "Xmas", a short way of writing Christmas. If learners call it a Christmas tree, that is fine, but explain that "Christmas" itself does not start with "x"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 65
• A toy xylophone and beater
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of xylophone, xebec, Xbox, Xmas tree
• An empty box
• A tablet or screen for a short clip of an X-ray being taken

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Cross your arms in front of you to make an "X". Learners copy you
• Hold up the empty box and say "box" slowly. Stretch the end: /ks/
• Say /ks/ /ks/ /ks/ together: "x says /ks/, like the end of box"

Meet the Letter (4 minutes)

• Open page 65 and point to the big "Xx"
• Say: "This is big X. This is small x." Learners point and repeat
• Show that both letters have the same crossing shape

Look and Say (8 minutes)

• Point to the Xbox and say "Xbox". Learners repeat. Ask: "Can you hear box at the end?"
• Point to the Xmas tree and say "Xmas tree". Learners repeat
• Point to the big picture. Point to the xylophone on the deck and say "xylophone". Learners repeat
• Point to the smiling ship and say "xebec. A xebec is an old sailing ship." Learners repeat
• Read the sentence in the red box: "The xylophone is placed on the deck of the xebec." Learners echo it
• Ask: "Where is the xylophone?" (on the deck of the ship)

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Pass the toy xylophone round
• Each learner taps the longest bar and then the shortest bar
• Ask: "Which one is deeper?" (the longest bar)

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Play a short clip of an X-ray being taken
• Ask: "What can the doctor see that we cannot?" (the bones inside our body)
• Say "X-ray" together and cross your arms to make an "X"

Little Builders (3 minutes)

• Give out lolly sticks of different lengths
• Lay them side by side, longest to shortest, to make a xylophone
• Tap each stick and say "xylophone"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Ask: "What sound do we hear at the end of box?" Learners say /ks/
• Make an "X" with your arms one more time

Differentiation

• Support: Let shy learners point to pictures instead of saying words; say the word with them
• Extension: Ask confident learners to find the letter "x" at the start of each label

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Day 2: Trace and Write (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 65-66
• Pencils
• Crayons in many colours

Warm-Up (4 minutes)

• Show page 65 again. Point and say: xylophone, xebec, Xbox, Xmas tree
• Say the sentence together: "The xylophone is placed on the deck of the xebec."
• Say "box" and stretch out the /ks/

Little Thinkers (5 minutes)

• Look at the xylophone in the big picture on page 65
• Name each colour together: blue, red, green, yellow, light purple, purple
• Count the bars together. Ask: "Are there more than five?" (yes, there are six)

Finger Tracing (4 minutes)

• Open page 66 and point to the big outline "Xx"
• Show the stroke for capital "X": start at the top on the left and slant down to the bottom on the right. Then start at the top on the right and slant down to the bottom on the left. The lines cross in the middle
• Small "x" is made the same way, but it is short
• Learners run a finger over the big "X", then the small "x"

Trace and Write (8 minutes)

• Hand out pencils and check the grip
• Row 1: point to the black "Xx" at the start. Trace the dotted pairs, capital "X" first, then small "x"
• Row 2: trace the dotted pairs on your own, saying "slant, slant"
• Bottom row: confident learners write "Xx" on their own, capital first
• Praise every try: "Your lines cross right in the middle!"

Write X at the Start (4 minutes)

• Point to the three pictures at the bottom of page 66: Xbox, xylophone, xebec
• Say each word. Learners write a capital "X" in the box before each word
• Read the finished words with them: Xbox, Xylophone, Xebec
• Note: the first word is printed "-box". Tell learners to write the "X" and ignore the little line, so it reads "Xbox"

Little Artists (4 minutes)

• Colour the xylophone at the top of page 66, a different colour for each bar
• As they work, ask: "What is this?" Learners say "xylophone"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Make an "X" with your arms and say /ks/ one last time

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand for the first two pairs; use a thick crayon
• Extension: Ask learners to say "box" and "fox" and listen for the /ks/ at the end

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

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