Meaning and Ways of Cooperating in the Community for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Third Term
Week: 9
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Civic Education
Curriculum Theme: Civic Education
Previous Lesson: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Topic: COOPERATION IN THE COMMUNITY
Subject Matter: Meaning and ways of cooperating in the community.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Define cooperation in simple terms.
• Identify different members of a community.
• State simple ways people cooperate in a community.

Affective Domain

• Show willingness to cooperate with others in the classroom.
• Appreciate the importance of helping and working together.

Psychomotor Domain

• Demonstrate simple acts of cooperation (e.g., sharing, helping).
• Participate in a group activity requiring teamwork.

Social Domain

• Interact positively with peers during cooperative play.
• Listen respectfully to the teacher and other pupils.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4.
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
• Picture cards showing community helpers and people cooperating.

Instructional Materials

• Chart pictures of a community meeting.
• Pictures of various community members (e.g., doctor, police officer, market seller, teacher, farmer).
• Pictures showing people helping each other (e.g., two children sharing toys, adults working together).
• MP4 player or tablet for video.
• Building blocks or puzzle for a group activity.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson introduces Pre-School Level 4 pupils to the concept of cooperation within their community. Understanding cooperation helps children develop social skills, learn to work with others, and appreciate how everyone contributes to a healthy and happy community. It lays the foundation for responsible citizenship and positive social interactions.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils are familiar with their immediate environment, including their family, school, and some people they see daily in their neighbourhood. They have also learned about sharing and being kind to others.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

COOPERATION IN THE COMMUNITY

What is a Community?

A community is a group of people who live, work, and play together in the same area. For example, our school is a community, and our neighbourhood is a community.

Who are the members of a Community?

• Parents
• Teachers
• Doctors
• Police officers
• Market sellers
• Farmers
• Neighbours
• Children (like us!)

What is Cooperation?

Cooperation means working together and helping each other to achieve a common goal. When we cooperate, we make things easier and better for everyone.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Display chart pictures of a community meeting, pointing out different people interacting.
• Show pictures of various community members and ask pupils to name them.
• Draw a simple picture of two children helping each other.

Ways of Cooperating in the Community:

Everyone in the community needs to cooperate. Here are some ways:

1. Helping each other: A neighbour helping another carry a heavy load.
2. Sharing: Children sharing toys or snacks.
3. Listening: Listening to community leaders or teachers when they give instructions.
4. Taking turns: Waiting for your turn to speak or play.
5. Working together: Cleaning the school compound or helping parents at home.
6. Being kind: Saying “please” and “thank you,” and being friendly.

How Pupils Can Cooperate:

• Helping the teacher clean the classroom.
• Sharing toys and learning materials with friends.
• Listening to the teacher and following instructions.
• Helping parents with simple chores at home.
• Playing nicely with friends and taking turns.

Cooperation Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

Working together, side by side,
Helping friends, with happy stride.
Sharing toys and taking turns,
That’s how our community learns.
Cooperation, big and small,
Makes our community best of all!

Actions: Pupils can hold hands and sway gently, point to friends, mime sharing, and clap hands while singing.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the song together to reinforce the idea of working and helping each other. Encourage pupils to do the actions.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a short video about cooperation and how we can work together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmH02d73u3k

Teacher’s note: Play the video “Cooperation Song for Kids | Teamwork Song | The Kiboomers” to visually reinforce the concept of working together.

Key Words

• Community – a group of people living together in one place.
• Cooperation – working together and helping each other.
• Help – to do something useful for someone.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

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

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them to name some people they see every day in their neighbourhood or school. “Who do we see at school? Who do we see at the market?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond by naming people like “teacher,” “mummy,” “daddy,” “market woman,” “gate man.”

Learning Point: Pupils recall familiar people in their environment.

Step 2: Explaining “Community” and “Cooperation”

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explaining/Visual Aids

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what a community is using simple words and shows pictures of different community members. “A community is all the people who live and work together. Today, we will learn about cooperation in our community. Cooperation means working together to help each other.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively, look at the pictures, and repeat the word “cooperation.”

Learning Point: Pupils understand the simple meaning of community and cooperation.

Step 3: Identifying Community Members and Their Roles

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Picture Talk/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays chart pictures of a community meeting and other pictures of community helpers. “Look at these pictures. Who do you see? What do they do? How do they help us?” The teacher guides pupils to identify members like doctors, police, teachers, and market sellers.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the people in the pictures and mention what they do (e.g., “doctor helps sick people,” “teacher teaches us”).

Learning Point: Pupils recognise various community members and their functions.

Step 4: Discussing Ways of Cooperating

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Discussion/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher discusses ways people cooperate, giving simple examples. “When someone helps another person, that is cooperation. When we share our toys, that is cooperation. How do you help your mummy at home? How do you help your friends in class?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils give examples of how they help at home or school, such as “I help sweep,” “I share my crayon.”

Learning Point: Pupils learn practical ways of cooperating.

Step 5: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Singing/Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the “Cooperation Song” with actions. Afterwards, the teacher plays the short video on cooperation for kids. “Let’s sing our cooperation song! Now, watch this video to see more about working together.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the song with actions and watch the video, repeating key phrases from the video if prompted.

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

Step 6: Practical Cooperation Activity

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Group Work

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides pupils into small groups and gives each group a simple task, like building a small tower with blocks or completing a simple puzzle together. “Work together to build this tower/puzzle. Help each other.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in their groups, sharing blocks/puzzle pieces and helping each other to complete the task.

Learning Point: Pupils practise cooperation in a hands-on activity.

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. What does cooperation mean? (Working together/helping each other)
2. Name one person in our community who helps us. (e.g., Teacher, Doctor, Police)
3. Show me how you can cooperate with your friend. (e.g., share a pencil, help pick up a fallen item)
4. Why is it good to cooperate? (Makes things easier, makes people happy)

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

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarizing/Encouraging

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and reminds them to always cooperate with their friends, family, and community members. “Well done, children! Remember to always help each other and work together. That is cooperation!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond with “Thank you, teacher” and clap for themselves.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to practise cooperation in their daily lives.

Lesson Keywords

• Community – a group of people living and working together.
• Cooperation – working together and helping each other.
• Help – to do something useful for someone.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle, use larger, clearer pictures of community members. Provide more direct modelling of cooperative actions and allow them to respond by pointing or showing instead of speaking. Pair them with a more confident peer during group activities.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, ask them to identify more ways they can cooperate at home or in school. Ask them to draw a picture of people cooperating in their community.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Prepare all visual aids (charts, pictures) and the MP4 player/tablet in advance. Ensure the pictures clearly depict different community members and acts of cooperation. When explaining “cooperation,” use simple, relatable examples that children can understand from their daily lives (e.g., “When you help your friend pick up crayons, that is cooperation”). Emphasize that cooperation makes tasks easier and makes everyone happier. During the practical activity, observe how pupils interact and guide them gently towards working together. Positive reinforcement is key. Assess understanding by observing their participation in the group activity and their ability to give simple examples or identify cooperative actions in pictures.