Lesson Plan of Reading and Writing Readiness
Subject English
Grade 1st
Students` Learning Outcomes
- Hold, open and turn pages of a book correctly.
- Understand that text in English runs from left to right, top to bottom.
- Identify a book by looking at its title.
- Understand that English is written from left to right.
- Tell the difference between left to right.
Information for Teachers
- Like any other topic, the concept of left and right will be picked up by children at different paces. Some children find it easier to learn words, others learn better through pictures and some are better at learning directions (Theory of Multiple Intelligence, Gardener). So there in class repeated practice is necessary to help all students learn.
- There is possibility that the experience of left-handed and right- handed children may very during this activity.
- Most students have seen a book/ magazine, etc. they have also seen print in the environment although they don`t know what it is? Use this familiarity to enable them how to handle a book?
- While teaching the lesson, the teacher should also consult with textbook at all steps where and when applicable.
Material / Resources
Writing board, chalk/marker, duster, textbook along with a few other books, toy boxes / food cartoons with pictures and words written in clear colourful, bold letters, objects to be used as props, such as stuffed toys, blocks etc.
Introduction
- Introduce the activity in 2-3 sentences, starting with ‘Today we will play Left-Right.
- Point o a few things in the class e.g. door in the right direction and say right. Wriggle your fingers to make this a fun activity. Let the students repeat after you. Repeat this step for the left direction. It is important that you are not facing the children at this point, but position yourself next to them somewhere in the middle of the rows of their desks.
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Now point towards a few things like the wall chart, window etc. in the left and right directions and ask students, ‘left or right?’, tell them to wriggle their arm in the correct direction and say the words left/right.(it may be useful if you put up props in the class so that there are more objects for you to point to. Props may include: Potted plants, Stuffed toys or dolls, brightly coloured ball, blocks or other brightly coloured toys that are big enough to be easily seen the whole class)
Development
Activity 1
- Demonstrate alternating right and left arms and saying ‘right / left’.
- Repeat the introduction activity to give students more practice.
- Make pairs.
- Ask one student to stand and stretch his arm following your action. Do not name the direction. Tell the other student to guess right or left. Repeat activity for the left direction. Now ask students to change positions and repeat the whole activity so that everyone has participated and understood the concept.
Activity 2
- Show the English reader to all the students. Tell them it is a book / reader. Ask them to repeat the word book till most of them can say it. Ask them if they have ever seen a book. If some of them answer, yes, ask them where they saw it, who have they seen reading it, why people read books?
- Ask them if they have a book in their bag. Tell them to take it out. Ask them what is called? Say the word book with them. Show them how to hold it while standing? Ask a few students to demonstrate holding a book while standing. Ask everyone to do so.
- Now sit in your chair and put the book on the table. Ask students to do the same. Move around the tables helping students to put the book correctly on the table using correct direction of pictures on the title page as a cue.
- Now hold the book with its title page facing the students. Now start slowly, slowly pointing to the lower left end of the book, and then open it on the first page. Demonstrate this step a few times. Ask all the students to follow your actions. Move around to see and help those who are unable to do so. Instruct them not to rest their elbow on the book.
- Show them how to close the book gently. Now show them how to turn the pages. Repeat this activity with their note books as well.
Activity 3
- Hold an open book in front of the students. Using their knowledge of identification of left and right, use your index to point out to the direction of the English script. Demonstrate a few times. Now repeat activity with the students helping them along till they have a fair understanding.
- Ask them to open their Urdu books and observe the direction of the Urdu script. Help them to understand the difference.
- Tell them they will read and write in English from left to right. Show them how by written on the board in English.
Conclusion / Sum up
- Give students cues to remind them what they learnt in this lesson plan, and get them to repeat the information. The cues may be:
- What did we learn about when we stretched our arms and pointed to things in class?
- What did we learn about the direction in which different languages are written?
- Can anyone guess why it was important to learn these things?
Assessment
- Check everyday if students are able to open close a book correctly, identify title, and are able to identify the direction of the English script. No formal assessment is required.
- Teacher is also required to involve the student in solving the problems given in the exercise at the end of unit / chapter.
Follow up
Walk-and-look
- Take the students on a walk around the school; ask them ‘What do you see on your left?
- What`s that on your right hand side?’, as students collectively respond and correct each other in a friendly manner.
The Invisible Ink
- Play this game to help students revise what they had learnt? Pretend to write on the board, for example, from right to left, asking students in which language you are writing? (You will not actually write anything just make the motion). Students can also come to the head of the class and make their friends guess in which language they are writing, English or Urdu (if you feel that most of the students are reading the Holly Quran, you may mention that that runs from right to left too, like Urdu. Do this only if you feel it will not make things confusing for the students)