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Basic 1 · English Language

Rhymes, Copying Letters and Capitals

In this topic you will recite rhymes and tongue-twisters, copy letters neatly and use capital letters.

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

  • Recite rhymes and tongue-twisters with actions
  • Copy letters of the alphabet clearly
  • Use capital letters for names

What you already know

  • Songs, books and patterns

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
Rhymes
Indicator
B1.1.2.1.1 – Listen to and recite rhymes and tongue-twisters with accompanying actions

Introduction

Rhymes are fun to say. Tongue-twisters are fun and tricky! Let us say them with actions.

Rhymes and Tongue-Twisters

Rhyme: A short poem with words that sound alike at the end.

Tongue-twister: A sentence that is hard to say quickly.

Rhyme: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are."

Tongue-twister: "Red lorry, yellow lorry."

Star and are sound alike. They rhyme.

Children saying a rhyme with hand actions showing a twinkling star
Figure 1: Saying a rhyme with actions Draw a star and write "star" and "are".Illustration: Sirbus

New words

rhyme
A short poem with sounding-alike words.
tongue-twister
A sentence that is hard to say fast.
recite
To say from memory.

Summary

  • Rhymes have words that sound alike at the end.
  • Tongue-twisters are fun and help us speak clearly.

Exercises

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

  1. 1. Which word rhymes with "star"?

    • A. Car
    • B. Cat
    • C. Sun
    • D. Pen
    Show answer
    Answer: CarStar and car sound alike.

  2. 2. A tongue-twister is easy to say fast.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: FalseIt is hard to say fast.

  3. 3. To say from memory is to ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: reciteWe recite rhymes.

  4. 4. Say "Red lorry, yellow lorry" three times fast. Was it easy?

    Show answer
    Answer: Answers will differ.It is a tongue-twister.

Lesson 2

Strand
Reading
Sub-strand
Pre-Reading Activities
Indicator
B1.2.1.1.1 – Handle books appropriately

Introduction

Books are friends. Now we learn the parts of a book.

Parts of a Book

Parts of a book
PartWhat it is
front coverthe front outside of the book
back coverthe back outside of the book
spinethe edge that holds the pages
titlethe name of the book

New words

spine
The edge that holds the pages together.
front cover
The front outside of a book.
back cover
The back outside of a book.

Summary

  • A book has a front cover, back cover, spine and pages.
  • The title is on the front cover.

Exercises

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

  1. 1. Where is the title of a book?

    • A. On the front cover
    • B. Inside the spine only
    • C. On the floor
    • D. Nowhere
    Show answer
    Answer: On the front coverWe read the title on the front.

  2. 2. The spine holds the pages together.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueThat is the job of the spine.

  3. 3. The back outside of a book is the back ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: coverThat is the back cover.

  4. 4. Name two parts of a book.

    Show answer
    Answer: Any two: front cover, back cover, spine, pages, title.These are book parts.

Lesson 3

Strand
Writing
Sub-strand
Penmanship
Indicator
B1.4.2.1.1 – Copy letters of the alphabet clearly

Introduction

When we copy letters, we make them the same size and shape as the model.

Copying Letters

  1. Look at the letter carefully.
  2. Start at the right point.
  3. Copy it slowly on the lines.
  4. Check that it looks like the model.
Small letters
a b c d e f gh i j k l m no p q r s t uv w x y z
tall letters: b d f h k l ttails: g j p q yround letters: a c e oothers: i m n r s u v w x z
Small letters written on four-line handwriting paper with tall letters and tail letters shown
Figure 2: Copying letters on lines Copy a to g neatly.Illustration: Sirbus

New words

copy
To make the same as a model.
model
An example to follow.
neat
Clean and tidy.

Summary

  • Look carefully and copy letters slowly.
  • Tall letters go up; tail letters go down.

Exercises

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

  1. 1. Which letter has a tail below the line?

    • A. g
    • B. a
    • C. c
    • D. o
    Show answer
    Answer: gg goes below the line.

  2. 2. We should copy letters slowly and carefully.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueThis makes neat writing.

  3. 3. An example to follow is a ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: modelWe copy the model.

  4. 4. Write the letters a, b and c neatly.

    Show answer
    Answer: a b cLearners copy the letters.

Lesson 4

Strand
Writing Conventions & Grammar Usage
Sub-strand
Using Capitalization
Indicator
B1.5.1.1.2 – Write capital letters correctly

Introduction

We use capital letters for the names of people, places and days.

Capital Letters for Names

Names with capital letters
PeoplePlacesDays
KofiAccraMonday
EsiTamaleFriday
Mr MensahHoSunday

Common mistake: "monday" is wrong. Write "Monday".

New words

person
A man, woman, boy or girl.
place
A town, city or area.
day
Monday, Tuesday and so on.

Summary

  • Names of people, places and days start with capital letters.
  • "Accra" and "Monday" begin with capitals.

Exercises

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

  1. 1. Which is written correctly?

    • A. Tamale
    • B. tamale
    • C. tAmale
    • D. TAMALe
    Show answer
    Answer: TamalePlace names start with a capital letter.

  2. 2. Days of the week start with capital letters.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueMonday, Tuesday and so on.

  3. 3. Write "friday" correctly: ______

    Show answer
    Answer: FridayDays begin with a capital letter.

  4. 4. Write the name of your town with a capital letter.

    Show answer
    Answer: Answers will differ.Place names begin with capitals.

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 and level appropriate books and texts from print

Introduction

Reading every day makes us better readers. Now we read about a market day.

Reading Time

Read this with your teacher:

"It is market day. Mother goes to the market. She buys tomatoes and fish. Ama carries the basket."

Talk about it

  • Who goes to the market? (Mother)
  • What does she buy? (tomatoes and fish)
  • What does Ama carry? (the basket)
A mother buying tomatoes and fish at a market while her daughter carries a basket
Figure 3: Market day Draw something you buy at the market.Illustration: Sirbus

New words

market
A place where people buy and sell.
basket
A container made of woven straw.
buy
To get something by paying money.

Summary

  • We read about a market day.
  • We answer questions about what we read.

Exercises

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

  1. 1. What does Mother buy?

    • A. Tomatoes and fish
    • B. Shoes
    • C. Books
    • D. A car
    Show answer
    Answer: Tomatoes and fishThe story says so.

  2. 2. Ama carries the basket.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueThe story says so.

  3. 3. A place where people buy and sell is a ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: marketThat is a market.

  4. 4. Name one thing people buy at the market.

    Show answer
    Answer: E.g. tomatoes.Many foods are sold.

Homework

  1. Say a rhyme to your family and write five capital letters.