Grade 3 English First Additional Language: Seasons and Weather – Summer is Coming – Week 6 Term 4

1. Season

One of the four parts of the year: summer, autumn, winter, or spring. Each season has different weather.

2. Summer

The warmest season of the year, when the days are long and the sun is very strong. In South Africa, summer is from December to February.

3. Sunny

When the sun is shining brightly in the sky with no clouds blocking it. Weather that makes you feel warm and happy.

4. Hot

Very warm temperature that makes you feel like you need to cool down. You might want to drink cold water or go swimming when it’s hot.

5. Swim

To move through water using your arms and legs. A fun activity that people do in summer to cool down at the beach or pool.

Hook Activity:

Teacher dramatically fans themselves and says: “Wow! It’s so hot today! I need some water! What season is it?” Use exaggerated gestures to engage learners and encourage them to think about the current weather.

Introduction Activities:

• Greeting (2 minutes): Greet learners in English and conduct a quick weather check. Ask: “How’s the weather today?” Show learners how to look outside and describe what they see.
• Weather Song (3 minutes): Sing “Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun” with actions. Teacher models the actions first, then learners join in. This activates prior knowledge and creates an energetic, positive learning environment.
• Season Introduction (5 minutes): Show flashcards of the four seasons. Point to each one and say the name clearly. Use the “Me, then you” technique – teacher says the word, then learners repeat. Hold up the summer flashcard and say: “This is our season now! It’s summer in South Africa!”

Direct Instruction (15 minutes):

Vocabulary Teaching Using PATS (Point, Act, Tell, Show):

• Summer (3 minutes): Point to a summer picture. Act out wiping sweat from forehead. Tell learners: “Summer is the hot season.” Show a calendar marking December-February.
• Sunny (2 minutes): Point to the sun in a picture. Act out shielding eyes from bright light. Tell learners: “Sunny means the sun is shining brightly.” Show a picture of a sunny day.
• Hot (2 minutes): Point to thermometer picture showing high temperature. Act out fanning yourself. Tell learners: “Hot means very warm, not cold.” Show picture of someone drinking water on a hot day.
• Warm (2 minutes): Point to temperature chart. Act out taking off a jacket. Tell learners: “Warm means nice and comfortable, not too cold or too hot.” Show people in t-shirts.
• Swim (3 minutes): Point to picture of swimming pool. Act out swimming motions. Tell learners: “Swim means to move in water.” Show pictures of people swimming at beach and pool.
• Additional vocabulary (3 minutes): Quickly introduce: bright, beach, cool (verb), ice cream, sunshine using flashcards and gestures.

Guided Practice (15 minutes):

1. Flashcard Game – “Touch the Season” (5 minutes): Place season flashcards around the classroom walls. Call out a season or weather word, and learners run to touch the correct card. As they touch it, they must say the word aloud. This gets learners moving and reinforces vocabulary through kinesthetic learning.
2. Weather Description Circle (5 minutes): Sit in a circle. Pass around a sun cutout. When a learner receives it, they complete the sentence: “In summer, the weather is…” Teacher provides sentence starters and models first: “In summer, the weather is hot and sunny.”
3. Phonics Focus – /s/ Sound (5 minutes): Teacher says: “Listen to this sound: /s/ /s/ /s/. Where do you hear /s/? In Summer! In Sun! In Season!” Write these words on the board. Have learners practice the /s/ sound. Play a game: Teacher says words, learners clap when they hear /s/ at the beginning (summer, swim, sun, winter [no clap], spring [clap], rain [no clap]).

Independent Practice (10 minutes):

1. Drawing and Writing Activity (7 minutes): Learners draw a picture of a summer day, including things they can see (sun, beach, pool) and do (swim, play, eat ice cream). They write using the frame: “In summer, I can _____.” Teacher provides word bank on the board: swim, play, run, eat ice cream, go to the beach, wear shorts, drink water.
2. Pair Share (3 minutes): Learners turn to a partner and share their drawings. They practice saying: “In summer, I can…” using their sentence. Partner responds: “That sounds fun!”

Consolidation Activity (7 minutes):

Summer Chant: Create a class chant together. Teacher leads, learners repeat:

“Summer, summer, it’s so hot!
Summer, summer, I like it a lot!
Sunny days and bright blue skies,
Summer, summer, what a nice surprise!
Swimming, playing, having fun,
Summer, summer, here comes the sun!”

Practice the chant 2-3 times with actions (wipe sweat, swim motions, jumping for fun, make sun shape with arms).

Exit Ticket (3 minutes):

As learners prepare to leave, each one must tell the teacher one weather word they learned today. If they’re struggling, teacher prompts: “What season is it now?” or “When is the weather hot and sunny?”

📝 Formative Assessment

• Observe learners during the “Touch the Season” game – Can they identify the correct season flashcard?
• Listen during circle time – Are learners able to use weather vocabulary in the sentence frame?
• Monitor /s/ sound recognition during phonics activity – Do learners clap at appropriate times?
• Check drawing and writing activity – Are learners using vocabulary correctly in their sentences?
• Assess oral participation during pair work – Are learners confident in speaking their sentences?

📋 Summative Assessment

• Written work – “In summer, I can…” sentence completion with drawing
• Exit ticket responses – Can each learner name at least one weather vocabulary word?
• Overall participation in class chant – Can learners remember and repeat key vocabulary?

✅ Success Criteria

• Learners can name all four seasons when shown flashcards
• Learners can use 3-5 weather words in context
• Learners can write at least one simple sentence about summer
• Learners can identify /s/ sound in familiar words
• 90% of learners actively participate in speaking activities

🤝 For learners who need support:

• Provide picture cards for all vocabulary words so they can point instead of speaking initially
• Pair with a confident English speaker during partner activities
• Allow code-switching to home language when introducing new concepts
• Provide sentence starters written on individual cards for writing activity
• Use extra gestures and physical demonstrations when teaching vocabulary
• Reduce writing requirement – allow drawing only with teacher scribing their sentence

🚀 For advanced learners:

• Challenge them to write 2-3 sentences about summer instead of one
• Ask them to describe other seasons (autumn, winter, spring) using new vocabulary
• Have them create their own weather chant or song to share with the class
• Encourage use of adjectives: “very hot,” “bright sunny day,” “cool water”
• Ask them to help teach vocabulary to struggling learners (peer tutoring)
• Extension task: Draw and label all four seasons with weather descriptions

♿ For learners with barriers to learning:

• Provide larger flashcards with clear, simple pictures for visual learners
• Allow extra time for processing instructions before starting activities
• Seat near the front to minimize distractions and maximize attention
• Use multisensory approaches – say, see, touch, and do for each new word
• Break instructions into smaller, sequential steps with visual cues
• Provide pre-drawn pictures for learners with fine motor difficulties
• Allow alternative responses: pointing, matching, or selecting instead of speaking

✅ What worked well:

[To be completed after lesson – Consider: Which activities engaged learners most? Did the vocabulary teaching methods work effectively? How was learner participation?]

🔧 What could be improved:

[To be completed after lesson – Consider: What timing adjustments are needed? Which learners struggled? What resources would help? How can instructions be clearer?]

📝 Notes for next lesson:

[To be completed after lesson – Consider: Which vocabulary needs review? What concepts to build on? Ideas for the next weather/seasons lesson? Individual learner needs to address?]