Basic 1 · English Language

Commands, Retelling, Copying Sentences and Spelling

In this topic you will give and follow instructions, retell stories in your own words, copy sentences and spell simple words.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Give and follow simple commands
Retell a story in your own words
Copy sentences from a substitution table
Spell simple words correctly

What you already know

Questions and substitution tables

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Lesson 1

Strand: Oral Language
Sub-strand: Giving and Responding to Commands
Indicator: B1.1.9.1.1 – Give and respond to commands and instructions

Introduction

Commands tell people what to do. "Sit down." "Open your book."

Commands and Instructions

Commands

Command	Action
Stand up.	stand
Sit down.	sit
Open your book.	open the book
Close the door, please.	close the door

Tip: Add "please" to be polite.

A teacher saying "Stand up" and children standing — Figure 1: Following commands Draw someone following a command.Illustration: Sirbus

New words

command: Words telling someone what to do.
instruction: Words that tell how to do something.
please: A polite word.

Summary

Commands tell us what to do.
We add "please" to be polite.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is a command?
- A. Sit down.
- B. The sun is hot.
- C. I am Ama.
- D. Is it raining?
Show answer
Answer: Sit down.It tells someone what to do.
2. "Please" makes a command polite.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueIt shows good manners.
3. ______ your book, please. (Open / Opened)
Show answer
Answer: OpenCommands start with an action word.
4. Write a polite command.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. Close the window, please.It tells what to do politely.

Lesson 2

Strand: Reading
Sub-strand: Comprehension
Indicator: B1.2.7.1.3 – Retell level-appropriate texts in own words

Introduction

Retelling in your own words shows you understand a story.

Retelling in My Own Words

Story: "A crow was thirsty. It found a pot with a little water. It dropped stones into the pot. The water came up, and the crow drank."

My retelling: "The crow put stones in the pot so the water came up. Then it drank."

New words

thirsty: Wanting to drink.
own words: Your way of saying it.
understand: To know what something means.

Summary

Retelling in your own words shows understanding.
The crow used stones to raise the water.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. What did the crow drop into the pot?
- A. Stones
- B. Leaves
- C. Sand
- D. Seeds
Show answer
Answer: StonesStones made the water rise.
2. The crow was thirsty.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueIt wanted water.
3. Wanting to drink is being ______.
Show answer
Answer: thirstyThat is thirsty.
4. Retell the crow story in one sentence.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. The crow dropped stones in a pot to drink the water.Use your own words.

Lesson 3

Strand: Writing
Sub-strand: Controlled Writing
Indicator: B1.4.7.1.1 – Find read and copy sentences from a given substitution tables

Introduction

Let us make and copy more sentences.

More Substitution Sentences

Make sentences

Who	Action	Where
I	go	to school.
We	play	in the park.
They	sleep	at home.

New words

copy: To write the same as you see.
capital: A big letter at the start.
full stop: The dot at the end of a sentence.

Summary

Make sentences with one word from each column.
Start with a capital and end with a full stop.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is a correct sentence?
- A. We play in the park.
- B. play We park.
- C. park the in.
- D. We in.
Show answer
Answer: We play in the park.It uses the table in order.
2. Sentences end with a full stop.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThat is the rule.
3. They ______ at home.
Show answer
Answer: sleepFrom the table.
4. Copy one sentence from the table.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. I go to school.Copied correctly.

Lesson 4

Strand: Writing Conventions & Grammar Usage
Sub-strand: Spelling
Indicator: B1.5.10.1.1 – Identify and spell simple words correctly

Introduction

Spelling means writing the letters of a word in the right order.

Spelling Simple Words

Words to spell

Word	Letters
cup	c-u-p
sun	s-u-n
bag	b-a-g
fish	f-i-s-h
tree	t-r-e-e

Picture cards of a cup, sun, bag, fish and tree with their spelling — Figure 2: Spelling simple words Draw and spell three words.Illustration: Sirbus

New words

spell: To write a word's letters in order.
letter: One sign in a word.
correct: Right.

Summary

Spelling is writing letters in the right order.
"Tree" is spelt t-r-e-e.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is spelt correctly?
- A. fish
- B. fsih
- C. fihs
- D. fis
Show answer
Answer: fishf-i-s-h.
2. "sun" is spelt s-u-n.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThat is correct.
3. Spell the word: c___ (something we drink from)
Show answer
Answer: cupc-u-p.
4. Spell the word for a big plant with a trunk.
Show answer
Answer: treet-r-e-e.

Lesson 5

Strand: Extensive Reading
Sub-strand: Building the Love and Culture of Reading
Indicator: B1.6.1.1.1 – Read a variety of age appropriate books and texts from print

Introduction

Today we read about a visit to the clinic.

Reading Time

"Abena was sick. Mother took her to the clinic. The nurse gave her medicine. Now Abena is well."

Questions

Who was sick? (Abena)
Who gave her medicine? (the nurse)

New words

sick: Not well.
clinic: A place where sick people are treated.
medicine: Something that helps sick people get well.

Summary

Abena went to the clinic.
The nurse gave her medicine and she got well.

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Where did Mother take Abena?
- A. Clinic
- B. Market
- C. Farm
- D. Beach
Show answer
Answer: ClinicThe story says clinic.
2. Abena is well now.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThe story says so.
3. The ______ gave her medicine.
Show answer
Answer: nurseThe nurse helped her.
4. Why did Abena go to the clinic?
Show answer
Answer: She was sick.Sick people go to the clinic.

Homework

Give two polite commands to family members and see if they follow them.