Comprehension: Comprehension for Primary 1

Class: Primary One
Term: First Term
Week: 5
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Reading
Focal competence: Reading and comprehending texts
Key competencies/values: Creativity and Innovation; Communication; Critical Thinking; Collaboration; Responsibility; Leadership
Skills:

• Describing information gained from a text
• Answering written comprehension questions
• Making predictions from illustrations

Previous Lesson: Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming words and simple word families
Topic: Comprehension
Subject Matter: Comprehension, Using pictures to predict, answer simple oral questions

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify key details from a given picture.
• Make a simple prediction about a story from an illustration.
• Answer simple oral questions about a picture or short text.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in looking at pictures and listening to stories.
• Participate actively in class discussions about stories.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to specific objects or characters in an illustration.
• Draw a simple picture related to a story’s content.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with classmates during group picture discussions.
• Communicate their predictions and answers clearly to others.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable English Studies textbook for Primary 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Approved publisher-neutral text (a very short story with a clear illustration)
• Letter, word and picture cards
• Exercise books and pencils
• Please and thank you game board
• Whiteboard or chalkboard

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because comprehension is a fundamental skill for all learning. By teaching pupils to use pictures for prediction and to answer simple questions, it builds their ability to understand what they read and observe. This foundation helps them become better readers and critical thinkers in all subjects.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should be able to recognise some letters of the alphabet, identify simple words, and generally understand that pictures can tell a story or give information.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Comprehension

What is Comprehension?

Comprehension means understanding what you read or see in a picture. It is knowing what a story or a picture is about.

Using Pictures to Understand

Pictures help us to understand a story or text better. When we look at pictures, we can find out:

1. Who is in the story.
2. What is happening in the story.
3. Where the story is taking place.

Making Predictions from Pictures

When we look at a picture before reading a story, we can guess what the story might be about. This guessing is called making a prediction.

Example Story and Picture:

(Imagine a picture of a boy named Emeka holding a big, red apple. He looks happy.)

This is Emeka. Emeka has a big, red apple. He likes to eat healthy fruits. Emeka will share his apple with his friend, Joy.

Prediction from the picture:

1. The story is about a boy and an apple.
2. He might eat the apple.
3. He might share the apple.

Answering Simple Oral Questions

After reading a story or looking at a picture, we can answer questions about it. Answering questions shows that we understand the story.

Questions about Emeka’s story:

1. Who is in the story? (Emeka)
2. What does Emeka have? (A big, red apple)
3. What does Emeka like to eat? (Healthy fruits)
4. Who will Emeka share his apple with? (His friend, Joy)

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Question and Answer, Explanation, Observation, Guided Practice, Storytelling, Pair Work

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them to look around the classroom and tell her what they see. The teacher then asks if they like looking at pictures in storybooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, mention objects they see, and respond if they like looking at pictures.

Learning Point: Activating observation skills

Step 2: Introducing the Story/Picture

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Observation/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents a large, clear picture (e.g., of Emeka with an apple) to the class. She asks pupils to observe the picture carefully and describe what they see in it.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the picture and describe elements like the boy, the apple, and its colour.

Learning Point: Picture observation skills

Step 3: Making Predictions

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Prediction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils, “What do you think this story will be about?” or “What do you think Emeka will do with the apple?” She encourages different guesses and explains that this is called making a prediction.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils make simple predictions about the story based on the picture.

Learning Point: Simple prediction making

Step 4: Reading the Story

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reading Aloud/Modeling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reads the short story about Emeka and his apple clearly and slowly to the pupils. She points to words as she reads.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the story being read by the teacher.

Learning Point: Listening comprehension

Step 5: Explaining Unfamiliar Words

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Vocabulary Development

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher identifies any potentially unfamiliar words from the story (e.g., “healthy,” “share”) and explains their meanings using simple language or actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanations and repeat new words.

Learning Point: New word meanings

Step 6: Answering Simple Oral Questions

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks simple oral questions about the story, such as “Who is in the story?”, “What does Emeka have?”, “What colour is the apple?”, and “Who will Emeka share with?”. She guides pupils to find answers from the story.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer the oral questions based on the story they heard.

Learning Point: Recalling story details

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What does comprehension mean?
2. What can pictures help us to do before reading a story?
3. Based on the story we read, what fruit did Emeka have?
4. Who was Emeka going to share his apple with?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Comprehension assessment

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes about comprehension, using pictures, and answering questions into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds pupils that understanding stories and pictures is important for learning and encourages them to always look at pictures and think about what they read.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and acknowledge the importance of comprehension.

Learning Point: Importance of comprehension

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework / Practice Exercise

Instruction: Look at the picture and read the short sentences below. Then answer the questions in your exercise book.

1. (Draw a simple picture of a hen with three chicks.)
2. This is a hen.
3. The hen has three chicks.
4. The chicks are yellow.
5. The hen and her chicks are in the grass.

Questions:

1. What animal is in the picture?
2. How many chicks does the hen have?
3. What colour are the chicks?
4. Where are the hen and her chicks?

Lesson Keywords

• Comprehension – understanding what you read or see.
• Picture – a drawing or photograph.
• Predict – to guess what will happen next.
• Story – a description of events.
• Question – a sentence asking for information.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide more direct guidance in identifying objects in pictures and answering questions. Use simpler, one-word answer questions. Allow them to point to answers in the text or picture. The teacher can read the story multiple times.

For faster learners: Encourage them to create their own simple questions about the picture or story. Ask them to describe more details or make more complex predictions. Provide an additional short passage for them to read and answer questions.

Suggested Lesson Videos

YouTube search for Primary 1 English comprehension using pictures

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have a suitable, age-appropriate picture and a very short, simple story or passage ready. The picture should clearly relate to the story content to facilitate prediction. During the lesson, focus on engaging pupils through observation and discussion. Encourage them to share their thoughts and predictions without fear of being wrong. Emphasise listening skills during story reading and guide them patiently when answering questions, referring back to the picture or story as needed. The “Please and thank you game board” can be used as a quick warm-up or cool-down activity to reinforce good manners, if time permits, though the core focus remains on comprehension. Ensure pupils copy the Board Summary notes neatly into their exercise books during the designated note-taking time.