Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 7

Number 7

Subject: Maths | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the number 7. Learners look at a big red 7 and a picnic by a lake, where a wicker basket holds four strawberries and three more sit on the checked cloth in front. They count the seven strawberries, learn that a week has seven days and practise the number that comes after 6. On the second day they trace the number 7, a straight line across and a slanted line down. On the third day they count ladybirds on the practice page, make a strawberry basket and play counting games with seven objects.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the number 7 and say its name.
• Count seven objects.
• Trace and write the number 7.

Key Vocabulary

• seven
• strawberry
• basket
• week
• days
• heavy and light

Page Label

• "Seven Strawberries"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 27
• Seven toy or paper strawberries (or seven red counters)
• A kitchen scale
• A small basket or box

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Count from 1 to 7 together, tapping knees on each number
• Hold up five fingers and two more: "Five and two more make seven"
• Draw a 7 in the air: across the top, then a slanted line down

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Science card: read "Strawberries grow on low plants"
• Show how low the plant is by crouching down close to the floor
• Draw a strawberry plant on the board with seven strawberries hanging from it; count them together

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 27 and point to the big red 7. Say "seven" and learners repeat
• Read the words "Seven Strawberries" aloud
• Count the strawberries in the basket (four), then the ones on the cloth in front (three). Then count them all: "Seven strawberries!"
• Ask: "What else is at the picnic?" (a jar of lemonade, a straw hat, a checked cloth)
• Ask: "Which number comes just before seven?"

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Technology card: with the class watching, put seven strawberries (or seven counters) on a kitchen scale one at a time
• Ask: "Is the number on the scale getting bigger as we add more?"

Little Builders (5 minutes)

• Engineering card: show a simple paper basket (a folded square with a strip handle) made before the lesson
• Learners take turns putting strawberries in, counting to seven
• Ask: "Is our basket strong enough to hold seven?"

Little Thinkers (Maths) (1 minute)

• Maths card: "A week has seven days." Say the days of the week together, one finger for each day
• "One strawberry each day: seven!"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Jump seven times, counting each jump
• Say goodbye to the strawberries

Differentiation

• Support: Count the strawberries in two parts (four and three) before counting all seven
• Extension: Ask confident learners: "If I eat one strawberry, how many are left?" (six)

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Day 2: Trace the Number (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 27-28
• Pencils and red and green crayons
• Two lolly sticks or straws per learner

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 27 again and count the seven strawberries
• Count to seven and back down to one

Little Artists: Stick Sevens (5 minutes)

• Learners make a 7 from two sticks: one lying across the top, one slanting down from its end
• Point to the sharp corner where the two sticks meet

Look at Page 28 (5 minutes)

• Open page 28 and point to the big outlined 7 and the words "Seven Strawberries"
• Count the seven strawberry outlines together
• Read the Teacher's Note: a 7 is two straight lines joined by a sharp point. Pause for a moment after the line across, then quickly change direction to make the slanted line

Trace the Number (12 minutes)

• Check the pencil grip before starting
• Rows 1 and 2: trace the dotted 7 numbers from the green dot, across and then down, following the arrows
• Rows 3 and 4: only the dot and the arrows are there; learners write the 7 themselves
• Say "across, stop, down" as they write

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Arts card: colour the seven strawberries at the top of page 28, red with green leaves
• Count the coloured strawberries together

Differentiation

• Support: Draw the line across for the learner and let them add the slanted line, then swap
• Extension: Let confident learners write 7 on the board and draw seven dots beside it

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Day 3: Activities (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 31
• Seven toy strawberries or red counters
• Paper squares and sticky tape for baskets
• A day-of-the-week chart

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Say the seven days of the week together and point to them on the chart
• Ask: "How many days in a week?" (seven)

Activity 1: Count the Ladybirds (8 minutes)

• Open page 31 and read the third instruction: "Count the ladybirds. Draw a circle around the correct number"
• Count the ladybirds on the second leaf together, touching each one
• Learners circle the 7 in the boxes below that leaf
• Ask: "Is the first leaf more or fewer than seven?"

Activity 2: Strawberry Baskets (8 minutes)

• Help learners fold a paper square into a simple basket and tape on a handle
• Each learner counts seven strawberries or counters into the basket

Activity 3: Six and One More (6 minutes)

• Put six counters down and ask: "How many?" Add one more. "How many now?" (seven)
• Take one away again: "Seven, one less, is six"

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Play "Show me seven": learners show seven fingers, seven claps, seven taps
• Praise the class

Differentiation

• Support: Mark each ladybird with a small tick as it is counted
• Extension: Ask learners to put seven counters in two groups in different ways (five and two, four and three)

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• A 7 is two straight lines connected by a sharp point
• Pause briefly after drawing the horizontal line, then quickly change direction to make a slanted line
• Colour the seven strawberries at the top of the next page