Grade 1 · Lesson 6 — Who or what — and what they do

U0 · Square One · What a sentence is (2 of 4) · blocked practice · 10–15 min · 18 slides · no Poodle book pages yet — Square One runs on remedial sheets
Anchor to leave them with: A sentence tells a whole thought.
ObjectiveStudents will find the naming part and the doing part of a sentence.
Smallest pieceEvery sentence tells who or what it is about, and what they do.
Spot test“Does it tell me a whole thought?”
Why that test works—
Why — in your own wordsWe learn language so we can teach people about Allah.
MaterialsMini-whiteboard + pen per student · Board or screen for the deck · Board space kept clear for the VIP — it stays up all lesson · Worksheet — Lesson 6 · Deck: G1_L006_… .pptx · If it breaks: Remedial sheet 05, Remedial sheet 06
Vocabulary — pre-pointedT3: naming part = the part that tells who or what the sentence is about; doing part = the part that tells what they do
T2: part = one bit of something bigger
SlidePartOn screen / bookTeacher says Teacher does — point, click, clapStudents
1LaunchGrammar — Day 6(nothing yet — this is on screen as they come in and settle)Have Grammar — Day 6 up before they enter. Say nothing about it; it is doing its work by being there.See it on the way in. Know grammar is next.
2LaunchWho or what — and what they do“Here is where this fits with what we already know.”CONTEXT — say where this sits: what it follows, and what it is part of. One sentence, then move. (Greet the class as you always do; that is not a step.)Listen. Orient.
3LaunchToday — Launch highlighted“Our plan.”Point down the steps.Look.
—LaunchWhy — say it
ten seconds, off screen, in your own words		“We learn language so we can teach people about Allah.”Why this matters. Say it, do not read it. Ten seconds, then move on. Do not explain it further today.
Note: Your words, not these. This is the one beat of the lesson that should sound like you mean it rather than like it is written down.
Listen.
—Launch(no slide — quiz back + retrieval)
Quiz 1 returned
“Your quizzes. Well done. … Now: thumb up for a whole thought. The green door is open. … Because it was late.”Return Quiz 1 with a word of praise, no scores read aloud. Then two thumb items, 90 seconds total.
Note: SPIRAL — retrieval of Lesson 5 with FRESH items. Returning the quiz here, quickly and without ceremony, keeps it low-stakes.
Take the quiz back. Thumb up, then thumb down.
4LaunchEvery sentence tells WHO or WHAT — and WHAT THEY DO.“Yesterday you learned a sentence is a whole thought. Today we find out what is inside that thought. Every sentence tells us who or what — and what they do.”Hold your LEFT hand out on “who or what”, your RIGHT hand on “what they do”. Use the same two hands all lesson.
Note: The two hands become the cue for this idea for the next nine years. Left = who or what, right = what they do. Be consistent.
Listen.
5LaunchWhat we will do
· Every sentence has two jobs in it.
· One part tells WHO or WHAT.
· The other part tells WHAT THEY DO.
· Today we find both parts.
· Left hand: who or what. Right hand: what they do.		“Every sentence has two jobs inside it. One part tells who or what. The other part tells what they do. Today we are going to find both.”Click per line, raising the matching hand each time.Listen. Copy the two hands.
6I doToday — I do highlighted“Watch me.”Point to I do.Watch.
—I do(board — build the VIP, then leave it up)(you are narrating each stage as you draw it — see the stages)Build on the BOARD, not the slide.
· Write The bird flew.
· ① Left hand — who or what
· ② Draw the line, right hand — what they do
· ③ Label both, then whole thought
Then leave it up for the whole lesson.
Note: Walk it one click per step — this is the slide the teacher talks through, not one to flash. Leave the BOARD copy up; the slide can move on once they start, because the same strip is printed at the top of their sheet. Come back to it if anyone stalls.
Watch it being built. It stays there to look at.
7I doWatch me — The bird flew.
· The bird flew.
· Who or what is it about? → the bird (left hand)
· What do they do? → flew (right hand)
· Both parts there. It is a whole thought.
· Now: “The little red car.” Who or what? the little red car. What do they DO? …		“The bird flew. Who or what is this about? The bird. What do they do? Flew. Both parts are there. … Now watch this one. The little red car. Who or what? The little red car. And what do they do? … Nothing. It never tells me. So it is not a whole thought.”Click per line. On the last line, hold your right hand out EMPTY and leave it there.
Note: The empty right hand is the whole teaching move. “The little red car.” is the hardest fragment at this age because it feels finished — it names something real. The missing DOING part is what exposes it.
Watch only.
8We doToday — We do highlighted“Together. Boards out.”Boards out.Boards ready.
9We doMy mom cooks.
Answerwho: my mom · do: cooks		“My mom cooks. Write the part that tells who or what. Just that part.”Wait. Boards up on signal. Then ask the second half aloud — “and what do they do?” — for a whole-class answer. Click to reveal.Write the who/what part. Say the doing part aloud.
10We doWe pray five times.
Answerwho: we · do: pray five times		“We pray five times. Write the part that tells who or what. Just that part.”Wait. Boards up on signal. Then ask the second half aloud — “and what do they do?” — for a whole-class answer. Click to reveal.Write the who/what part. Say the doing part aloud.
11We doThe sun is very hot.
Answerwhat: the sun · do: is very hot		“The sun is very hot. Write the part that tells who or what. Just that part.”Wait. Boards up on signal. Then ask the second half aloud — “and what do they do?” — for a whole-class answer. Click to reveal.Write the who/what part. Say the doing part aloud.
12We doMy brother helps my dad.
Answerwho: my brother · do: helps my dad		“My brother helps my dad. Write the part that tells who or what. Just that part.”Wait. Boards up on signal. Then ask the second half aloud — “and what do they do?” — for a whole-class answer. Click to reveal.Write the who/what part. Say the doing part aloud.
13You doToday — You do highlighted
Worksheet — Lesson 6
“On your own.”Hand out the worksheet.Sheet out.
14You doExit directions
Before you start
· Sheet and pencil
· One line on each sentence
· Do all four, then look up
· Wait for “go”.
procedure — given standing still, before anyone moves
Worksheet — Lesson 6
“Before you move. Sheet and pencil. One line on each sentence. Do all four, then look up. When I say go — and not before.”Exit Directions. Give ALL of it standing still, before anyone touches anything. Then release. Do not add instructions once they are working — that is what the VIP on the board is for.
Note: Given BEFORE the release, in one go. Adding a step mid-task is what produces the hands going up.
Listen with hands still. Then start.
15You doVIP slide
How we did it together
the worked example — one click per step
1. Write The bird flew.
2. ① Left hand — who or what
3. ② Draw the line, right hand — what they do
4. ③ Label both, then whole thought
Worksheet — items 1–4
“Draw a line between the two parts. Who or what on the left, what they do on the right.”Model the cut once in the air with a flat hand. Then let them work.Draw the dividing line on each item.
16ClosureToday — Closure highlighted“Boards up one more time.”Point to Closure.Boards ready.
17ClosureThe horse ran.
Answerwho: the horse · do: ran		“Write the part that tells who or what.”Boards up on signal. Click to reveal.
Note: Deliberately a sentence they have not met. A closure item they practiced on Monday measures memory, not mastery.
Write “the horse”. Hold up.
18ClosureWho or what — and what they do.“Who or what — and what they do. Tomorrow we look at how a sentence is written.”Collect boards.Repeat: “Who or what — and what they do.”

