Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 27

Use of "a" and "an"

Subject: English | Class: Prep | Series: Skillford

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Overview

In this lesson children learn to use "a" and "an". We use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound, like "a zebra". We use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound, like "an apple". Children read the examples and then write "a" or "an" in front of twenty picture words.

Learning Objectives

• Use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound
• Use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound
• Decide from the sound a word starts with, not only the letter
• Write "a" or "an" in front of picture words

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Day 1: "a" and "an" (35 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 42, two cards: "a" and "an", a few everyday objects

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Say the vowels a, e, i, o, u together. Say "All the other letters are consonants."

Main Activity (20 minutes)

• Read the rules:
  • "We use 'a' before words that begin with a consonant sound."
  • "We use 'an' before words that begin with a vowel sound."
• Read the examples on page 42. Children repeat and point to the picture:
  • a zebra, a pen, a hat, a parrot, a truck
  • an apple, an elephant, an igloo, an onion, an umbrella
• Point out the first letter of each word (z, p, h, p, t and a, e, i, o, u)
• Teacher's Note: hold up an everyday object and ask whether it takes "a" or "an". Make children decide from the sound the word starts with rather than the letter. That is the whole rule, and it is the part that catches learners out later on.

Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

• Hold up an object. Children hold up the "a" card or the "an" card and say the whole phrase (for example "a pen").

Differentiation

• Support: Practise only "an apple" and "a zebra" first, then add one pair at a time
• Extension: Children say why we use "an" before "umbrella" and "a" before "truck"

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Day 2: Activity Time (35 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 43, pencils

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Teacher says a picture word from page 42. Children say "a" or "an" before it.

Main Activity (20 minutes)

• Read the instruction: "Write 'a' or 'an' in the box in front of each word."
• Say the name of each picture, listen to the first sound, then write "a" or "an". Complete the words together:
  1. an apple
  2. a bat
  3. a cat
  4. an orange
  5. a doll
  6. an umbrella
  7. a balloon
  8. an ostrich
  9. a tree
  10. an igloo
  11. a rabbit
  12. an iron
  13. an owl
  14. a pen
  15. a chair
  16. a boat
  17. a bed
  18. an eagle
  19. a boy
  20. a car

Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

• Children sort the twenty words into two groups, "a" words and "an" words, and read each group aloud

Differentiation

• Support: Do the activity in two parts of ten and say each word with its "a" or "an" aloud before writing
• Extension: Children read all twenty phrases aloud without help

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Teaching Tips

• Listen to the first sound of the word, not only the first letter
• Say the whole phrase aloud ("an apple") so the ear helps the hand
• Use real objects in the classroom for more practice