Note for teachers using this lesson plan
Before this lesson, ensure you have the rhyme chart or lyrics ready, along with any picture cards of a cat, morning actions, and people greeting. The central idea is for pupils to learn and repeat the rhyme about the cat’s morning routine and practice saying “Good Morning” through role-play. Successful learning will be observed when pupils can recite parts of the rhyme and confidently greet others.
Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: Second Term
Week: 10
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Songs and Rhymes
Curriculum Theme: Songs and Rhymes
Previous Lesson: Simple Greetings and Morning Routines
Topic: WHEN CAT WAKES UP IN THE MORNING
Subject Matter: WHEN CAT WAKES UP IN THE MORNING.
Specific Objectives
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
Cognitive Domain
- Recite the rhyme “When Cat Wakes Up in the Morning” with some accuracy.
- Identify common morning actions mentioned in the rhyme.
Affective Domain
- Show enthusiasm for singing and participating in the rhyme.
- Express willingness to greet others politely.
Psychomotor Domain
- Perform simple actions related to the rhyme, such as stretching and yawning.
- Participate in a simple role-play of greeting someone.
Social Domain
- Practice saying “Good Morning” to their teacher and classmates.
Reference Materials
- NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3
- Early Childhood Care and Education resources
Instructional Materials
- MP4 Player
- MP3 Player
- Rhyme book/chart with the rhyme “When Cat Wakes Up in the Morning”
- Picture cards showing a cat, stretching, yawning, and people greeting
- Puppets (optional, for role-play)
Rationale for the Lesson
This lesson helps 4-year-olds develop their language and social skills by engaging with a fun rhyme about morning routines. Learning to greet others politely is a fundamental social habit, and the rhyme provides a memorable way to practice these actions and expressions, preparing them for daily interactions.Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge
Pupils can already identify some animals, understand simple instructions, and may know basic greetings like “Hello” or “Bye-bye”. They are also familiar with their own morning routines.Lesson Content/Board Summary
WHEN CAT WAKES UP IN THE MORNING
When we wake up in the morning, we often stretch, yawn, and say “Good Morning!” Let’s learn a rhyme about what a cat does when it wakes up.
Original Classroom Rhyme: When Cat Wakes Up
Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
Lyrics:
When cat wakes up in the morning,
Stretches, stretches, gives a yawning.
Opens eyes and looks around,
No more sleeping, not a sound.
“Meow, meow, good morning, friend!”
Let our happy day begin!
Actions:
- “When cat wakes up”: Open eyes wide.
- “Stretches, stretches”: Stretch arms up high.
- “Gives a yawning”: Open mouth wide and pretend to yawn.
- “Opens eyes and looks around”: Look left and right.
- “No more sleeping”: Shake head gently.
- “Meow, meow, good morning, friend!”: Wave and say “Good Morning!”
- “Let our happy day begin!”: Clap hands.
Just like the cat, we also wake up and greet people. It’s important to say “Good Morning” to our parents, teachers, and friends.
Key Words
- Morning – The first part of the day when the sun rises.
- Wake up – To stop sleeping.
- Stretch – To make your body long and straight.
- Yawn – To open your mouth wide when you are tired.
- Good Morning – A polite way to greet someone in the morning.
Watch and Practise Greetings
💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary
How to teach the content: Begin by asking pupils about their own morning routines. Introduce the idea of a cat waking up. Recite the rhyme clearly and slowly, line by line, explaining any new words like “stretch” and “yawn” with actions. Emphasize the “Good Morning” greeting.
What to show or demonstrate: Use picture cards of a cat, stretching, yawning, and people greeting. Demonstrate the actions for each line of the rhyme. Use puppets or role-play with a pupil to show how to say “Good Morning” politely.
How to use the rhyme/song: Recite the rhyme several times, encouraging pupils to join in on familiar words and actions. Sing it to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to help with rhythm and memorization. Repeat the rhyme with actions 3-4 times, increasing pupil participation each time.
