Context

Unit: Narrative Adventures Unleashed
Lesson: 5 of 12
Duration: 30 minutes
Class: Primary 3 (ages 7-8)
Class size: 20 students
Subject: English (Literacy & English)
Curriculum: Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), Scotland

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Identify nouns and verbs in sentences
• Understand the role of nouns and verbs in storytelling
• Use nouns and verbs correctly in our own sentences

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CfE Benchmarks and Experiences & Outcomes (Es & Os)

Level: Early First Level (to consolidate and extend P3 literacy skills)

• LIT 1-04a: I can recognise and use nouns, verbs, and adjectives in different contexts.
• LIT 1-11a: I enjoy creating texts of different types, exploring ways to engage my reader using clear structure and vocabulary.
• LIT 1-13a: I understand that punctuation and grammar help convey meaning and make writing clearer.

Note: At Primary 3, learners should be consolidating knowledge of simple sentence structure, especially identifying nouns and verbs, which forms the foundation of narrative sentence building.

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Success Criteria

• I can find nouns in sentences.
• I can find verbs in sentences.
• I can explain what nouns and verbs do in a story.
• I can create sentences using nouns and verbs correctly.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed worksheets with sentences (dyslexia-friendly fonts: OpenDyslexic or Sassoon Primary)
• Picture cards: nouns (people, places, things) and action verbs
• Mini whiteboards and pens for student use
• Sentence strips for group activity
• Timer

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Lesson Outline

1. Starter (5 minutes)

Activity: Interactive Brainstorm

• Ask the class: “What is a noun? What is a verb?”
• Write pupil suggestions on the board. Guide to definitions:
  • Noun: a naming word for a person, place, or thing.
  • Verb: an action word; something someone or something does.
• Show pictures of familiar nouns (e.g., dog, school, ball) and action verbs (run, jump, eat).
• Quick oral sorting: hold up pictures, students say "noun" or "verb".

Differentiation:

• Provide pictorial clues
• Pair students so those confident can support peers

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2. Mini-Lesson Input (8 minutes)

Explicit Teaching:

• Write example sentences on the board, e.g., “The dog runs fast.”
• Underline the noun in green and the verb in red.
• Explain the role of nouns and verbs in creating sentences, focusing on narrative writing:
  • Nouns name characters, places, or things in a story.
  • Verbs show what the characters or things do, making the story exciting.
• Model changing nouns and verbs in a sentence to create different meanings (e.g., “The cat sleeps” vs “The cat jumps”).

Dyslexia-Friendly Tip:

• Use colour coding consistently (green for nouns, red for verbs)
• Write large, clear letters with spacing

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3. Guided Practice (8 minutes)

Activity: Identify & Match

• Provide sentence strips to small groups (4 groups of 5).
• Each strip has a simple sentence with nouns and verbs underlined but unnamed.
• Task: identify whether each underlined word is a noun or a verb, then place cards labelled “NOUN” or “VERB” accordingly.
• Rotate sentences to allow each group to try multiple examples.
• Teacher circulates to support, checking understanding.

Differentiation:

• For learners needing support, use shorter, simpler sentences and provide a noun/verb reference chart.
• For advanced learners, challenge them to add one more noun or verb to each sentence to make it longer or more interesting.

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4. Independent Application (7 minutes)

Activity: Create Your Own Sentence

• Each student receives a mini whiteboard.
• They choose one noun card and one verb card from the teacher’s set.
• Write a complete sentence using these words.
• Option to illustrate their sentence.

Extension Activity:

• Advanced learners write a short two-sentence story using at least two nouns and two verbs, showing how the verbs make the story exciting.

Dyslexia-Friendly Support:

• Provide writing frames or sentence starters, e.g., “The ___ ___.”
• Allow oral storytelling before writing.

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5. Plenary & Assessment (2 minutes)

• Quick quiz: Teacher says a word, students show a green or red card indicating noun or verb.
• Recap what nouns and verbs do in narratives and why they are important for storytelling.
• Collect mini whiteboards for quick informal assessment of sentence accuracy.

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Assessment for Learning

• Observation during group activities and oral responses.
• Review of independent sentences for correct noun and verb use.
• Mini quiz responses and card sorting accuracy.

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Reflection and Next Steps

• Reflect on which students have secure noun/verb recognition and which need more practice.
• Prepare differentiated support for next lesson focusing on adjectives and adverbs to build on narrative richness.

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Summary

This lesson meets CfE Early First Level literacy outcomes with clear, achievable objectives tailored to P3 students’ stage, using multisensory, inclusive approaches designed to engage all learners. Colour coding, visual supports, and peer collaboration ensure accessibility, while extension tasks provide challenge for confident learners. This approach nurtures foundational grammar knowledge directly linked to narrative writing skills, supporting future learning progression in the unit Narrative Adventures Unleashed.