Gender, Identifying Yourself as Male or Female for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 2
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Civic Education
Curriculum Theme: Civic Education
Previous Lesson: Learning about self and family members.
Topic: GENDER: IDENTIFYING YOURSELF AS MALE OR FEMALE
Subject Matter: GENDER ISSUES – Identification of self as male or female. Weekly focus: Gender: Identifying Yourself as Male or Female.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Define gender simply as male or female.
• Identify themselves as either male (boy) or female (girl).

Affective Domain

• Appreciate their own gender.
• Listen attentively to the teacher’s explanations.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to themselves when asked their gender.
• Trace and attempt to write “I am a boy” or “I am a girl”.

Social Domain

• Participate in group discussions about gender.
• Take turns identifying their gender.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Relevant early-years workbooks on self-awareness

Instructional Materials

• Charts showing pictures of boys and girls
• Flashcards with “Boy” and “Girl” written on them
• Picture cards of different children (male and female)
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk
• Pupils’ notebooks/writing paper
• Pencils and crayons

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for 5-year-olds as it helps them develop a basic understanding of their identity and place in the world. Knowing and identifying their gender is a fundamental part of self-awareness and helps them understand social roles and interactions within their family and community.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify themselves by name and know some members of their family. They can also differentiate between themselves and other children in the class.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

GENDER: IDENTIFYING YOURSELF AS MALE OR FEMALE

What is Gender?

Gender means whether you are a boy or a girl. Everyone is either a boy or a girl.

• If you are a boy, you are male.
• If you are a girl, you are female.

How to know your Gender:

• Boys grow up to be men.
• Girls grow up to be women.
• We can tell if someone is a boy or a girl by looking at them and by what they tell us.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Display charts with clear pictures of boys and girls.
• Point to different boys and girls in the class.
• Write clearly on the board: “I am a boy.” and “I am a girl.”

Gender Song

Tune: “Are You Sleeping, Brother John?”

Are you a boy? Are you a boy?
Yes, I am! Yes, I am!
I’m a boy, I’m a boy,
Yes, I am! Yes, I am!

Are you a girl? Are you a girl?
Yes, I am! Yes, I am!
I’m a girl, I’m a girl,
Yes, I am! Yes, I am!

Actions: Pupils point to themselves when singing “Yes, I am!”. Boys stand up for the boy verse, girls stand up for the girl verse.

How to use the rhyme: Sing this song after explaining the concept of male and female to help pupils actively identify with their gender.

Watch and Learn About Boys and Girls

Let’s watch a short video about boys and girls to help us understand more about gender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S64oFmG1_28

Writing your Gender:

We will learn to write a simple sentence about our gender:

• If you are a boy, you will write: I am a boy.
• If you are a girl, you will write: I am a girl.

Key Words

• Gender – whether you are a boy or a girl.
• Male – being a boy.
• Female – being a girl.
• Boy – a young male person.
• Girl – a young female person.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

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

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and leads them in a short, familiar welcome song. The teacher then asks pupils to say their names and point to themselves.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing the song, say their names, and point to themselves.

Learning Point: Pupils are settled and ready to learn, reinforcing self-identification.

Step 2: Presentation – Understanding Gender

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Concept Introduction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the topic “Gender: Identifying Yourself as Male or Female.” The teacher explains simply that “gender” means if you are a boy or a girl. The teacher points to a boy and says, “He is a boy, so his gender is male.” The teacher points to a girl and says, “She is a girl, so her gender is female.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and observe as the teacher points to different children.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that gender refers to being male or female.

Step 3: Demonstration – Identifying Male and Female

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Visual Aid

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher uses charts with pictures of boys and girls. The teacher points to each picture and asks, “Is this a boy or a girl?” The teacher also points to different pupils in the class and asks, “Is [Pupil’s Name] a boy or a girl?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the gender of children in pictures and their classmates by saying “boy” or “girl”.

Learning Point: Pupils can visually identify male and female individuals.

Step 4: Guided Practice – Identifying Own Gender

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Oral Response

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher goes around the class, asking each pupil, “Are you a boy or a girl?” The teacher encourages each pupil to say, “I am a boy” or “I am a girl” and point to themselves.

Pupils’ Activity: Each pupil orally identifies their own gender, saying “I am a boy” or “I am a girl” and pointing to themselves.

Learning Point: Pupils confidently state their own gender.

Step 5: Reinforcement – Song and Video

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Gender Song” (from the Board Summary) with actions. Then, the teacher plays the “Boys and Girls Song” video and encourages pupils to watch and sing along.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the song with actions and watch the video, participating where possible.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of gender through song and visual aids.

Step 6: Application – Writing Their Gender

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes “I am a boy.” and “I am a girl.” clearly on the board. The teacher guides pupils to open their notebooks or take a piece of paper. The teacher instructs boys to trace and write “I am a boy.” and girls to trace and write “I am a girl.” The teacher moves around, assisting pupils with their writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace and attempt to write the sentence corresponding to their gender in their notebooks.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their understanding by writing their gender identification.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

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

1. What does gender mean?
2. Are you a boy or a girl?
3. Show me what you wrote in your book.
4. Can you point to a boy/girl in the class?

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: Recap/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and good work. The teacher reminds them that it is good to know if they are a boy or a girl. The teacher leads a closing song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to praise and sing the closing song.

Learning Point: Pupils leave with a positive reinforcement of the lesson.

Lesson Keywords

• Gender – whether you are a boy or a girl.
• Male – being a boy.
• Female – being a girl.
• Boy – a young male person.
• Girl – a young female person.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle to write, provide pre-written sentences for them to trace over, or have them simply draw a picture of themselves and identify if they are a boy or a girl orally. Use hand-over-hand guidance for tracing.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept and writing, encourage them to draw a picture of themselves and label it “I am a boy” or “I am a girl” beneath their drawing. They could also identify the gender of family members.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Prepare your charts and pictures of boys and girls beforehand. Ensure you have enough writing materials for all pupils. When introducing gender, use simple, clear language. Emphasize that being a boy or a girl is special and unique. Encourage all pupils to participate in the oral identification and singing. For the writing activity, focus more on the attempt and understanding rather than perfect letter formation. Praise effort. Observe if pupils can correctly identify their own gender and that of others, which is the key observable action demonstrating understanding.