How to use the video: Introduce the video as a “Good Morning” song. Play the video using the MP4 player. Encourage pupils to sing along and perform the actions shown in the video. After watching, ask pupils to practice saying “Good Morning” to their neighbours, just like in the song.
What to watch for: Observe if pupils are attempting to repeat the rhyme and perform the actions. Pay attention to their pronunciation of “Good Morning” and their willingness to participate in the greeting role-play. Correct gently and model the correct pronunciation and actions.
Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques
Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Role-play, Repetition, Question and Answer, Picture Talk.Instructional Procedures
Step 1: Introduction
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and asks them, “How did you wake up this morning? Did you stretch? Did you yawn?” The teacher then introduces the topic: “Today, we will learn a fun rhyme about a cat waking up and how we say ‘Good Morning’!”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions by showing their stretches or yawns. They listen attentively to the introduction.
Learning Point: Pupils connect their personal experiences to the lesson topic and show readiness to learn.
Step 2: Introduce the Rhyme
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Modelling/Vocabulary
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the rhyme chart or writes the rhyme on the board. The teacher recites the rhyme “When Cat Wakes Up” slowly and clearly, performing the actions. The teacher explains key words like “stretch” and “yawn” using gestures and picture cards.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen carefully to the rhyme and observe the teacher’s actions. They look at the picture cards and try to understand the new words.
Learning Point: Pupils are introduced to the rhyme and understand new vocabulary and actions.
Step 3: Guided Repetition of the Rhyme
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Repetition/Guided Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher recites the rhyme again, line by line, encouraging pupils to repeat each line after them and perform the actions. The teacher provides support and prompts as needed.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat each line of the rhyme after the teacher and try to perform the corresponding actions like stretching and yawning.
Learning Point: Pupils begin to memorize the rhyme and coordinate actions with words.
Step 4: Sing the Rhyme as a Song
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Music/Rhythm
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher sings the rhyme to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and encourages pupils to sing along. The teacher repeats the song 2-3 times, increasing the pace slightly as pupils become more confident.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme along with the teacher, enjoying the melody and performing the actions.
Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their memory of the rhyme through song and enjoy the musical aspect.
Step 5: Role-Play Greetings
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Role-play/Social Skills
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to greet someone politely by saying “Good Morning” and shaking hands or waving. The teacher then pairs pupils up or uses puppets to facilitate simple role-play, where pupils greet each other.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the demonstration and then practice greeting their classmates or puppets by saying “Good Morning” and performing a simple greeting action.
Learning Point: Pupils practice the social skill of greeting others politely in a practical way.
Step 6: Video Reinforcement
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Visual Learning/Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the “Good Morning Song” video (using the MP4 player) and tells pupils to watch and sing along. After the video, the teacher asks pupils to recall what they saw and heard about greeting.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video, sing along, and perform any actions they see. They then share what they remember about greetings from the video.
Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of morning greetings through an engaging visual and auditory medium.
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.
- “Can you show me how the cat stretches?”
- “What does the cat say in the morning?” (Prompt for “Meow, meow, good morning, friend!”)
- “How do we greet our teacher in the morning?” (Pupils say “Good Morning”.)
- Ask two pupils to demonstrate greeting each other.
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: Summary/Encouragement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their active participation and reminds them to always say “Good Morning” when they wake up and see people. The teacher leads a final, quick recitation of the rhyme.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the praise and participate in the final rhyme recitation.
Learning Point: Pupils feel encouraged and remember the importance of the lesson’s key message.
Lesson Keywords
- Morning – The start of the day.
- Wake up – To open your eyes after sleeping.
- Stretch – To make your body long.
- Yawn – To open your mouth wide when tired.
- Good Morning – A greeting for the start of the day.
Differentiation
- Support: For pupils who are struggling with the rhyme, focus on the actions and the “Good Morning” phrase. Use hand-over-hand guidance for actions and allow them to just repeat “Good Morning” clearly. Provide more one-on-one repetition.
- Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the rhyme and greetings, encourage them to add other morning actions to the rhyme (e.g., “brushes teeth,” “eats breakfast”). Ask them to greet different people in the classroom (e.g., “Good Morning, John!”).
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