Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 6

Number 6

Subject: Maths | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the number 6. Learners look at a big red 6 and a sunny meadow where six smiling butterflies fly under a rainbow, and they count them one by one. They see that three butterflies and three more make six, and they practise saying the number that comes after 5. On the second day they trace the number 6 beside six butterflies waiting to be coloured. On the third day they count carrots, picture cards and ladybirds on the practice page and build groups of six with real objects. Talk stays playful and hands-on.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the number 6 and say its name.
• Count six objects.
• Trace and write the number 6.

Key Vocabulary

• six
• butterfly
• wings
• legs
• three and three more
• one more

Page Label

• "Six Butterflies"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 25
• A magnifying glass
• Sheets of coloured paper and crayons
• Twelve counters or blocks

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Sit in a circle and count from 1 to 6 together, clapping on each number
• Hold up five fingers on one hand and one on the other: "Five and one more make six"
• Draw a 6 in the air: curve down from the top and round into a little belly

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Science card: read "Ants live in colonies, and they have six legs"
• Explain that a colony is a big ant family that lives together
• Tell learners that butterflies have six legs too. Ask them to wiggle six fingers like little legs and count them

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 25 and point to the big red 6. Say "six" and learners repeat
• Point to the words "Six Butterflies" and read them aloud
• Count the butterflies together, touching each one: orange, blue, yellow, pink, purple and green. "Six butterflies!"
• Ask: "What else can you see?" (a rainbow, a waterfall, a pond, trees)
• Ask: "Which number comes just before six? Which comes just after?"

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Technology card: pass round a magnifying glass and let learners look at the butterflies on page 25
• Ask: "Do the butterflies look bigger? Can you still count six?"

Little Builders (5 minutes)

• Engineering card: fold a sheet of paper in half and show how the two sides match like butterfly wings
• Each learner folds one paper butterfly; put six of them in a row and count them together

Little Thinkers (Maths) (1 minute)

• Maths card: put three counters on the left and three on the right
• Say together: "Three butterflies and three more make six butterflies"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Flap your arms like wings six times, counting each flap
• Wave goodbye to the butterflies

Differentiation

• Support: Count with the learner, moving each counter as it is counted; start with four and add one more, then one more
• Extension: Ask confident learners to make six in a different way, such as five and one, or four and two

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Day 2: Trace the Number (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 25-26
• Pencils and crayons (red, green, blue, pink, yellow and brown)
• A tray of sand or salt

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 25 again and count the six butterflies together
• Count to six and back down to one

Little Artists: Sand Tracing (5 minutes)

• Learners trace a big 6 in the sand tray with one finger
• Say the stroke aloud: "Start at the top, curve down and round into the belly"
• Smooth the sand and try again

Look at Page 26 (5 minutes)

• Open page 26 and point to the big outlined 6 and the words "Six Butterflies"
• Count the six butterfly outlines together
• Read the Teacher's Note: the "belly" of the 6 is at the bottom. Start at the top, curve round and keep going down to make the round belly

Trace the Number (12 minutes)

• Check the pencil grip before starting
• Rows 1 and 2: learners trace the dotted 6 numbers from the green dot, following the green arrows
• Rows 3 and 4: only the starting dot and the arrows are there; learners write the 6 themselves
• Praise a closed, round belly: "What a lovely round 6!"

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Arts card: colour the six butterflies at the top of page 26 red, green, blue, pink, yellow and brown, one colour each
• Count the coloured butterflies together

Differentiation

• Support: Hold the learner's hand for the first 6; use a thick crayon
• Extension: Let confident learners write a row of 6 on the board and count how many they wrote

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Day 3: Activities (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 31
• Six real or toy carrots (or six crayons)
• Counters, blocks or buttons

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Count six blocks into a line, then count them again from the other end. "Still six!"
• Take one away: "Six, one less, makes five." Put it back: "Five and one more makes six"

Activity 1: Circle the Number (7 minutes)

• Open page 31 and read the first instruction: "Count the objects. Draw a circle around the correct number"
• Count the green peppers together and circle the right number
• Count the carrots together; learners circle the 6

Activity 2: Picture Cards (8 minutes)

• Read the second instruction: "Count the objects on each card. Draw lines to join the cards to the correct numbers"
• Count the little pictures on each card together (star, sun, moon and more)
• Learners join each card to 5 or 6

Activity 3: Make Six (7 minutes)

• Give each learner a pile of counters
• Call out "Make six!" and learners count six counters onto their mat
• Ask them to split the six into two groups of three, like the Maths card

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Hold up groups of five, six and seven blocks; learners stand up when they see six
• Praise the class

Differentiation

• Support: Line objects up in a row and touch each one while counting
• Extension: Ask learners to count the ladybirds on page 31 and find the number 6 in the boxes below each leaf

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• The "belly" of the 6 is at the bottom
• Start at the top, then curve around and continue down to form the rounded belly
• Colour the six butterflies red, green, blue, pink, yellow and brown at the top of the next page