English lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 45 minutes
Describing words for the five senses
Grammar
CCSS L.1.1.FCCSS RL.1.4England: Y1 GPSEngland: Y2 GPS (adjectives)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Describing words for the five senses.
- 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: Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel
Leads to: Find the words that show senses and feelings
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 (Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Choose the describing word that fits. A cactus feels ___. (smooth / grow / prickly / fluffy) → pricklyPrompt: A describing word tells us what something is like.
- Which word in the sentence is a describing word? The tall tree swayed. (the / tree / swayed / tall) → tallPrompt: Find the naming word first.
- Choose the describing word that fits. A giraffe has a ___ neck. (short / round / eat / long) → longPrompt: A describing word tells us what something is like.
Hook · 5 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Describing words for the five senses. 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: Which describing word tells how it sounds?
- Step 1: "booming" tells how it sounds.
- Step 2: So the answer is: booming
- Answer: booming
- 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.
- Which describing word tells how it feels? (flowery / slimy / screechy / sour) → slimyPrompt: Think about which sense you would use: eyes, ears, nose, tongue or hands.
- Choose the describing word that fits best. The honey was sticky and ___. (bumpy / booming / sweet / striped) → sweetPrompt: Which sense does the sentence use: taste, sound, touch, smell or sight?
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.
- Choose the describing word that fits best. The honey was sticky and ___. (booming / sweet / striped / bumpy) → sweetPrompt: Which sense does the sentence use: taste, sound, touch, smell or sight?
- Which describing word tells how it looks? (sticky / flowery / tiny / quiet) → tinyPrompt: Think about which sense you would use: eyes, ears, nose, tongue or hands.
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: Describing words: colour, size, shape and feel.
- 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: Find the words that show senses and feelings.
- 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