Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 25

Letter y

Subject: English | Class: Playgroup | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the letter "y". Learners look at a big picture of a friendly yak in a mountain village, playing with a yo-yo. They say the words yak and yo-yo and meet three more words that begin with "y": yolk, yam and yacht. On the second day they finger-trace and pencil-trace the letter "y" and colour the yacht picture. All talk is oral and playful. Learners are not expected to read or write words.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the letter "y" and say its sound
• Learn simple words that begin with the letter "y"
• Trace the letter "y"

Key Vocabulary

• yak
• yo-yo
• yolk
• yam
• yacht

Speech-Bubble Sentence

• Printed in the book: "Yak is Playing With yo-yo"
• Say it to learners as: "The yak is playing with a yo-yo."

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 70
• A small pot of plain yoghurt and a spoon for each learner (check for allergies first)
• Picture cards (or the book pictures) of yak, yo-yo, yolk, yam, yacht
• A real yo-yo if available
• A tablet or screen with a short clip of a yak grazing

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit the learners in a circle and sing a hello song together
• Draw a big "y" in the air with your finger
• Say the sound /y/ slowly, as at the start of "yes". Smile wide as you say it
• Ask learners to say /y/ with you three times, then shout "yes!" together
• If you have a yo-yo, let it go down and up as you say /y/, /y/

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Spoon a little yoghurt out for every learner to taste
• Tell them it helps keep their bodies strong
• Ask: "Is it cold? Do you like it?" Accept "yes" or "no"
• Say together: "yoghurt, /y/ /y/ yoghurt"

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 70 and look at the big picture
• Point to the yak and say "yak". Learners repeat
• Point to the yo-yo and say "yo-yo". Learners repeat and move a pretend yo-yo down and up
• Read the speech bubble aloud: "The yak is playing with a yo-yo." Learners echo it in two parts:
  • "The yak is playing"
  • "with a yo-yo"
• Point to each picture card and say the word; learners repeat twice:
  • yolk -- "the yellow part of an egg"
  • yam -- "a vegetable that grows in the ground"
  • yacht -- "a boat with a sail"
• Ask simple pointing questions:
  • "Where is the yak?"
  • "What colour is the yo-yo?"
  • "Can you find the yacht?"

Little Innovators (5 minutes)

• Play a short clip of a yak grazing
• The learners say "yak" each time it lifts its head
• Pause if needed so every learner can join in

Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

• Hold up the picture cards one by one and let learners call out the word
• Ask: "What sound does y make?" Learners answer /y/
• Sing a goodbye song

Differentiation

• Support: Let a learner point to the picture while you say the word, then say it together
• Extension: Ask a confident learner to name all five "y" words from the page with picture help

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Day 2: Trace and Write (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 70-71
• Pencils and crayons
• Playdough, a short stick (such as a lolly stick) and some wool for each learner

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show the picture cards again: yak, yo-yo, yolk, yam, yacht. Learners say each word
• Say the speech-bubble sentence together: "The yak is playing with a yo-yo."
• Play "Yo-Yo Up and Down": learners crouch down on /y/ and jump up on the word, e.g. "/y/... yak!"

Little Thinkers (5 minutes)

• Look at the yak on page 70 and count the yak's horns together: one, two
• Then ask: "How many horns would two yaks have?"
• Hold up two fingers for each yak and count them together: one, two, three, four

Letter Feel and Colour (5 minutes)

• Open page 71 and point to the big pink "y"
• Let the learners run a finger along "y": start at the top, go down and curve round and up like a little cup; then go back to the top on the right and pull a long line down below the line, with a small curl at the end
• Then let learners colour the big "y" in

Trace and Write (10 minutes)

• Hand out pencils and check each learner's grip
• Point to the solid black "y" at the start of the first row. Draw it in the air together
• Work through the traced rows together, one line at a time:
  • Row 1: the first letters show the cup part first, then the whole "y". Trace each one, starting at the red dot
  • Row 2: trace the dotted "y" letters, starting at the red dot
  • Rows 3 and 4: only red dots are shown. Help learners start at each dot and try a "y" on their own
• Chant "down, round, up; long line down" for each letter
• Point out that the tail of "y" goes below the line
• Guide hands gently where needed; praise every try

Little Artists and Little Builders (5 minutes)

• When the writing is done, start the Little Artists art activity: colour the yacht (boat) at the top of page 71
• Let learners choose colours for the sails and the boat
• Little Builders: press two flat playdough discs onto a short stick, then wind wool round for the yo-yo string
• Learners hold up their yo-yos and say "yo-yo"

Wrap-Up

• Learners hold up their pages and say "y, /y/, yacht"
• Finish with the matching pages in the Activity Book

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand lightly and trace one "y" together before they try alone
• Extension: Let a confident learner say one "y" word and do its action (yak horns, yo-yo, sailing yacht)

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• Let the learners run a finger along "y", then colour it in
• Hand out pencils and work through the traced rows together, one line at a time
• When the writing is done, start the Little Artists art activity
• Finish with the matching pages in the Activity Book

Extra Teaching Tips

• Check with parents about milk allergies before the yoghurt tasting; offer a picture of yoghurt instead if needed
• Say "yacht" as "yot". Learners only need to copy the word, not spell it
• The Little Artists box asks learners to colour the yacht to match a finished half, but page 71 shows a plain outline boat; let learners colour it freely