Lesson Plan: The Great Location Adventure! Prepositions of Place

Materials Needed

• Whiteboard or large sheet of paper
• Markers or pens
• A small, common object (e.g., a pen, an eraser, a small toy)
• A box or container
• Paper and drawing supplies (crayons, colored pencils, markers) for the student
• One fun object to hide (e.g., a favorite stuffed animal)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 35-minute lesson, Sarah will be able to:

• Identify at least six common prepositions of place.
• Use prepositions of place correctly in spoken sentences to describe the location of objects.
• Create a drawing and write five sentences that accurately use prepositions of place to describe it.

Lesson Structure & Activities

Part 1: Introduction (5 minutes)

• Hook - "I Spy with Location Clues" (2 mins):

  Start with a quick game. Say, "Sarah, let's play a special kind of I Spy. I'll give you a clue about where something is. I spy with my little eye something that is on the table." After she guesses, try another. "I spy something under your chair." This immediately gets her thinking about location words.

• Connecting to the Lesson (3 mins):

  Ask, "What words did I use to help you know where to look?" (on, under). Explain that these special words are called prepositions of place. They are like little map-words that tell us the "where" of things. Today, we're going on a location adventure to become experts at using them!

  State the objectives in kid-friendly terms: "By the end of our lesson, you'll be able to name these location words, use them to describe where things are, and even draw a map of a room using them!"

Part 2: Body - The Adventure Begins (25 minutes)

I Do: Modeling the Map (5 mins)

1. Take the small object (e.g., a pen) and the box.
2. Say, "Watch me. I'm going to show you how these words work."
3. Physically place the pen in different positions and say the sentence aloud clearly.
   • "The pen is on the box." (Place it on top)
   • "The pen is in the box." (Place it inside)
   • "The pen is under the box." (Place it underneath)
   • "The pen is next to the box." (Place it beside)
   • "The pen is behind the box." (Place it behind)
   • "The pen is in front of the box." (Place it in front)
4. As you do this, write each preposition on the whiteboard or large paper to create a visual anchor chart they can refer to.

We Do: Practicing Together (10 mins)

1. Activity 1: Preposition Simon Says (5 mins):

   This gets Sarah moving! Say, "Let's play Preposition Simon Says. You have to listen for the location word."

   • "Simon says stand next to the bookshelf."
   • "Simon says put your hand on your head."
   • "Simon says sit on the floor."
   • "Simon says hide behind your hands."
   • "Put your foot under the table." (Try to catch her if she moves without "Simon says"!)

   Formative Assessment: Watch to see if she correctly interprets the prepositions kinesthetically.

2. Activity 2: Where is It? (5 mins):

   Use the fun object (stuffed animal). Place it somewhere in the room. Ask, "Sarah, where is the stuffed animal? Can you tell me in a full sentence using one of our new words?"

   • Place it between two pillows. Guide her to say, "The stuffed animal is between the pillows." (Introduce "between" here if you haven't already).
   • Place it behind a curtain. "The stuffed animal is behind the curtain."

   Let her have a turn placing the object and asking you. This reinforces her understanding.

You Do: Independent Application (10 mins)

1. Activity: Design Your Dream Room!

   Say, "Now you get to be the designer! On your piece of paper, I want you to draw a simple room. It can be your dream bedroom, a cool game room, or anything you like! Include at least a bed, a window, and a desk."

2. Once the basic room is drawn, give her these instructions: "Now, I want you to add 5 more things to your room. Draw them in specific places. For example, you could draw a cat under the bed or a lamp on the desk."

3. After she finishes drawing, ask her to write 5 sentences below her picture describing where each item is, using a preposition of place from our list. She should underline the preposition in each sentence.

   Success Criteria: Sarah will have a drawing with at least 5 objects clearly placed, and 5 corresponding sentences that each use a preposition of place correctly to describe the object's location.

Part 3: Conclusion & Recap (5 minutes)

• Share and Celebrate (3 mins):

  Ask Sarah to be the tour guide for her new room. Have her show you the drawing and read her five sentences aloud. Offer specific praise: "I love how you wrote 'The poster is above the bed.' That's a perfect use of that preposition!"

  Summative Assessment: The drawing and sentences serve as the final check for understanding.

• Mission Debrief (2 mins):

  Recap the lesson's main points. Ask quick questions:

  • "What do we call the words that tell us WHERE something is?" (Prepositions of place)
  • "Can you name three we used today?"
  • "Why are these words useful?" (To give clear directions, to describe things).

  Conclude by saying, "Great work today, Agent Sarah! Your location mission was a success. Now you can describe where anything is!"

Differentiation & Extensions

• For Scaffolding: During the 'You Do' activity, keep the anchor chart of prepositions visible. If she struggles with sentence writing, offer sentence starters like "The ______ is ______ the ______."
• For Extension: Challenge Sarah to write a short paragraph describing her room using as many prepositions as she can. Or, have her create a treasure map of your real room, writing 3-4 clues using prepositions to lead you to a hidden "treasure" (the small object from the lesson).