Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 8

Number 8

Subject: Maths | Class: Nursery | Series: Skillford

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Overview

This lesson introduces the number 8. Learners look at a big red 8 and a bright underwater scene with coral, bubbles and eight smiling fish. They count the fish, sort them into striped and spotted, and see that four fish and four more make eight. On the second day they trace the number 8, starting with an S shape and closing it into two small circles without lifting the pencil. On the third day they count the ladybirds on the practice page, go magnet fishing for eight paper fish and build a fish tank from a box.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Recognise the number 8 and say its name.
• Count eight objects.
• Trace and write the number 8.

Key Vocabulary

• eight
• fish
• tank
• stripes
• spots
• four and four more

Page Label

• "Eight Fish"

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Day 1: Look and Say (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 29
• Eight paper fish with a paper clip on each
• A stick with a string and a small magnet
• A clear bowl or tub of water (optional)

Circle Time Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Count from 1 to 8 together, making a fish mouth (pop, pop) on each number
• Hold up four fingers on each hand: "Four and four more make eight"
• Draw an 8 in the air: an S shape, then back up to the top

Little Explorers (5 minutes)

• Science card: read "Fish breathe under water"
• Explain that fish take in air from the water through their gills, at the sides of their heads
• Learners puff their cheeks and swim round the circle like fish, counting to eight

Look and Say (10 minutes)

• Open page 29 and point to the big red 8. Say "eight" and learners repeat
• Read the words "Eight Fish" aloud
• Count the fish together, touching each one: "Eight fish!"
• Ask: "Which fish have stripes? Which fish have spots?" Count each group
• Ask: "What else lives under the sea?" (coral, seaweed, bubbles, rocks)
• Ask: "Which number comes just before eight?"

Little Innovators (4 minutes)

• Technology card: spread eight paper fish on the floor
• Learners take turns catching a fish with the magnet on a string while the class counts the fish that are caught

Little Builders (5 minutes)

• Engineering card: show a shoebox turned on its side as a fish tank
• Learners draw blue water and seaweed inside, then add eight paper fish one at a time, counting aloud

Little Thinkers (Maths) (1 minute)

• Maths card: put four fish on one side of the tank and four on the other
• Say together: "Four fish and four more fish make eight fish"

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

• Clap eight times, counting each clap
• Wave goodbye to the fish

Differentiation

• Support: Line the paper fish up in a row and count each one as it is touched
• Extension: Ask confident learners: "Seven fish and one more swims in. How many now?"

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Day 2: Trace the Number (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook pages 29-30
• Pencils and crayons
• A tray of sand
• A whiteboard and marker

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Show page 29 again and count the eight fish
• Count to eight and back down to one

Little Artists: S First (5 minutes)

• On the whiteboard, show how to write a letter S
• Learners draw a big S in the sand tray with one finger
• Then, without lifting the finger, they carry on up to the top to close the two loops: "Now it is an 8!"

Look at Page 30 (5 minutes)

• Open page 30 and point to the big outlined 8 and the words "Eight Fish"
• Count the eight fish outlines together
• Read the Teacher's Note: make sure learners can write the letter S before they write 8. Show them an S, then, without lifting the pencil, complete both small circles

Trace the Number (12 minutes)

• Check the pencil grip before starting
• Rows 1 and 2: trace the dotted 8 numbers from the green dot at the top, following the arrows
• Rows 3 and 4: only the dot and the arrows are there; learners write the 8 themselves
• Watch that the pencil does not lift in the middle

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Arts card: colour the eight fish at the top of page 30, some with stripes and some with spots
• Ask: "How many have stripes? How many have spots? How many altogether?"

Differentiation

• Support: Let the learner write an S first, then guide their hand up to close the 8
• Extension: Let confident learners write 8 on the board and draw eight fish beside it

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Day 3: Activities (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 31
• The magnet fishing set and shoebox fish tank from Day 1
• Counters or buttons

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Count eight counters into a line
• Take one away: "Eight, one less, is seven." Put it back: "Seven and one more is eight"

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 first leaf together, touching each one
• Learners circle the 8 in the boxes below that leaf
• Compare with the second leaf: "Which leaf has more ladybirds?"

Activity 2: Magnet Fishing (8 minutes)

• Put eight paper fish in the shoebox tank
• Each learner fishes until the tank is empty, counting the fish caught
• Ask: "How many fish did we catch?" (eight)

Activity 3: Four and Four (6 minutes)

• Give each learner eight counters and two paper plates
• Learners put four on each plate, then count them all together
• Try other pairs: five and three, six and two

Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Hold up groups of seven, eight and nine fish; learners stand up when they see eight
• Praise the class

Differentiation

• Support: Count the ladybirds with the learner, covering each one with a counter as it is counted
• Extension: Ask learners to say the numbers from 1 to 8 and then back from 8 to 1

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Teaching Tips (from textbook)

• Make sure your students can write the letter S before introducing this number
• Show them how to write an S, then, without lifting their pencils, complete both small circles
• Colour the eight fish at the top of the next page, some with stripes and some with spots