Note: Listening and Speaking section will be in Black and Reading and Writing section will be in Maroon colour.

The class begins with physical exercises and responding to directions given.

The topic will be introduced through rhyme, conversation, questions and answers, fun activities, colouring and reading key words.

Listening and Speaking

Daily: Total physical response/warm-up exercise (to be done before every session)

Aim: To enable the children to understand the given commands and respond correctly. 

Action Time (Commands):

1. Walk like a bear
2. Hop like a rabbit
3. Flap your hands like a bird
4. Stand on one leg like a tree

Procedure:
The activity proceeds as follows: –

Step 1:

• The teacher first gives the commands (walk like a bear,hop like a rabbit,flap your hands like a bird,stand on one leg like a tree) as he/she demonstrates and the children listen.
• Next, the teacher gives the commands and the children perform the actions.

Step 2:

• Divide the class into small groups.
• Choose one child from these volunteers and ask him/her to conduct the activity (select children who are willing to give the commands).
• This student gives the commands and other children listen and do the actions.
• This student volunteer returns to his/her position.
• Conduct the activity with another student volunteer in the same manner.

Step 3:

• The teacher gives the commands and all the children listen and do the actions.

Suggested variations: 

The teacher can do the following for ensuring that the children do the TPR easily:

• Children can be made to hold onto a stable surface such as a wall, or sturdy piece of furniture for balancing on their heels. 
• Visual cues can be placed on the floor, such as tape or markers, to indicate where the child should place their heels while balancing. 
• If a child is unable to balance on heels even with support, the child may be exempted from doing this step. 

Note to the teacher: 

1. The teacher starts the class by wishing the children ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon’ and ensures that they repeat the greetings.
2. The teacher begins each class with this activity. 
3. The teacher gives clear instructions at the beginning of the class.
4. Ensure adequate space in the classroom for the children to move to do the activity comfortably. 
5. The teacher can slow down the commands for children who find it difficult to keep pace.

Key skill/knowledge the child will acquire: Students are able to understand and follow the given commands. 

Click and watch the videos. These videos are to be shown to children during the activity. When there are children with hearing impairment in the inclusive class, use the video with Indian Sign Language (ISL).

Video: Warm up exercise (Coming Soon)

ISL Video: Warm up exercise (Coming Soon)

Refer to the ‘TPR/Warm up exercise’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 1

Rhyme

Introduction:

• The teacher will sit along with the children in semi-circles.
• The teacher can make the children learn the rhyme by showing the poster and reading the rhyme line by line and explaining it. 
• The teacher also plays the audio of the rhyme and recites the rhyme.
• The teacher begins the class by saying, “Let us learn to recite a rhyme.”

Content of the rhyme: I love Animals

The rabbits go hop, hop, hop,
As if there is no stop.
The dog wags its tail right and left,
To show them love, and not be left.

Ducks say quack, quack, quack,
And the cow says moo 
Let us be kind to all of them,
Let us show love to all of them.

Animals need our love too,
Say to them, “I love you.”

Follow up activity for the rhyme:

A. Answer the following questions: (some possible answers are given below)

1. Why does the dog wag (move) its tail?
   Answer: To show love to people they know or if someone is friendly.
2. What are some of the familiar animal sounds in your surroundings?
   Answer: Bow-wow (dog), baa-baa (sheep), meow-meow (cat).

B. Clap your hands twice and repeat the words that sound similar: (rhyming words)

Fish-wish
Hop-stop
Tail-fail
Moo-too
Three-free

C. The teacher can revise the sounds made by animals:

Dog – Bow-wow
Cat – Meow-meow
Sheep – Baa-baa
Cow – Moo-moo

Note to the teacher:

1. The teacher can encourage children to come up with any other animal sound they know and also any other words that sound similar.
2. The teacher can make the children come forward and recite the rhyme in front of the class with the help of the poster.
3. Keep flashcards or puppets of animals ready.                                                 
4. Show the poster and then show the flashcards or puppets of animals. 
5. Show a picture or puppet of a dog and make the sound- bow-wow.
6. Next, show the pictures of a cow, rabbit, donkey, cat, duck, sheep, hen, monkey, elephant and say the names. 
7. Children listen keenly, observe the teacher and mime the same.
8. Recite the rhyme a couple of times and play the audio and encourage the children to recite it along with her/him.

Key skill/knowledge the child will acquire: Children learn to recite the rhyme and identify the animals in the rhyme.

Poster: Rhyme – I love animals (Coming soon)

Audio: Rhyme – I love animals (Coming soon)

Flashcards: Type of animals (Coming soon)

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 2

Note to the teacher:

Refer to the Poster and Audio of the rhyme from the given Digital Assets in ‘Animals’ Week 1 Day 1.

Day 3

The teacher can continue this process until all the children are able to recite the rhyme confidently.

