English lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 45 minutes
Naming words: person, place, animal or thing?
Grammar
CCSS L.K.1.BCCSS L.K.5.AEngland: Reception GrammarEngland: Y1 GPS (nouns)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Naming words: person, place, animal or thing?.
- 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: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Sentence strips, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 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 is something you can do (an action)? kick, kite, frog, duck (kick / kite / frog / duck) → kickPrompt: Can you say 'I can ___'? (I can jump)
- Which word names a thing you can touch? sleep, sing, car, drink (sleep / sing / car / drink) → carPrompt: Can you put 'a' or 'the' in front of it? (a dog, the cup)
- Which word is something you can do (an action)? door, hop, bus, car (door / hop / bus / car) → hopPrompt: Can you say 'I can ___'? (I can jump)
Hook · 5 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Naming words: person, place, animal or thing?. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Is "sister" a person, a place, an animal or a thing?
- Step 1: A "sister" is a person.
- Step 2: So the answer is: person
- Answer: person
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Is "goat" a person, a place, an animal or a thing? (person / place / animal / thing) → animalPrompt: Picture a "goat". Can it talk? Can you go there? Can you hold it?
- Which naming word is an animal? (baby / rabbit / book / forest) → rabbitPrompt: Think about what each word names.
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which naming word is a person? (spoon / friend / lion / zoo) → friendPrompt: Think about what each word names.
- Is "grandma" a person, a place, an animal or a thing? (person / place / animal / thing) → personPrompt: Picture a "grandma". Can it talk? Can you go there? Can you hold it?
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
- 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