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Lesson 1
Intro lesson (Ages 3-5)

General:
Level: 1 – BEAR CUBS (ages 3-5)
Time: 40 mins - 1 hour
Objectives: Greetings, names, follow simple instructions, identify and recognize 3
colors
Structures: "Hello", "What's your name", "My name is...", "Goodbye", "Give me..."
New vocab: red, blue, green, flower, stand up, sit down, hands up, hands down,
jump, run, turn around, pass, touch

You will need to download:

Printables: • Name flower craft sheet
• Name tracing sheets (one for each student with their name in dots)
• Color the balloons worksheet
Songs: • Hello Song
• Goodbye Song
These can be downloaded at https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-plans.html

You will also need:

• name tags for each student
• name tracing sheets (one for each student with their name in dots)
• a glove puppet
• a small ball
• colored crayons / pencils
• 3 sheets of origami colored paper (red, green, blue)
• cushions (1 per student)
• CD / Tape player / PC / Something to play the Hello and Goodbye songs on

Your students will need:

• colored crayons (or pencils)

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Notes:
This lesson provides a good platform to begin the course with your
younger level learners as it introduces them to the key stages and
routines you will use in every class. At this age some of your students
may be a bit shy at first so make sure you smile a lot and make them
feel really welcome - they will soon gain confidence as you run through
all the fun activities in this lesson!

Lesson overview:
Warm up and maintenance:
1. Greetings
2. Name tags

New learning and practice:

1. Play "Ball pass" and say names
2. Introduce glove puppet - greetings and introductions activity
3. Sing "The Hello Song"
4. Do "Exercise Routine" activity
5. Name writing practice
6. Do the “Name flower craft” activity
7. Introduce “5-minute play time”
8. Teach colors: red, blue, green
9. Play "Color pass", “Color touch" and "Color hold up"

Wrap up:
1. Assign homework: "Color the balloons"
2. Say goodbye to glove puppet
3. Sing "The Goodbye Song"
4. Do "Quick check" and say goodbye

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Lesson procedure:
Warm up and maintenance:
1. Greetings
Greet the students by name as they enter the classroom and
gesture for them to sit down. It's a good idea to have a cushion for
each student (and parent if also taking part) as this makes sitting
arrangements easy to organize. Try and arrange the cushions
beforehand spaced out in a fan-shape around you.

2. Name tags
Before class prepare some name tags (stickers or pin-on tags) with
each student's name written on in lower case letters. Sit down with
your students and lay out the name tags in front of you. Pick up each
tag and call out the name. Try and encourage each student to put
their hand up and say "yes". Hand over the tags and help to pin /
stick on.

In later lessons, once your students can recognize their written name, you can have them
pick out their own name tags.

New learning and practice:

1. Play "Ball pass" and say names
Take a soft ball and pass it to your nearest student, saying
"Pass". Have each student pass the ball around the
circle. Next, hold the ball and say your name. Have each
student say their name as they pass the ball to each
other. Make sure they pass, not throw, roll, etc. If a student
doesn't pass make sure s/he does it again until done properly.

2. Introduce glove puppet - greetings and introductions activity

Your students will love this. Get hold of a glove puppet (I use Cookie Monster bought from
Toys 'R' Us) and put it in a bag before class. Bring out the bag, open it enough to see in and
shout into the bag "Hello!". Then move your ear to the opening to listen - nothing. Go to
each student and encourage them to shout "Hello" into the bag - each time nothing
happens. Finally, get all the students together to shout "Hello!" at the same time. This time
the puppet wakes up and jumps out of the bag! Then model the role play with the puppet:

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Teacher: "Hello", What's your name?"

Puppet: "My name is...".

Then move onto the first student and say "Hello". Encourage
him/her to say hello back. Let the students touch, cuddle and
stroke the puppet. My puppet also likes to nibble their feet and
arms. Next, the puppet asks each student: "What's your
name?". If they are old enough, try and encourage "My name
is..." but for the really little ones (3 and under) just saying their name is fine. Finally, go
around saying "Goodbye" and "See you" before going back into the bag and back to sleep.

3. Sing "The Hello Song"

Sit in a circle and listen to the song (clap along or pat knees). Play it once more emphasizing
"Hello". Your students will pick up the words surprisingly quickly.

Lyrics for "The Hello Song" Gestures for "The Hello Song"

Hello, hello, These are quite straight forward.

How are you today? First time you play the song do the
Hello, hello, gestures and encourage everyone to
How are you today? do them with you.

I’m fine, thank you, • Wave as you sing the "Hello,

I’m fine, thank you, hello" parts.
I’m fine, thank you, • Gesture to others as you sing
And how about you? "How are you today?"
• Point to yourself as you sing "I’m
Hello, hello, fine, thank you"
How are you today? • Hand gesture towards another
I’m fine, thank you, student as you sing "And how
And how about you? about you?".

4. Do "Exercise routine" activity

Time for some action. Say the following and have the students follow your lead:

• "Stand up (T stands and so does everyone else)

• "Hands up / hands down" (do 4 or 5 times)
• "Jump" (4 or 5 times)
• "Run! / Stop!" (4 or 5 times)
• "Turn around! / Stop!" (4 or 5 times)
• finally "Sit down".

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5. Name writing practice

In this lesson your students are going to practice writing their names. For really young ones,
this may be their first time to do so - don't worry if their first effort is a scrawly mess -
always encourage and praise.

You will need to prepare a writing sheet for each student before class with their name
written in dots for them to practice tracing their names (also prepare one for yourself so
you can model the task). You can either make these yourself (hand draw the dots for each
name) or use a font typed into a Word document - we like to use the "National First Font
Dotted" font (you can download it for free here: https://www.fontspace.com/national-first-
font-dotted-f5860).

