Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 3

Number 3

Subject: Maths | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the number 3. Learners look at a big white 3 and three balloons, red, green and blue, floating over a sunny park. They learn that two and one more make three, and they count three objects carefully, touching each one. On the second day they trace and write 3 as two curves, one under the other. On the third day they count the lines on beach balls, count a group of three kittens and blow up and tie real balloons.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the number 3 and say its name.
• Count three objects.
• Trace and write the number 3.

Key Vocabulary

• three
• balloon
• air
• string
• one more

Page Label

• "Three Balloons"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 18
• Three balloons (red, blue and yellow if possible) and three strings
• A chair
• A calculator

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit in a circle and clap three times, counting "one, two, three"
• Hold up three fingers and say "three". Learners copy
• Draw a 3 in the air: a curve at the top, a little stop in the middle, a curve at the bottom

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Science card: blow up three balloons in front of the learners
• Ask: "What makes the balloon big?" Say together: "Air makes them big!"
• Let learners feel the air puff from a balloon's neck before you tie it

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 18 and point to the big white 3. Say "three" and learners repeat
• Point to each balloon and count: "one, two, three"
• Name the colours together: red, green, blue
• Ask: "How many balloons?" Learners say "three"
• Read the label together: "Three Balloons"
• Ask what else they can see in the park: a bench, a lamp post, trees, flowers, a lake
• Maths card: cover one balloon. "Two balloons." Uncover it. "Two balloons and one more balloon make three." Learners repeat
• Do the Listen, Read, Say and Write buttons together

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Technology card: press 3 on a calculator, then point to the three balloons on the page
• Each learner presses 3 and then counts three balloons in the room

Little Builders (5 minutes)

• Engineering card: tie three balloons to a chair with three strings
• Learners count the strings and the balloons: "three strings, three balloons"
• Ask: "If one balloon floats away, how many are left?" (two)

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Pretend to blow up a balloon three times: "puff, puff, puff"
• Say goodbye to the balloons: "Bye-bye, three balloons!"

Differentiation

• Support: Move each balloon to one side as the learner counts it, so no balloon is counted twice
• Extension: Ask confident learners to count three, then one less, and say how many are left

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Day 2: Trace the Number (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 18-19
• Red, blue and yellow crayons
• Pencils
• A tray of sand

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 18 and count the balloons together: "one, two, three"
• Jump three times, counting aloud
• Draw a 3 in the air three times

Little Artists: Sand Writing (5 minutes)

• Learners write a big 3 in the sand with a finger
• Say the stroke as they go: "round to the middle, stop, round to the bottom"
• Smooth the sand and try again

Look at Page 19 (5 minutes)

• Open page 19 and point to the big outlined 3 and the label
• Count the three balloon outlines together
• Read the Teacher's Note: after drawing the top curve, pause briefly before changing direction. Then draw a second curve below the first one to finish the 3

Trace the Number (12 minutes)

• Check the pencil grip before starting
• Rows 1 and 2: trace the dotted 3, following the green arrows
• Remind learners to stop in the middle before the second curve
• Rows 3 and 4: only the green dots and arrows are there. Learners write the 3 themselves
• Praise every try: "Two lovely curves make a 3!"

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Arts card: learners colour the three balloons at the top of page 19 red, blue and yellow
• Ask: "How many balloons did you colour?" Learners say "three"

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand for the first 3 and say "stop" at the middle
• Extension: Ask confident learners to write 3 on a whiteboard and draw three balloons beside it

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Day 3: Activities (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 22 (third and fourth sections)
• Green crayons
• Balloons and string

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show two balloons. Ask: "How many?" (two)
• Add one more. Ask: "How many now?" (three)
• Say together: "Two and one more make three"

Activity 1: Lines on the Balls (8 minutes)

• Open page 22 and read the third instruction aloud: "Colour the balls with 3 lines green"
• Count the lines on each ball together, touching each line
• Learners colour the balls with 3 lines green (the blue balls with 4 lines come in the next lesson)

Activity 2: Count the Cats (6 minutes)

• Read the fourth instruction: "Count the cats. Draw a circle around the correct number"
• Look at the first picture and count the kittens together: "one, two, three"
• Learners draw a circle around 3

Activity 3: Balloon Groups (8 minutes)

• Give each small group a pile of balloons (not blown up)
• Each group puts three balloons in a hoop and counts them
• Write 3 on a card and put it next to each group of three

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Hold up groups of two and three crayons. Learners clap three times when they see three
• Write 3 on the board and say "three" together

Differentiation

• Support: Point to each kitten with the learner's finger as you count
• Extension: Ask learners to count the cats in the second picture and say if it is more or less than three

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• After drawing the top curve, remind the child to pause briefly before changing direction
• Then guide them to draw a second curve below the first one to complete the number 3
• Colour three balloons red, blue and yellow at the top of the next page (page 19)