Cleanliness, Importance of a Clean Environment for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Second Term
Week: 8
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Health Habits
Curriculum Theme: Health Habits
Previous Lesson: Personal Hygiene: Washing Hands
Topic: Cleanliness: Importance of a Clean Environment
Subject Matter: Cleanliness (Talking Care of Our Environment)

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify pictures of clean and dirty environments.
• State one reason why a clean environment is important (e.g., to avoid sickness).
• Name one tool used for cleaning.

Affective Domain

• Show appreciation for a clean classroom and school environment.
• Express willingness to help keep their environment clean.

Psychomotor Domain

• Demonstrate simple cleaning actions like picking up litter or pretending to sweep.
• Sort pictures into “clean” and “dirty” categories.

Social Domain

• Participate in a group activity to tidy up a small area of the classroom.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2.
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
• Early years health and hygiene picture books.

Instructional Materials

• Pictures/Chart Posters of clean and dirty environments (e.g., clean classroom, dirty playground, neat home, littered street).
• Small child-sized broom and dustpan.
• Waste bin/dustbin.
• Pieces of paper or small “pretend dirt” for cleaning practice.
• Storybook about cleanliness.
• Flash Cards with cleaning tools (broom, dustpan, mop).
• Video: “Clean Up Song” by The Kiboomers.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for 3-year-olds because it teaches them the basic concept of cleanliness and its direct link to their health and well-being. Understanding how to keep their environment clean helps prevent common illnesses and fosters a sense of responsibility for their surroundings, making their learning space more pleasant and safe.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify basic objects around them and know how to wash their hands after playing or before eating. They also understand simple instructions like “put it here” or “throw it away.”

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Cleanliness: Importance of a Clean Environment

What is Cleanliness?

Cleanliness means keeping ourselves and our surroundings neat and free from dirt, dust, and rubbish.

Why a Clean Environment is Important

• A clean environment helps us stay healthy.
• It stops sickness and diseases from spreading.
• It makes us feel happy and comfortable.
• It helps us learn better in a neat place.
• It prevents bad smells and insects like flies and mosquitoes.

How We Keep Our Environment Clean

• We sweep the floor with a broom.
• We pick up litter and put it in the dustbin.
• We wipe surfaces with a clean cloth.
• We keep our toys and books in their proper places.
• We do not throw rubbish on the floor.

Key Words

• Clean – Free from dirt.
• Dirty – Not clean; full of dirt.
• Sickness – Feeling unwell.
• Dustbin – A container for rubbish.

Clean-Up Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

Clean up, clean up, every day,
Keep the dirt far, far away.
Sweep the floor and put things right,
Make our classroom clean and bright.
Clean up, clean up, every day,
Keep the dirt far, far away.

Actions:

• “Clean up, clean up”: Make sweeping motions with hands.
• “Keep the dirt far, far away”: Push hands forward.
• “Sweep the floor”: Mimic sweeping with a broom.
• “Put things right”: Point to different parts of the classroom.
• “Clean and bright”: Smile and make a sparkling motion with hands.

Watch and Practise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dG96s_1pM

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Imitation, Practical Activity.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and leads a short “Good Morning” song. The teacher then asks pupils what they did to keep themselves clean this morning (e.g., brushed teeth, bathed).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and share simple actions they did to keep clean.

Learning Point: Pupils recall personal hygiene habits.

Step 2: Presentation – What is Cleanliness?

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Aid/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows pictures of a very clean classroom and a very dirty classroom. The teacher asks, “Which classroom looks nice?” and “Which one looks messy?” The teacher explains that cleanliness means keeping things neat and tidy.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, point to the clean/dirty classrooms, and say “clean” or “dirty.”

Learning Point: Pupils begin to understand the concept of cleanliness.

Step 3: Explanation – Why a Clean Environment is Important

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Simple Explanation/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that a clean environment helps us stay healthy and happy. “If our class is dirty, we can get sick.” The teacher asks, “Do you like to play in a dirty place or a clean place?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, respond to the question, and say “clean place.”

Learning Point: Pupils understand that cleanliness prevents sickness and makes them feel good.

Step 4: Demonstration – How to Keep Clean

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows a small child-sized broom and dustpan. The teacher demonstrates how to sweep a small area (e.g., where some pretend dirt/paper is scattered) and how to put the dirt into a dustbin. The teacher also shows how to pick up a piece of paper and put it in the bin.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the teacher’s demonstration carefully.

Learning Point: Pupils see practical ways to keep their environment clean.

Step 5: Guided Practice – Pupil Action

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher scatters a few pieces of paper on the floor. The teacher invites pupils, one or two at a time, to pick up a piece of paper and put it in the dustbin. The teacher also encourages them to pretend to sweep with their hands. The class sings the “Clean-Up Rhyme” together.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils take turns picking up paper and putting it in the bin. They pretend to sweep and sing the rhyme with actions.

Learning Point: Pupils practice simple cleaning actions and reinforce learning through song.

Step 6: Reinforcement – Video/Story

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Multimedia/Storytelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the “Clean Up Song” video. After the video, the teacher asks pupils what they learned from the song about keeping things clean.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video, sing along, and respond to the teacher’s questions.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce the importance of cleanliness through a fun visual aid.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4–5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Point to the clean picture.” (Teacher shows clean/dirty pictures).
2. “What happens if our environment is dirty?” (Guide them to say “we get sick”).
3. “Show me how you pick up rubbish.”
4. “What do we use to sweep the floor?” (Show a broom).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarization/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their participation and reminds them to always keep their classroom, home, and school clean. “A clean environment makes us healthy and happy!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and repeat the importance of cleanliness.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to practice cleanliness daily.

Lesson Keywords

• Clean – Not dirty.
• Dirty – Full of dirt.
• Environment – All the things around us.
• Sickness – When you are not well.
• Broom – A tool for sweeping.
• Dustbin – A place to put rubbish.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle to identify clean/dirty, provide more direct modelling and hand-over-hand guidance when demonstrating cleaning actions. Use only two contrasting pictures (one very clean, one very dirty) for easier identification.
• Extension: Encourage pupils who grasp the concept quickly to name other places they can help keep clean (e.g., their play area at home, their bed). Ask them to identify other items in the classroom that can be used for cleaning (e.g., a cloth to wipe tables).