12 Suggested Pre-lesson tasks for PdPc English KSSR Language Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3
12 Set Induksi untuk PdPc Bahasa Inggeris KSSR Tahun 1, Tahun 2 dan Tahun 3
Below are 12 lesson tasks which teachers may choose from or adapt for the Pre-lesson section within the Learning Outline in the Scheme of Work. These pre-lesson tasks are suitable to begin almost any skills-focused lesson and require minimal materials and preparation. They are simple for pupils to participate in.
Teachers can, of course, use their own pre-lesson tasks whenever they think that these would be more suitable for the pupils they teach. Each pre-lesson task takes about 5–10 minutes of class time.
Note: These tasks are the same for Primary Years 1–3. The language and vocabulary focus will be different, however, and some tasks can be modified for more proficient pupils, as noted in the task description.
PRE-LESSON TASK 1: WORK OUT THE WORDS
AIM: To prepare and give pupils confidence for a Listening or Reading textMATERIAL: Board, exercise books and pens
1. Write anagrams of key topic vocabulary words on the board, e.g. n d s w c h i a (= sandwich)
2. Put pupils into pairs or groups and ask them to work out the words by completing the anagrams.
3. If pupils find this difficult, provide the first letter of each word or provide a picture to help them with meaning.
4. When finished, invite pupils to form larger groups to see if they have the same words.
5. Ask volunteers to say a word then spell it or come up to the board to write it.
PRE-LESSON TASK 2: GUESS THE ANSWER
AIM: To prepare and give pupils confidence for a Listening or Reading textMATERIALS: Board
1. Write questions on the board for a Listening or Reading text, that pupils will answer during the lesson.
2. Provide two or three possible answers for each question, for example, ‘What did Sara do at the weekend?’
3. a. played football
4. b. watched TV
5. c. went shopping (make sure one is the correct answer!)
6. Ask pupils to guess which one they think is the correct answer.
7. Pupils then listen to or read the text to check their predictions.
PRE-LESSON TASK 3: SEQUENCE THE INFORMATION
AIM: To prepare and give pupils confidence for a listening or reading textMATERIALS: Board
1. Write a list of events in the Listening or Reading text in a random order or use pictures to illustrate them. For example, if the text is a story, list the events in any order (Mohamed went camping. He saw a mouse in the tent at night. His mother screamed! The mouse ran away.)
2. Put pupils in pairs to decide on the order.
3. Invite pupils to compare their ideas in groups.
4. Pupils then listen to or read the text to check their predictions.
PRE-LESSON TASK 4: IDENTIFY THE FLASHCARDS
AIM: To revise topic vocabularyMATERIALS: Flashcards of relevant topic vocabulary and card to cover up the flashcards
1. Choose some flashcards of important topic vocabulary that pupils will need in the lesson.
2. Place the flashcards face down on a table in front of the class.
3. Take one of the flashcards, making sure pupils can’t see it. Cover it with a piece of card then slowly begin revealing the flashcard to the class. You could use an overhead projector and a piece of paper or an interactive whiteboard, if either is available.
4. Pupils try to guess the word as it is revealed. Each time they guess correctly, put the flashcard on the board. Continue until pupils have guessed all the words.
PRE-LESSON TASK 5: SIT DOWN, STAND UP
AIM: To revise topic vocabularyMATERIALS: True and false sentences about the topic
1. Prepare some simple True/False sentences about the topic to check pupils’ knowledge or to prepare them for the content of the lesson.
2. Read a sentence out, for example, if the topic is pets, ‘Cats are bigger than mice’, ‘Fish live in water’ etc).
3. If it is True, pupils stay sitting at their desks. If it is False, pupils stand up. Invite pupils to correct any false sentences. You could change the action to suit the topic of the lesson or to review other vocabulary, especially verbs.
4. If there is time, pairs of pupils can create their own True/False sentences to use with other pairs or with the whole class.
PRE-LESSON TASK 6: FINGER-WRITING
AIM: To practise spelling of topic vocabularyMATERIALS: Board
1. Choose some words that pupils will need for the lesson. These should be words pupils already know, so are reviewing.
2. Divide pupils into pairs.
3. Tell one pupil in the pair to look at the board, and the other pupil to cover their eyes or put their head down on the desk so that they can’t see the board.
4. Write a topic word on the board, give pupils about 5 seconds to remember it, and then rub the word off the board. You could use a picture if pupils may benefit from using a visual aid.
5. Tell pupils who did not see the board to stand with their back to their partner while the partner writes the word on their back by using their finger.
6. Each pupil works out what word their partner is writing.
7. Reverse the roles so that each pupil gets the chance to write.
8. Repeat for other topic words.
Note: When pupils know this activity, they can choose their own words.
