English lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 30 minutes
Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel
Grammar
CCSS L.K.1.FCCSS L.K.5.BEngland: Reception GrammarEngland: Y1 GPS (adjectives)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Naming words and action words
Leads to: Describing words for the five senses
Materials: Sentence strips, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Naming words and action words). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which word names a thing you can touch? hop, skip, dig, kite (hop / skip / dig / kite) → kitePrompt: Can you put 'a' or 'the' in front of it? (a dog, the cup)
- Which word is something you can do (an action)? bus, cup, wave, duck (bus / cup / wave / duck) → wavePrompt: Can you say 'I can ___'? (I can jump)
- Which word is something you can do (an action)? sit, egg, cake, tree (sit / egg / cake / tree) → sitPrompt: Can you say 'I can ___'? (I can jump)
Hook · 3 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Choose the describing word that fits. The mouse is very ___.
- Step 1: Describing words (adjectives) tell us about colour, size, shape, feel or taste.
- Step 2: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The mouse is very small."
- Step 3: So the answer is: small
- Answer: small
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Choose the describing word that fits. An elephant is very ___. (big / swim / tiny / thin) → bigPrompt: A describing word tells us what something is like.
- Which word in the sentence is a describing word? I have a red kite. (kite / red / have / I) → redPrompt: Find the naming word first.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Choose the describing word that fits. A giraffe has a ___ neck. (long / short / eat / round) → longPrompt: A describing word tells us what something is like.
- Which word in the sentence is a describing word? The tall tree swayed. (tree / swayed / tall / the) → tallPrompt: Find the naming word first.
Watch out for
- Naming the feature but not using it in their own sentences.
- Thinking a sentence is right because it sounds right when spoken casually.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Naming words and action words.
- Use concrete materials: sentence strips.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Describing words for the five senses.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/kindergarten.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder