Grade 03: English

In this unit, 'Reading stories and poems', you learn to read a story or poem and say the main idea and favourite part. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Reading stories and poems' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: read a story or poem and say the main idea and favourite part, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Read the story in order. Short text (my own): "A girl found a tiny boat on the shore. She pushed it into the stream. It sailed away, and she waved goodbye." Notice the three actions in order.
2. Step 2, State the main idea in one sentence. "A girl sends a small boat down a stream." Reason: the main idea is what the whole text is about, not every detail.
3. Step 3, Pick the favourite part and give a reason. "My favourite part is when the boat sails away because I like to imagine where it goes." Reason: always use "because" after your choice.
4. Step 4, Use evidence from the text. Question: "How did the girl feel?" Answer: "She felt happy because she waved goodbye." Reason: a clue from the text supports your answer.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. Weak main idea: "A boat." Better: "A girl sends a boat down a stream." Another error: "I like it because it is good." Better: "I like it because the boat sails far."
6. Step 6, Read a poem aloud. Lines (my own): "Rain on the roof, tap-tap-tap, / Cat on the mat, nap-nap-nap." Notice repeated sounds and rhyme: tap and nap. Reason: sound patterns make a poem fun.
7. Step 7, Your turn. Read: "A fox saw a grape on a high vine. He jumped and jumped but could not reach it." State the main idea and your favourite part. Model answer: "A fox tries to reach a grape. I like the jumping because it is funny."

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Read a story or poem and say the main idea and favourite part: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Subject and predicate', you learn to find who or what a sentence is about and what it says about it. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Subject and predicate' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: find who or what a sentence is about and what it says about it, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Find the subject. Sentence: "The small bird sings." Ask: "Who or what sings?" Answer: "The small bird." That is the subject, the person or thing the sentence is about.
2. Step 2, Find the predicate. The rest, "sings", says what the subject does. In "The small bird sings in the tree", the predicate is "sings in the tree". Reason: the predicate tells what the subject does or is.
3. Step 3, Split sentences with a line. "My brother / plays football." "The big red bus / stopped at the corner." Subject on the left, predicate on the right. Reason: every full sentence has both.
4. Step 4, Spot an incomplete sentence. "Running down the hill." This has no subject. Fix: "The boys were running down the hill." Reason: a sentence needs a subject and a predicate.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. Wrong: "The tall girl." Right: "The tall girl waved." Also check: "Waved to her friend." Right: "She waved to her friend."
6. Step 6, Practise with a longer sentence. "Our new teacher reads stories every Friday." Subject: "Our new teacher". Predicate: "reads stories every Friday." Check each part by asking who and what.
7. Step 7, Your turn. Divide this: "The cold wind blew through the window." Model answer: subject: "The cold wind"; predicate: "blew through the window."

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Find who or what a sentence is about and what it says about it: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Nouns, pronouns and adjectives', you learn to use them correctly and for variety. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Nouns, pronouns and adjectives' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: use them correctly and for variety, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Choose a pronoun to replace a noun. "A girl has a bag. She carries it to school." "A girl" becomes "she" and "bag" becomes "it". Reason: pronouns avoid repeating nouns.
2. Step 2, Use the right pronoun form. I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them. Model: "My friend and I went home." "The teacher gave him a book." Subject: I. Object: me. Test by removing the other name.
3. Step 3, Choose an adjective for more detail. Instead of "a dog", write "a friendly, brown dog". Nouns: dog. Adjectives: friendly, brown. Reason: adjectives tell what kind or which one.
4. Step 4, Vary your sentences. Weak: "The cat is big. The cat is soft. The cat is white." Better: "The cat is big, soft and white." Or: "It is a big, soft, white cat." Reason: variety keeps the reader interested.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. Wrong: "Me and him went to the park." Right: "He and I went to the park." Another error: "Their going home." Right: "They're going home." (They are.)
6. Step 6, Rewrite a paragraph with pronouns. Before: "The boy likes cricket. The boy plays cricket on Monday." After: "The boy likes cricket. He plays it on Monday." Reason: he replaces the boy and it replaces cricket.
7. Step 7, Your turn. Rewrite using pronouns and one adjective: "Mum made a cake. Mum put the cake on the table." Model answer: "Mum made a delicious cake. She put it on the table."

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Use them correctly and for variety: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Verbs and simple tenses', you learn to use present, past and future verbs correctly. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Verbs and simple tenses' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: use present, past and future verbs correctly, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Use the present for what is true now. "She walks to school." "The sun rises in the east." Add -s for he, she, it. Reason: the present simple names habits and facts.
2. Step 2, Use the past for what has finished. "She walked to school yesterday." Regular verbs end in -ed. Irregular: go, went; see, saw; make, made. Reason: the past tells what already happened.
3. Step 3, Use will for the future. "She will walk to school tomorrow." Or "going to": "She is going to walk." Reason: the future talks about things that have not happened yet.
4. Step 4, Keep tenses together. Right: "Yesterday we went to the market and bought mangoes." Wrong: "Yesterday we went to the market and buy mangoes." Reason: all actions in the same time need the same tense.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. Wrong: "He runned fast." Right: "He ran fast." Another error: "She will goes tomorrow." Right: "She will go tomorrow." After will, the verb stays plain.
6. Step 6, Change one sentence through three tenses. Present: "I paint a picture." Past: "I painted a picture." Future: "I will paint a picture." Mark the time word: now, yesterday, tomorrow.
7. Step 7, Your turn. Write "The children play cricket" in past and future. Model answer: past: "The children played cricket." Future: "The children will play cricket."

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Use present, past and future verbs correctly: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Paragraph writing', you learn to write a paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Paragraph writing' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: write a paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting sentences, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. It starts on a new line, with the first line pushed in a little. Take the idea: dogs make good pets. All the sentences in the paragraph must be about that idea only, like pieces of one puzzle.
2. Step 2, The topic sentence comes first and tells the main idea. Write: Dogs make good pets. A good topic sentence is clear and not too long. It makes the reader ask why, and the next sentences give the answer.
3. Step 3, Supporting sentences give reasons or examples. Write three: Dogs are loyal and wait for you at the door. They need walks, so they keep you active. They can also be trained to sit and stay. Each sentence adds one new fact about the topic.
4. Step 4, Use linking words to join the sentences smoothly: First, Also, Another reason, Finally. For example: First, dogs are loyal. Also, they keep you active. Finally, they can learn tricks. Link words show the order of ideas without repeating the same start.
5. Step 5, Check the paragraph. Is there one topic sentence and three supporting sentences? Is every sentence about dogs as pets? If you wrote I like pizza, cross it out because it is off topic. Check capital letters, full stops and spelling.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a paragraph that begins with the topic sentence Reading is fun and then adds three supporting sentences. Model answer: Reading is fun. Books take you to new places. You can learn amazing facts. Also, a good story makes you laugh.

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Write a paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting sentences: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Poetry and nonsense verse', you learn to read limericks, notice rhyme and rhythm and write one. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Poetry and nonsense verse' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: read limericks, notice rhyme and rhythm and write one, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Notice rhyme in a limerick (my own): "A baker once baked a big pie, / It was tall and it touched the sky; / The cat took a bite, / And flew off in fright, / And the baker just waved goodbye." Rhyme scheme: A A B B A.
2. Step 2, Find the rhythm. Lines one, two and five are longer, with about three beats; lines three and four are shorter, with two beats. Clap: "A BAK-er named DEE made a PIE." Reason: limericks bounce.
3. Step 3, Pick the nonsense. The sky is touched by a pie and a cat flies off. Nonsense verse uses silly ideas, invented words and surprising events. Reason: the humour comes from impossible events told seriously.
4. Step 4, Plan your limerick. Choose a word and a rhyme: "back" rhymes with "sack", "snack", "pack". Idea: a boy carries a snack. Write line one: "A boy with a bag on his back..." Reason: the first line sets the rhyme.
5. Step 5, Write all five lines. "A boy with a bag on his back / Packed a snack in his sack; / A bee came to stay, / And ate it all day, / So he went home with nothing in his pack." Check rhyme A A B B A.
6. Step 6, Fix an error. Wrong: "A boy with a bag on his back / Took a snack in his park." Park does not rhyme with back. Right: "Took a snack in his sack." Choose words that really rhyme, not words only close in sound.
7. Step 7, Your turn. Write a limerick opening line and the rhyming second line about a goat. Model answer: "A goat who wore a green coat / Sailed away in a boat," (coat and boat rhyme).