Prepare the sheets something like this:

Make extra copies for future lessons / homework

Make a few copies of each student's name writing sheet so you can use them in future lessons or for
homework.

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Get everyone to sit at a table with you. You are going to give clear instructions on getting
ready for written work so everyone understands what to do in future lessons: first, tell
everyone to get their bags (you do the same so they can see what to do). Then say "Take
out your crayons" - take out your crayons and have everyone follow you.

Take the sheets of paper and read the names - encourage each student to put their hand up
and say "Yes". Give out the sheets to each student and give one to yourself.

Next, say, "Take out a crayon" and have the students follow you as you take out your crayon.
Any color will do. Model tracing your name, slowly and carefully, saying your name as you
trace. Then have everyone trace the first name. Then put the crayon back into your pencil
case and take out a different color. Each time, use a different color. As the students trace
their names, circulate, help and give lots of praise. Finally, have everyone write their names
on the bottom lines.

When everyone has finished, get each student to hold up their sheet so you and everyone
can see. Give lots of praise to each student - you can even put stickers on each student's
sheet as a prize (they will love this) or even a simple drawing of a smiley face will do!

6. Do the “Name flower craft” activity

Now that everyone has had a chance to practice writing their name you can do the name
craft activity.

Before class print out the "Name Flower Craft" sheet and
copy / cut out the flower shapes so that there are enough
to give one to each student (do a few extra in case of
emergencies!).

Get each student to write their name on the line and then
color in their flower. Students can now decorate the
classroom by sticking their name flowers on the walls.
Alternatively, have students make a name poster by
sticking all of the name flowers onto one large piece of construction paper (I like to make a
tree shape out of brown card for students to stick their flowers on).

7. Introduce “5-minute play time”

This is an optional segment that can be part of all your lessons at this level. At this age, kids
like a quick break and will be able to focus better on the rest of your lesson.

Allow your students to play with any games or toys you have. If possible, use large tubs or
boxes to hold the toys and bring them out for a few minutes each lesson. Tubs filled with
animals, plastic fruit, building blocks, kitchen sets, plastic food, cars & vehicles, Mr. Potato

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Head dolls and so on. Encourage your students to ask you for the toy they want to play with,
circulate during the play time and ask students about their toys.

It’s also a good opportunity for a quick rest room break!

8. Teach colors: red, blue, green

Over the next few lessons we’ll learn some colors. In this
lesson we’ll start with the colors red, blue and green.

Origami paper is great for this, or just some colored

paper/card cut into squares.

Sit everyone in a circle and hold up the first colored paper and
ask, “What color is it?” – even with young kids you may get the right answer! If not, teach
the color (e.g. red) and chorus it 3 times. Do this for the rest of the colors.

9. Play "Color pass", "Color touch" and "Color hold up"

Now take each color and pass it to your nearest student. Say
"red" as you pass red, etc. The students pass the colors
round the circle.

Next, lay the 3 colors in the middle of the circle. Say "Hands
up". Students raise their hands. Then say "Touch.....red!"
and the students should all try and touch the red colored
paper. Do for all of the colors.

Finally, give each student one of the colored papers. Say "Hold up....blue!" - the students
holding the blue papers raise them into the air.

NOTE: for these games you'll probably have to give lots of help and encouragement. For
example, if one of your students doesn't hold up the colored paper when asked, look at
him/her and gesture what to do. If their mothers are with them have them help.

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Wrap up:
1. Assign homework: "Color the balloons"
Hold up the homework worksheet and model coloring in the 3
balloon pictures (in red, blue and green). Elicit each color as you
go. Give out the worksheets and say "Put your homework in your
bags" and help them to do so - this is important as they will
probably want to start coloring them right away.

2. Say goodbye to glove puppet

Take out the bag again and get everyone to wake up the glove
puppet by shouting its name into the bag (e.g. "Cookie
Monster!"). Bring out the puppet and go through the same routine -
go to each student and say hello, ask their name and the say
goodbye / see you. Then put the puppet back in the bag (back to
sleep).

3. Sing "The Goodbye Song"

"The Goodbye Song" is a great way to sign off the class. Sit together in a circle and sing and
clap along.

Lyrics for "The Goodbye Song" Gestures for "The Goodbye Song"

Goodbye, goodbye, These are quite straight forward. First time

See you again. you play the song do the gestures and
Goodbye, goodbye, encourage everyone to do them with you.
See you again. • Wave as you sing the "Goodbye,
goodbye" parts.
It’s time to go, • Hold your hand above your eyes (as you
It’s time to go, would when you are looking into the
It’s time to go, distance and keeping the sun out of
See you next time. your eyes) and look at another student
as you sing "See you again".
Goodbye, goodbye, • Tap watch (or imaginary watch) and
See you again. then point to the door as you sing "It’s
It’s time to go, time to go".
See you next time. • Point towards another student as you
sing "See you next time".

4. Do "Quick check" and say goodbye

Time to leave the class. Make sure everything is put away
and the students have gathered their belongings. Have
them line up at the door and place yourself between the
door and the students. For each student check one new

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word (e.g. hold up a color and ask, "What color is this?"). For very young kids you can hold
up the three colored papers you used earlier and have them touch one that you say (e.g.
"Touch green"). When they give you the correct answer say goodbye and let them leave. If
their answer is wrong, have them go back to the end of the line - they will have to try again
once they reach the front!

• All flashcards, worksheets, craft sheets, readers and songs used in this
lesson plan can be downloaded at eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-
plans.html
• More free Lesson Plans are available at eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-
plans.html
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