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English lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 30 minutes

What is it mostly about?

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.1.2CCSS RL.1.2England: Y1 Reading

Objective and success criteria

Students will: What is it mostly about?.

  • 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: Key details

Leads to: Main idea and supporting details; Text features (headings, captions, glossaries)

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Key details). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. A camel can walk for days in the hot desert. It stores fat in its hump. What does a camel store in its hump? (fat / sand / food bags / water) → fatPrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
  2. Owls sleep in the day. At night they wake up and hunt for mice. When do owls hunt? (in the day / after lunch / at night / in the morning) → at nightPrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
  3. Squirrels bury nuts in autumn. In winter, they dig them up to eat. When do squirrels dig up the nuts? (in spring / in winter / in summer / at night) → in winterPrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: What is it mostly about?. 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: Teeth help us bite and chew. Brush them twice a day to keep them clean and strong. What is this mostly about?
  • Step 1: The main idea covers the whole text; details only cover a part.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: teeth
  • Answer: teeth
  • 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.
  1. Rain falls from clouds. It fills rivers and ponds. Plants need rain to grow. What is this mostly about? (the sun / ponds / rain / clouds) → rainPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  2. Apples can be red, green or yellow. You can eat them raw or bake them in a pie. What is this mostly about? (pies / baking / colors / apples) → applesPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

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.
  1. Rain falls from clouds. It fills rivers and ponds. Plants need rain to grow. What is this mostly about? (ponds / rain / clouds / the sun) → rainPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  2. Teeth help us bite and chew. Brush them twice a day to keep them clean and strong. What is this mostly about? (teeth / brushes / food / bedtime) → teethPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Key details.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • 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: Main idea and supporting details; Text features (headings, captions, glossaries).
  • 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/grade-1.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

What is it mostly about?

Name

Date

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From Egg to Frog

A frog starts life as a tiny egg in a pond. The eggs stick together in a soft, wobbly clump. A small tadpole hatches from each egg. A tadpole has a long tail. It swims in the water and breathes with gills, just like a fish. The tadpole eats and grows. Soon it grows back legs. Then it grows front legs. Its tail gets shorter and shorter. At last, the tail is gone. Now it is a frog! The frog can hop on land and swim in the pond. It breathes air with its lungs. It catches flies with its long, sticky tongue. One day, the frog may lay eggs of its own. Then the life cycle starts all over again.

  1. Question 1

    Read "From Egg to Frog". What is this text mostly about?

    • A. how a frog grows and changes
    • B. how to build a pond
    • C. what frogs eat
    • D. why frogs hop

  1. Question 2

    Teeth help us bite and chew. Brush them twice a day to keep them clean and strong. What is this mostly about?

    • A. brushes
    • B. teeth
    • C. bedtime
    • D. food

How Bees Make Honey

Honey bees are busy insects. They live together in a home called a hive. One hive can hold thousands of bees. Worker bees fly from flower to flower. They suck up a sweet juice called nectar with their long tongues. They carry the nectar back to the hive in a special part of their body called a honey stomach. Back at the hive, the bees pass the nectar to other bees. These bees put it into tiny six-sided rooms made of wax. The nectar is still runny, so the bees fan it with their wings. This dries it out and turns it thick and sticky. Now it is honey! Last, the bees cover each room with a wax lid. The honey is saved for the winter, when there are no flowers.

  1. Question 3

    Read "How Bees Make Honey". What is the main idea?

    • A. Hives hold thousands of bees.
    • B. Bees turn nectar from flowers into honey in their hive.
    • C. Bees have long tongues.
    • D. Winter is cold.

  1. Question 4

    Buses take people to work. Trains go fast on tracks. Planes fly in the sky. What is this mostly about?

    • A. planes
    • B. the sky
    • C. ways to travel
    • D. going to work

  2. Question 5

    We use our eyes to see. We use our ears to hear. We use our nose to smell. What is this mostly about?

    • A. flowers
    • B. music
    • C. our eyes
    • D. our senses

  3. Question 6

    Cats like to sleep. They sleep in the sun. They sleep on beds. Some cats sleep most of the day! What is this mostly about?

    • A. beds
    • B. cats sleeping
    • C. the sun
    • D. dogs playing

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Answer key: What is it mostly about?

  1. 1. A. how a frog grows and changes

  2. 2. B. teeth

  3. 3. B. Bees turn nectar from flowers into honey in their hive.

  4. 4. C. ways to travel

  5. 5. D. our senses

  6. 6. B. cats sleeping