Classroom Play Lesson Plan
Our World 1 • Unit 1 Play-Based Learning
My Classroom Play Safari
ESL / EFL Young Learners 60–75 Minutes
Level / Age Pre-A1 • 6–7 Years
Focus Theme Classroom Objects & Colors
Class Setup Circle Area + 4 Stations
Pedagogic Mode Guided Play & TPR
Language Targets
Identify 8 classroom items (pencil, pen, eraser, ruler, crayon, book, bag, desk) and 4 colors (red, blue, yellow, green).
Play & Social Targets
Practice turn-taking, asking playfully ("Can I have the blue crayon?"), and cooperative station tidy-up.
Motor & Sensory Targets
Haptic tactile discrimination (feely bag), pincer grasp manipulation (playdough/sensory dig), gross motor navigation.
Target Sentence Frames
- • Q: "What is it?" → A: "It's a [red pencil]!"
- • Q: "What do you see?" → A: "I see a big book!"
- • Play phrase: "Here you go!" / "Thank you!"
Play Kit & Realia Checklist
- • 1 explorer backpack & 1 velvet mystery "feely bag"
- • Real school items (varied textures, sizes & colors)
- • Sensory bin (dyed yellow rice), play coins, playdough
1
Circle Warm-Up: The Backpack Explorer Chant
10 Minutes
Setup
Students sit in a circle on rug. Teacher places a brightly colored "Explorer Backpack" in center.
Chant & TPR
Pat knees twice, clap hands once to rhythm:
"Zip it, unzip it, peek inside! What is in my bag today? Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo... IT'S A PENCIL!"
Action
Mime using the item: mimic drawing for pencil, erasing for eraser, reading a big heavy book with silly expressions. Whole class echoes loud & quiet.
2
Tactile Inquiry: Mystery Feely-Bag Game
12 Minutes
Game Play
Pass the opaque velvet bag. A student puts hands inside without looking. They feel and describe: "Is it long? Hard? Soft?" The student guesses: "I think it's a ruler!"
Reveal & Color Check
The student pulls it out dramatically. Class shouts: "Yes! It's a green ruler!" High-fives around the circle to build excitement.
Our World 1 (2nd Ed.) • Unit 1: My Classroom Page 1 of 3 • Overview & Whole Group
Stage 3: Guided Play Discovery Stations
28–32 Minutes total • 4 Small-Group Rotations (~7 minutes per station)
Teams of 3–4 Learners
Rotation Chime Routine:
"Hands on head, freeze and smile! Tidy your toys, walk in style!" (15s transition)
Station 1 • Sensory
Sensory Rice Dig & Match
Materials: Tub of yellow rice, buried mini erasers, crayons, paper clips, pictorial sorting cards.
Play Action: Learners use scoops or fingers to unearth hidden tools, name the object & color, and place it on matching visual base-cards.
Key Talk: "Look, I found an eraser! It's a blue eraser!"
Station 2 • Dramatic Play
School Supply Pretend Market
Materials: Table display shelf with labeled school tools, baskets, toy coins, mini cash register.
Play Action: "Shopper" carries a visual checklist card; "Shopkeeper" bags items. Switch roles halfway through rotation.
Key Talk: "One green pen, please!" • "Here you are!"
Station 3 • Gross Motor
Giant Floor Grid Hop
Materials: 3x3 foam tile grid on floor taped with flashcards of classroom objects, giant soft plush dice.
Play Action: Partner rolls dice with icons or colors. Child hops, tiptoes, or jumps to the matching tile and strikes a freeze pose!
Key Talk: "Hop 3 times to the yellow bag!" • "I am at the desk!"
Station 4 • Fine Motor
Playdough Tool Sculptors
Materials: Red, yellow, blue, and green dough, plastic sculpting rolling pins, object mold cutters.
Play Action: Children roll snake-rulers, pinch tiny erasers, or mold fat crayons. Learners insert mini paper toothpick flags to label their work.
Key Talk: "Look at my red pencil! It is long!"
Teacher Roaming & Scaffolding Cheat Sheet
Level 1: Gestural Support If learner is silent, hold up two items: "Is this a pen or a ruler?" Child points, teacher affirms: "Yes, a pen!"
Level 2: Expansion Prompt When learner says "book", prompt with enthusiasm: "Yes! What color is it?" Guide child to combine: "A red book!"
Level 3: Challenge Spark For fluent learners, prompt playful social questions: "Ask Maya if she wants your crayon!" Foster real peer-to-peer sharing.
Our World 1 (2nd Ed.) • Unit 1: My Classroom Page 2 of 3 • Guided Stations
4
Circle Cool-Down & "What's Missing?" Game
10–12 Minutes
De-escalation routine combining memory play, shared language recap, and collaborative clean-up.
The Magician's Tray ("What's Missing?")
Place 5 real items on a cloth tray (pen, pencil, eraser, ruler, crayon). Kids chant: "Close your eyes, 1, 2, 3... sleep!" Teacher hides one item under a handkerchief. "Wake up! What is missing?" Kids yell out the missing item. Repeat 4 times with student volunteers.
Tidy-Up Backpack Celebration Song
Sing to tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star":
"Pack the bag, pack it neat,
Pencils, pens upon your seat.
Books and rulers say goodnight,
All our toys are tucked in tight!"
Each child tucks their sculpted or chosen item into the central explorer pack.
Formative Play Observation Rubric
No testing pressure • Assess through natural play dialogue
| Observable Skill |
Emerging (🌱) |
Developing (🌿) |
Confident (🌸) |
| Lexicon Naming |
Points accurately when teacher says word; mimes action. |
Names 4–6 objects with prompt or picture cue. |
Spontaneously names all 8 items during station play. |
| Color + Noun Pairing |
Names color only ("blue") or noun only ("pencil"). |
Combines color and noun with teacher model ("blue pencil"). |
Independently utters "a red book" or "two green pens". |
| Social Play Interaction |
Engages in parallel play; needs guidance to share supplies. |
Takes turns at stations with gentle reminders ("My turn!"). |
Uses phrases like "Here you go!" and passes props cheerfully. |
Sensory & Movement Adaptations
- • Aversion to rice bin: Provide tongs or clear zip-bags filled with rice so objects can be spotted visually without sticky textures.
- • High-energy movers: Assign the "Station Dispatcher" role to carry the chime and lead the floor hop line.
Multilingual & Shy Learner Support
- • Silent period: Accept non-verbal pointing or matching to icon badges; praise enthusiastic gestures!
- • L1 Cognate bridge: Connect "crayon" or "pencil" with native language realia where applicable.
Take-Home Family Play Quest: "Backpack Detective"
Family Play
Send a 1-page picture sheet home. Children play "Secret Detective" with a parent: find 3 items in their home bag (e.g. 1 book, 1 red pencil, 1 eraser), touch each, and teach the parent the chant: "Zip it, unzip it, peek inside! What is in my bag today?"
Our World 1 (2nd Ed.) • Unit 1: My Classroom Page 3 of 3 • Debrief & Assessment