If it breaks — stop and repair

Do not move on. Reteach with the sheet named against the error, and let the float absorb it.

Secure looks like: Sorts six mixed items — including at least one correctly-punctuated fragment — with no more than one error, and can justify at least four of them using the spot test (“am I still waiting for more?”) rather than by pointing at the punctuation.

Common errors

  • Judges by length — “it's long, so it's a sentence”
    Length is the most available surface feature, and it is usually correlated.
    → Offer a long fragment and a two-word sentence back to back. “Which one leaves you waiting?” Remedial sheet 05
  • Judges by punctuation — capital and period, therefore sentence
    We taught the marks in Lesson 7; over-application is the predictable cost.
    → Tier D items exist for exactly this. “The marks are there. Are you still waiting?” Remedial sheet 05
  • Accepts a naming phrase — “The little red car.” — as complete
    It names something concrete, so it feels like it is about something.
    → “It tells me WHO. What does it tell me they DO?” Remedial sheet 06
  • Cannot articulate why, though the sort is right
    Correct intuition, no language for it yet — this is normal at Lesson 8, not a failure.
    → Give them the spot test to say aloud. Do not treat as a gap unless the sort is also wrong.

Three tiers

CoreAs written.
Bridge2–3 word items only. Teacher does the first one with the student.
FoundationOne word at a time; student echoes, then one clap. No sentences yet.

Non-verbal cue

Left hand out = who or what. Right hand out = what they do. Empty right hand = “it never tells me what they do.”
Question continuum: “How many claps?” (concrete) → “How do you know that was one word and not two?” (open)
As-Suffah Academy · Language Arts · Grade 1 · Lesson 6 Launch → I do → We do → You do → Closure