Note to the teacher:

Refer to the Poster and Audio of the rhyme from the given Digital Assets in ‘Animals’ Week 1 Day 1. 

Day 4

Conversation Circle – Know your animals

The teacher sits along with the students in a circle to conduct the session:

Content:

1. What sound does a cow make?
   Answer: Moo-moo.
2. Name the animal that loves to eat carrots.
   Answer: Rabbit.
3. Which animal is our good friend?
   Answer: Dog.
4. Who is called the ‘King of the jungle’?
   Answer: Lion.

Note to the teacher:

The teacher uses puppets (Bhallu & Pinky) to introduce the questions.

The teacher holds both puppets, and the conversation on animals takes place between Bhallu and Pinky (the puppets).

Procedure:

Step 1: The teacher introduces the first question: What sound does a cow make?      

First, Bhallu asks Pinky about animal sounds
Bhallu (dog puppet): Hey Pinky, I say ‘bow-wow’. 
Pinky (cat puppet): I say ‘meow-meow’.
Bhallu: What sound does the cow make?
Pinky: The cow says, “Moo moo.”

Then, the teacher puts away the puppets and asks the child sitting next to him/her, “What sound does the cow make?” The child says, “The cow says, “Moo-moo.”  Now, this child asks the child sitting next to him or her, “What sound does the cow make?” and the conversation continues until all the children ask and respond.

Step 2: The teacher introduces the next question: Name the animal that loves to eat carrots.

Pinky to Bhallu: Name the animal that loves to eat carrots.
Bhallu: Rabbit loves to eat carrots.

Then, the teacher puts away the puppets and asks the child sitting next to him/her, “Name the animal that loves to eat carrots.” The child says, “Rabbit loves to eat carrots.” Now, this child asks the child sitting next to him or her, “Name the animal that loves to eat carrots.” and the conversation continues until all the children ask and respond.

Step 3: The teacher introduces the next question: Which animal is our good friend?

Pinky to Bhallu- “Which animal is our good friend?” Bhallu: “A dog is our good friend.”

Then, the teacher puts away the puppets and asks the child sitting next to him/her, “Which animal is our good friend?” The child says, “A dog is our good friend.” Now, this child asks the child sitting next to him or her, “Which animal is our good friend?”  and the conversation continues until all the children ask and respond.

Step 4: The teacher introduces the next question: Who is called the ‘King of the jungle’?

Pinky to Bhallu -”Who is called the ‘King of the jungle’?” 
Bhallu: “The lion is called the ‘King of the jungle’.”

Then, the teacher puts away the puppets and asks the child sitting next to him/her, “Who is called the ‘King of the jungle’?” The child says, “The lion is called the ‘King of the jungle’.” Now, this child asks the child sitting next to him or her, “Who is called the ‘King of the Jungle’?” and the conversation continues until all the children ask and respond.

Note to the teacher:

• The circle time continues till all get a chance to ask and respond.     
• If a student doesn’t know the answer to the question, the teacher helps by prompting. Otherwise, the question passes to the next student.
• Encourage all students to speak, and help them in naming the animals in English.
• There should be no chorus answers.

Key skill/knowledge the child will acquire: Children learn the name of some common animals and name their favourite animal.

Click and watch the video. This video is to be viewed by the teachers before the activity to understand how to conduct the same during the class.

Video: Conversation circle – Know your animals – Coming soon

Refer to the ‘Making puppets’ LTM video from the topic ‘Myself’ Week 1 Day 3 to prepare the puppets to conduct this activity.

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 5

Main Concept

Content:

• The teacher divides the topic of animals into two categories- ‘Farm’ and ‘Wild’ animals.
• The teacher begins the class asking a few questions, showing flashcards of pets taught in Balvatika and later introduces the topic on common farm animals and wild animals.

Opening:

• Once all the children are seated comfortably, the teacher revises the topic on pets done previous year- cat, dog, rabbit, duck, parrot, fish.
• The teacher explains briefly that they are going to learn the names of common farm and wild animals in the next few weeks.
• The teacher keeps the necessary flashcards of the two categories of animals ready in a basket. Farm animals – goat, sheep, rabbit, horse, cow, hen, dog and wild animals- monkey, lion, tiger, deer, fox, bear, elephant.
• The teacher starts showing one flashcard at a time.

During:
The teacher shows the flashcards of animals one card at a time, and asks children to notice how these animals look – their size, colour, and texture – soft, furry, hairy.

Refer to the flashcards of ‘Animals’ given in Week 1 Day 1.

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Reading and Writing

Day 1

Animal Song – Introduce the keywords (the, rabbit, go, hop, no)

The rabbits go hop, hop, hop,
As if there is no stop.
Ducks quack, cows moo,
They can be nice pets, too.

