Lesson 3.3 Position Words, Left and Right

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Ask these out loud. Your child answers out loud; no paper needed.

   • Ask: “What number comes just before 8?” Listen for: 7
   • Ask: “What number comes just after 2?” Listen for: 3
   • Ask: “What number comes just after 4?” Listen for: 5
   • Ask: “What number comes just after 1?” Listen for: 2
   • Ask: “What number comes just before 5?” Listen for: 4
2. Teach the new idea

   Say this: “Position words tell where something is: above, below, beside, behind, in front of.”

   Say this: “Hold up both hands, palms out: the left hand makes an L. Left and right never change, even when you turn around.”

   Say this: “A quarter turn is one corner of a square. Four quarter turns bring you back to where you started.”

   Say this: “Above: higher than.”

   Say this: “Below: lower than; under.”

   Say this: “Left: the side of the hand that makes an L with thumb and finger.”

   Say this: “Right: the other side; the hand most people write with.”

3. Show how

   Show: Three things stand in a row from left to right: the cup, the plate, the bowl. What is just to the right of the cup?

   Say this: “Point to each thing from left to right, the way we read.”

   Say this: “The cup is number 1. One step to the right is number 2: the plate.”

   Answer: the plate

   Show: In the playroom, the door is in front, the window is on the right, the fireplace is behind and the bookshelf is on the left, going around clockwise. A toy robot faces the bookshelf. It makes two quarter turns (a half turn) to the right. What does it face now?

   Say this: “Start facing the bookshelf.”

   Say this: “Quarter turn right: now facing the door.”

   Say this: “Quarter turn right: now facing the window.”

   Answer: the window

4. Practice together

   Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: The lamb is behind the gate. So the gate is ___ the lamb. (above, under, beside, behind, in front of)

   Listen for: in front of

   If stuck: Turn the sentence around: if the lamb is behind the gate, then the gate is in front of the lamb.

   Ask: The cat is under the table. So the table is ___ the cat. (above, under, beside, behind, in front of)

   Listen for: above

   If stuck: Turn the sentence around: if the cat is under the table, then the table is above the cat.

   Ask: The bird is above the barn. So the barn is ___ the bird. (above, under, beside, behind, in front of)

   Listen for: under

   If stuck: Turn the sentence around: if the bird is above the barn, then the barn is under the bird.

   10 more practice items on the lesson page, and on Worksheet A and Worksheet B.

5. Watch for
   • Mixing up left and right. Check the L hand.
6. Game: I Spy Shapes

   Say “I spy something shaped like a circle.” Your child hunts for it. Then your child gives the clue and you hunt.

7. Narration

   Say this: “Tell me what you learned today. Show me with your hands or the counters if you like.”

   Listen for: Use position words.; Tell left from right.; Make a quarter turn.

8. Daily habit

   Go on a shape hunt around the house and yard: find a circle, a square, a triangle and a rectangle each day.

Spread over the week

5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice on the worksheet, and the daily habit.
5. Session 5. Quick check: narration and a few practice items. Move on when it is mostly right.