Lesson Plan Title: Grade R Home Language: Journey of the Little Tadpole
Materials Needed:
1. Book: “Journey of the Little Tadpole” (printed copies or digital version to be projected)
2. Designated reading space or a Digital Storytelling App
3. Educational toys or figures of frog lifecycle stages (eggs, tadpole, froglet, mature frog)
4. Images illustrating the life cycle stages of a frog
5. Drawing paper and crayons
Learning Objectives:
1. Learners will be able to recognise the main characters in the story.
2. Learners will be able to narrate the story in their own words, using the life cycle phases of a frog as a guide.
3. Children will have the ability to illustrate the transformation journey of the tadpole.
Vocabulary:
1. Tadpole – a young frog that lives in water.
2. Life cycle – the series of changes that an animal goes through during its life.
3. Pond – a small area filled with still water.
4. Froglet – a young frog, transitioning from a tadpole.
5. Frog – the final stage of a tadpole’s transformation.
Prior Knowledge:
In previous lessons, learners have been introduced to basic types of stories and asked to identify the lead characters.
Potential Obstacles and Resolutions:
– Some learners may struggle to understand the life cycle. Solution: Consistently use the frog life cycle figures to accentuate the alterations during each stage.
– Narrating the story may prove difficult for some learners. Solution: Help learners to leverage the figures as cues for their storytelling.
Opening Activities (4 minutes):
Introduce the upcoming captivating tadpole story to the learners. Present the new vocabulary words and use figures to depict each stage of a frog’s life cycle.
Core Activities (32 minutes):
1. Enthusiastically read the tale to the learners, using the figures to emphasise each transitional stage of the frog’s life (10 minutes).
2. Engage the learners in an activity where they arrange the life cycle of the frog in chronological order using the images (10 minutes).
3. Motivate learners to narrate the story using the ordered images as a guide (10 minutes).
4. Allow learners to sketch their favourite scene from the story using crayons and paper (2 minutes).
Concluding Activities (4 minutes):
Encourage children to display and explain their drawings and detail why they particularly enjoyed that part of the story. Summarise the story, and recap the life cycle of a frog.
Assessment and Checks for Understanding:
Measure comprehension of the story based on: sequencing ability, storytelling ability, and accuracy of drawings.
Differentiated Instruction Strategies:
For learners needing extra support, give additional guidance during sequencing activities and simplify the story-related tasks. For advanced learners, urge them to include intricate details or ‘what if’ scenarios when they retell the story.
Teaching Notes:
Read the story in a lively and expressive way to maintain learners’ engagement. Validate and encourage all attempts at drawing and storytelling. Introduce cross-curricular links by comparing the lifecycle of the frog to human lifecycles where relevant. Be mindful of any discomfort around amphibians, and reinforce the essential roles that all creatures, regardless of size or appearance, play in our ecosystem. Be sure to include a touch on indigenous knowledge where relevant such as stories or beliefs around the lifecycle of a frog. Lastly, ensure technology use is aligned with school resources and capacities.
Safety Considerations:
Ensure safety during the sequencing activity by preventing children from putting objects in their mouths. It’s likely that all children will handle drawing materials safely but attention should be given to this.
Integration of culture and diversity:
If available, use a South African version of the tadpole to frog story to increase cultural relevance. Use this story to discuss diversity in nature and link it to the diversity in the classroom, highlighting that all stages of growth and types of people (like animals) are important and valuable.
Enhancement of the Lesson plan:
Integrate some songs or rhymes about tadpoles or frogs, as music can enhance language learning and make the lesson more enjoyable for Grade R learners.