Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

English lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 30 minutes

One word, two meanings (bat, duck, ring)

Vocabulary

CCSS L.K.4.AEngland: Reception Communication and LanguageEngland: Y1 Vocabulary

Objective and success criteria

Students will: One word, two meanings (bat, duck, ring).

  • 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: Sorting words into groups

Leads to: Literal or figurative? Phrases that don't mean what they say

Materials: Word cards, A thesaurus or dictionary, A short text with the target words, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Sorting words into groups). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which word does not belong with the others? duck, knee, frog, rabbit (duck / knee / frog / rabbit) → kneePrompt: What do most of the words have in common?
  2. Which group does "storm" belong to? (vehicles / weather / animals / furniture) → weatherPrompt: What is a storm?
  3. Which word does not belong with the others? fog, plum, lemon, cherry (fog / plum / lemon / cherry) → fogPrompt: What do most of the words have in common?

Hook · 3 min

  • Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
  • Share the objective: One word, two meanings (bat, duck, ring). 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: What does the word mean in THIS sentence? Birds fly south in winter.
  • Step 1: Some words have two meanings. The rest of the sentence tells us which one.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: to move through the air with wings
  • Answer: to move through the air with wings
  • 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. What does the word mean in THIS sentence? Can I have a glass of milk? (a cup made of glass / a window pane) → a cup made of glassPrompt: Read the whole sentence, not just the word.
  2. Which sentence uses the word with this meaning: bark (a dog's sound)? (The bark of the tree is rough. / Dogs bark at the postman.) → Dogs bark at the postman.Prompt: Read both sentences carefully.

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. Which sentence uses the word with this meaning: bat (an animal with wings)? (The bat hung upside down in the cave. / I hit the ball with my bat.) → The bat hung upside down in the cave.Prompt: Read both sentences carefully.
  2. What does the word mean in THIS sentence? Birds fly south in winter. (to move through the air with wings / a small insect) → to move through the air with wingsPrompt: Read the whole sentence, not just the word.

Watch out for

  • Picking a "bigger" synonym that doesn't fit the meaning.
  • Ignoring the clues in the rest of the sentence.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Sorting words into groups.
  • Use concrete materials: word cards.
  • 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: Literal or figurative? Phrases that don't mean what they say.
  • 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

eurekami

One word, two meanings (bat, duck, ring)

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    What does the word mean in THIS sentence? Duck! The ball is coming!

    • A. to bend down quickly
    • B. a bird that swims

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence uses the word with this meaning: wave (say hello)?

    • A. Wave to Dad from the window.
    • B. We surfed on a wave.

  3. Question 3

    What does the word mean in THIS sentence? I heard the dog bark.

    • A. the sound a dog makes
    • B. the hard outside of a tree

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence uses the word with this meaning: light (not heavy)?

    • A. A feather is very light.
    • B. Switch on the light.

  5. Question 5

    What does the word mean in THIS sentence? Please don't kick the can across the road.

    • A. a metal tin
    • B. to be able to

  6. Question 6

    What does the word mean in THIS sentence? I heard the phone ring.

    • A. jewellery for your finger
    • B. the sound a bell or phone makes

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: One word, two meanings (bat, duck, ring)

  1. 1. A. to bend down quickly

  2. 2. A. Wave to Dad from the window.

  3. 3. A. the sound a dog makes

  4. 4. A. A feather is very light.

  5. 5. A. a metal tin

  6. 6. B. the sound a bell or phone makes