My House Vocabulary

Overview

This lesson introduces Year 3 (KS1) pupils to vocabulary related to items in and around the house, aligned with the UK National Curriculum for Languages under the category of "Developing Vocabulary and Confidence in Speech." The focus is on helping pupils develop their listening, speaking, and recognition skills through engaging activities. By the end of the lesson, pupils will comfortably use key vocabulary words like bath, bed, chair, desk, door, sofa, table, and window within simple sentences.

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Curriculum Area:

Languages – Key Stage 1

• Listening and responding.
• Speaking in sentences.
• Developing accurate pronunciation.
  Sub-area: "Exploring Vocabulary Associated With the House."

Learning Objectives:
Pupils will:

1. Hear and repeat new vocabulary relating to household items.
2. Use these new words to describe their own home.
3. Build confidence in forming simple sentences with the target vocabulary.

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Lesson Structure (45 Minutes)

Starter Activity (10 Minutes)

Objective: Introduce new words through a listening and matching activity.

Teacher’s Instructions:

1. Greet the students: “Today, we’re learning how to talk about things in our house!”
2. Use a visual aids sheet displaying clear colour images of the 8 key items (bath, bed, chair, desk, door, sofa, table, window). Include corresponding written words printed beneath.
3. Pronounce each word slowly, e.g., “This is a bath. Repeat after me: bath.” Students repeat as a whole group.
4. Call on individual students to say the word aloud. Offer plenty of encouragement, ensuring positive reinforcement.

Interactive Pairing:

• Pass out picture cards of the items to small groups. Say a word aloud (e.g., “Table”), and students must find the correct card.
• To add excitement, make it a quick “hands up” competition in pairs to identify the card first.

Resource Required:

• Laminated picture and word cards.

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Main Activity (25 Minutes)

Step 1: Vocabulary Drill with Movement (10 Minutes)

Objective: Deepen word recognition through a physical activity game.

1. Arrange learners in a circle.
2. Place objects or images representing the 8 vocabulary items around the room.
3. Call out a word (e.g., "door"), then say, “Go touch the door!” Students race (safely) to the correct image or object.
4. Introduce short phrases like “I see the window” or “Where is the sofa?” Encourage pupils to repeat.

Teacher’s Example Prompt: “Let’s all go to the sofa. Everyone say: sofa!”

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Step 2: Sentence Practice (15 Minutes)

Objective: Form sentences describing furniture placement using “This is a…”

1. Show a toy house model or a simple house diagram on the whiteboard with rooms clearly labelled (bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen). Place drawings of the vocabulary (e.g., bed in the bedroom).
2. Give demos: “This is the bed! It’s in the bedroom.”
3. Pupils receive their own smaller printed diagram and stickers of the items. They place items in the rooms, then practise speaking in pairs:
   • Pupil A: “What is this?”
   • Pupil B: “This is a bath. It’s in the bathroom.”

Challenge for Confident Learners: Encourage them to combine sentence prompts: “This is a sofa. It’s in the living room. I like the sofa!”

Resources:

• A3 house diagram poster with furniture stickers for small groups.
• Individual house printouts for sentence practice.

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Plenary / Wrap-Up (10 Minutes)

Objective: Reinforce learning through storytelling and peer recognition.

1. Gather students in a circle. Use a soft toy or beanbag as a “talking ball.” Pass it around—each child must name one item and a sentence about it:
   • Example: “This is a window in my house.”
2. End by narrating a short, interactive story about a child showing their house to a friend:
   • E.g., “Alex showed her friend the sofa in the living room. Then they saw a big table! Let’s name what else they might see…” (Encourage pupils to shout answers.)
3. Reward participation with “House Word Stars,” small stickers/tokens for effort.

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Adaptations for Different Needs

• EAL Pupils: Pair with buddies for language support; translate new vocabulary into their first language if possible.
• SEN Support: Use tactile objects (e.g., mini toy furniture) to reinforce word-object connection. Keep tasks simple and repeated.
• Gifted Pupils: Challenge them to use positional language (e.g., “The desk is next to the window.”).

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Evaluation / Homework

• In-Class Evaluation: Observe participation in the speaking activity and sentence-making task. Note which students grasped vocabulary easily and who needs reinforcement.
• Homework: Pupils draw one of their favourite rooms at home and label 3 of the items using key vocabulary.

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Teacher Reflection

• Consider which activities engaged all learners effectively. Did physical activities and visuals support vocabulary retention?
• Plan follow-up lessons to introduce adjectives (e.g., big, soft) to describe these items for further progress.