PRE-LESSON TASK 7: BEAT THE TEACHER
AIM: To create interest in the lesson and to review and practise spelling of topic vocabularyMATERIALS: Board
1. Choose a key topic word from the lesson.
2. Write lines to correspond to each letter on the board with a space in between as in the example below _ _ _ _ _ _ (planet).
3. Draw a circle/oval on the board. It is a head without the parts (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hair).
4. Explain that the aim of the game is to guess the word before the face is completed.
5. Tell pupils to put up their hands if they want to guess a letter.
6. If they guess correctly, write the letter into the correct letter space. If they guess incorrectly, draw one part of the head (e.g. the mouth or the hair). Write the incorrect letter on the side of the board to remind pupils it has already been used.
7. If pupils guess the word before the face is completed, they have beaten the teacher. If not, the teacher has won!
Note: You can change the picture you build for this, perhaps using a topic-related picture, as long as it has a good number of parts (e.g. 6 or 7).
PRE-LESSON TASK 8: PREDICT THE CONTENT
AIM: To help pupils with Listening or Reading comprehensionMATERIALS: Board and pictures
1. Ask pupils to look at a picture or pictures which accompany a Listening or Reading text they will have in the lesson, or tell them the title of the story, song etc.
2. Ask pupils to work in small groups to predict words they might hear/read. Give groups a fixed time, e.g. 3 minutes.
3. Review their answers and provide correct spelling by writing the words on the board.
4. Ask pupils to read or listen to the text and see if any of their predictions are correct.
5. Check the predictions with the whole class before moving on to the main Listening or Reading focus for the lesson.
PRE-LESSON TASK 9: REMEMBER THE WORDS
AIM: To review topic vocabulary and prepare pupils for the lessonMATERIALS: Flashcards or real/plastic objects, a table and a cloth, or sheet.
1. Choose about 7 or 8 topic words that pupils will need for the lesson.
2. Put flashcards or real objects of these vocabulary items on a table.
3. Ask pupils to work in pairs or small groups and to say the words.
4. Check briefly with the whole class.
5. Place a cloth over all the items on the table.
6. Ask pairs to remember 5 words or more.
7. Elicit answers from the whole class.
8. Uncover the items so that pupils can check their answers.
Note: You can use pictures on the board with sticky tape or magnets, an overhead projector or an interactive whiteboard for this activity. Real objects (realia) are stimulating when available, though.
PRE-LESSON TASK 10: SAY WHAT’S MISSING
AIM: To review topic vocabulary and prepare pupils for the lessonMATERIALS: Flashcards or real/plastic objects, a table and a cloth, or sheet
1. Follow steps 1–5 in Pre-lesson task 9, Remember the Words.
2. Take one or two vocabulary items away.
3. Remove the cloth, keeping the removed items in it.
4. Pupils say which items are missing.
Note: You can use pictures on the board with sticky tape or magnets, an overhead projector or an interactive whiteboard for this activity. Real objects (realia) are stimulating when available, though.
PRE-LESSON TASK 11: WORDS THAT SOUND THE SAME (PHONICS)
AIM: To practise distinguishing different soundsMATERIALS: Board (or flashcards)
1. Choose some words that contain the sound(s) you are/have been working on and some other topic words you would like to review.
2. Write the words in chains of three or four on the board, containing one example of the phoneme you are focusing on, e.g. for /r/ cat : dog : fish : rat
3. Ask pupils to guess which word has the sound.
4. Say the words (you can say just the word or you could say it in a short sentence) to let pupils check their answers.
5. Ask pupils to read all the words aloud.
Note: This task can be adapted to have chains of rhyming words or as an odd-one-out (where one is different from the others). Pictures could be used instead of words to check vocabulary production rather than reading recognition.
Although phonics is a focus of the Year 3 Content and Learning Standards, working with sounds and written words is still valuable to pupils in Year 3 from time to time, especially with sounds that pupils find particularly difficult to hear or say.
PRE-LESSON TASK 12: PASS IT ON
AIM: To review vocabulary or language to prepare for a lessonMATERIALS: Word or flashcards
1. Review with the whole class the word or flashcards you are using in this task.
2. Have pupils sit in a circle (or two, if you have a very large class).
3. Show pupils the first card, say the word and give it to one pupil. This pupil says the word and passes it to their neighbour. This pupil says the word and passes it on, and so on.
4. Meanwhile, repeat for the next word, and the next, so that several words are circulating.
5. Increase the pace and challenge by passing some cards in the opposite direction and/or telling pupils to be much faster.
6. After the words have all been passed around, you might want to review them again.
Note: You can use this activity to support vocabulary learning or reading. You could use short sentences for more proficient groups of pupils.