Procedure:

• The teacher writes the song on the blackboard or shows the animal song poster.
• The teacher will sing the animal song or play the audio of the animal song, and students will sing along with the teacher.
• Then, the teacher will read the animal song, pointing word by word. Students will repeat.
• The teacher shows the first keyword flashcard, and reads the word loudly and clearly.
• The students will also read the word.
• Then, the teacher will underline the keyword on the blackboard.
• The teacher explains the meaning of the word  in regional language.
• Likewise, the teacher will introduce and underline all the key words (using the flashcards) one by one.
• These keywords flashcards can be pinned on the class bulletin board for one week.
• The teacher can distribute the colouring worksheet- ‘The rabbits go hop hop hop’.

Worksheet: The rabbits go hop hop hop – Coming soon

Worksheet: The rabbits go hop hop hop (Enlarged) – Coming soon

Flashcards: Keywords – Coming soon

Poster: Animal song – Coming soon

Audio: Animal song – Coming soon

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 2

Animal song – Find the keywords (the, rabbit, go, hop, no) 

The rabbits go hop, hop, hop,
As if there is no stop.
Ducks quack, cows moo,
They can be nice pets, too.

Procedure:

• The teacher will write the animal song on the board and read it aloud (or read from the poster), pointing word by word.
• The students will repeat reading along with the teacher.
• The teacher will revise the keywords using the flashcards and underline the keywords.
• The teacher will keep a basket of chits with these keywords (the, rabbit, go, hop, no) written in it.
• The teacher will call any one student to come forward, pick up a chit, read the word, and then point at that word on the blackboard or the poster.
• This process can be repeated until all the students get a chance to pick a word from the basket.
• The teacher may assist the student to read the word as and when required

Refer to the ‘Vegetables’ video from the Reading and Writing section- Week 1 Day 2 to conduct this activity.

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 3

Animal song – Introduce the keywords (stop, duck, quack, cows, moo)

The rabbits go hop, hop, hop,
As if there is no stop.
Ducks quack, cows moo,
They can be nice pets, too.

Procedure:

• Following the same process as Day 1, the teacher will write the animal song on the blackboard or read from the poster.
• The teacher introduces the key words (using the flashcards) one by one.
• The teacher shows the first keyword card to the students and reads the word loudly and clearly. (example: stop)
• Students will repeat the word.
• The teacher will underline the keyword on the blackboard.
• The teacher explains the meaning of the word (stop) in regional language.
• Then, the teacher will show the second keyword card (duck) and follow the same procedure as above. 
• Likewise, all five keywords are introduced in one session.
• These flashcards can be pinned on the class bulletin board for one week.
• The teacher can distribute the colouring worksheet- ‘The duck says quack quack’.

Worksheet: The duck says quack-quack – Coming soon

Worksheet: The duck says quack-quack (Enlarged) – Coming soon

Refer to the ‘Keywords’ flashcards given in Day 1.

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 4

Animal song – Find the keywords (stop, duck, quack, cows, moo)

The rabbits go hop, hop, hop,
As if there is no stop.
Ducks quack, cows moo,
They can be nice pets, too.

Procedure:

• Following the same process as Day 2, the teacher will write the animal song on the board and read it aloud or read from the poster, pointing word by word.
• The students will repeat reading along with the teacher.
• The teacher will revise the keywords (stop, duck, quack, cows, moo) using the flashcards and underline the keywords.
• The teacher will keep a basket of chits with these words written in it.
• The teacher will call any one student to come forward, pick up a chit, read the word, and then point at that word on the blackboard.
• This process can be repeated until all the students get a chance to pick a word from the basket.
• The teacher may assist the student to read the word as and when required.

Refer to the ‘Activity’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Day 5

Dictation – Underline the keywords 

• The teacher will write the animal song on the blackboard and read it aloud or read from the poster.
• The teacher will revise all the keywords using the flashcards.
• The teacher will explain the process that when he/she calls out a word, the students must identify the word on their worksheet and underline it. 
• The teacher demonstrates the process once and distributes this worksheet.
• The teacher calls out the key word, and the students will underline the word on their own worksheet.
• The teacher can move around the class to see if some students need help in finding/underlining the right word.
• The students will then colour the worksheet beautifully. 

Note to the teacher:
The teacher can choose how many words and which words to give for dictation.

Worksheet: Underline the keyword – Coming soon

Worksheet: Underline the keyword (Enlarged) – Coming soon

Refer to the ‘Vegetables’ video from the Reading and Writing section- Week 1 Day 5 to conduct this activity.

Refer to the ‘LSRW’ Adaptations and Strategies given in the Main page of ‘Animals’ if there are any neuro-diverse children in the class.

Teacher Resource Document – Coming soon

Source and Attribution of images All images used in the above Assets and Aids are originally created.

This digital material has been developed by the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Inclusive Education Project, a unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, as a collaborative offering in the service of our nation.