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Read limericks, notice rhyme and rhythm and write one: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Dictionary and spelling skills', you learn to use alphabetical order and a dictionary to find and check words. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Dictionary and spelling skills' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: use alphabetical order and a dictionary to find and check words, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, The alphabet has 26 letters in a fixed order, a to z. A dictionary lists words in alphabetical order. To order zebra, apple and mango, look at the first letter. The order is apple, mango, zebra, because a comes before m, and m comes before z.
2. Step 2, When the first letters match, use the second letter. Order bat, bag and bee. All start with b. The second letters are a, a and e, so bee is last. For bat and bag, check the third letter: g comes before t. The order is bag, bat, bee.
3. Step 3, Use the guide words at the top of a dictionary page. They show the first and last word on the page. If the guide words are face and fan, then fall belongs on that page because f-a-l sits between f-a-c and f-a-n. Farm does not, because r comes after n.
4. Step 4, Read the entry. It gives the headword, then a small word for the kind of word, then the meaning. For example: night (noun), the time when it is dark. Read the meaning and an example sentence to be sure it is the word you want.
5. Step 5, Check a spelling. If you are not sure whether to write frend or friend, try fr, then look at words that begin fri. You find friend in the dictionary, so the correct spelling is friend. If it is not there, try another way of spelling the first sounds.
6. Step 6, Your turn: put the words in alphabetical order: pear, peach, plum, pea. Answer: pea, peach, pear, plum. Plum is last because l comes after e; pea is first because it is the shortest; peach comes before pear because c comes before r.

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Use alphabetical order and a dictionary to find and check words: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Speaking and listening', you learn to give a one-minute talk and ask a question about a talk. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Speaking and listening' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: give a one-minute talk and ask a question about a talk, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Plan a one-minute talk with three parts. Topic: "My pet fish". Beginning: "I'd like to tell you about my fish." Middle: two facts. End: "Thank you for listening." Reason: three parts keep the talk clear.
2. Step 2, Write key words, not the full text. Cue card: "fish - orange - eats flakes - swims round." Reason: key words keep your eyes up and your voice natural.
3. Step 3, Speak at a steady pace. Model opening: "Good morning, everyone. I'd like to tell you about my fish." Count about 130 words per minute for a one-minute talk. Reason: a steady pace helps people follow.
4. Step 4, Add one interesting detail. "My fish is orange, and she always swims to the top when she hears my voice." Reason: a personal detail makes your talk memorable.
5. Step 5, Ask a question about a talk. "Why did you choose a fish as a pet?" "How often do you feed her?" Reason: a question must be about what the speaker said.
6. Step 6, Fix an error. Wrong: speaking too fast and not looking up. Right: slow down and pause after each idea. Another weak question: "Is that all?" Better: "What does your fish eat?"
7. Step 7, Your turn. Prepare a 4-line cue card on "My favourite game" and one question to ask. Model answer: "game: football; friends; weekends; goal." Question: "How many players are on a team?"

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Give a one-minute talk and ask a question about a talk: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Letters, sounds and first reading

Notes: Match letters to sounds and read short words and simple sentences aloud. Notes: use the sounds s, a, t, p, i, n; learners blend them into sat, pin and tap, then read a three-word sentence and clap the syllables.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Sentences and simple writing

Notes: Write a clear sentence with a capital letter and full stop, and read a short story with understanding. Notes: give a picture prompt; learners say the sentence first, write it, and check capital, spacing and full stop with a partner before reading it aloud.

This course: Grade 03 English is at this level. Its units include Reading stories and poems; Subject and predicate; Nouns, pronouns and adjectives; Verbs and simple tenses and more.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Paragraphs, grammar and reading for meaning

Notes: Write a paragraph of five connected sentences and identify nouns, verbs and adjectives in a text. Notes: colour nouns blue and verbs red in a short passage; learners then write about their street, using at least two adjectives and one linking word.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Essays, speaking and responding to texts

Notes: Write a 300-word structured essay and give a short talk, quoting evidence from a text to support a view. Notes: model Point, Evidence, Explain; learners write one paragraph about a character, quote one line, and explain what it shows, then speak it aloud.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Analysis, argument and style

Notes: Analyse a writer's choices of language and structure and write a sustained argument of 600 words. Notes: take two openings of different short stories; learners compare tone, sentence length and imagery in a table, then argue which opening works better and why.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Literary and linguistic study

Notes: Evaluate texts through a critical lens, tracing how language changes across time and context in a researched essay. Notes: compare an older and a modern passage; learners list five differences in vocabulary and syntax and argue in 1,500 words what each reveals about its period.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Research, editing and authorship

Notes: Produce an original piece of research or a polished long-form text, with a literature review and defended method. Notes: pick a narrow question about language in one genre; build a corpus of fifty samples, analyse patterns, write 5,000 words, and revise after external review.