Comprehension and Vocabulary Development – JSS1 English Lesson Note (First Term)

Comprehension is reading a passage and understanding what it says. Vocabulary development is learning the meaning of new words.

In this lesson, students read a conversation set in a woodwork class and learn words for tools, such as saw, plane, hammer, ruler, drill and sandpaper.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. say what the passage about the woodwork class is about;
2. explain what Eyo was making and what he planned to do next;
3. state the meaning of woodwork and carpentry;
4. name common woodwork tools and say what each one is used for;
5. explain what it means to sharpen a blunt blade.

What is comprehension?

Comprehension is the ability to read a text and understand its meaning.

• Passage: a piece of writing that students read, such as a story, a letter or a conversation.
• Conversation: a passage made up of the words spoken by two or more people.
• Main idea: what the whole passage is mostly about.
• Detail: a smaller fact in the passage, such as who did something or what was made.

How do we understand a passage?

A passage is understood by reading it with care and checking each answer against the text.

1. Read the title and look at the first lines to see what the passage is about.
2. Read the whole passage slowly once.
3. Note who is speaking and who is being spoken to.
4. Underline any word you do not know.
5. Read the questions carefully.
6. Go back to the passage to find each answer.
7. Write the answer in a full sentence.

What is the passage about?

The passage is a conversation between a principal and a woodwork teacher about what the boys are learning.

• Setting: a woodwork class.
• Characters: the principal, Mr Etonye (the teacher) and Eyo (a boy in the class).
• What happened: the principal came around to see what the boys with Mr Etonye were doing.
• What Mr Etonye said: he explained that they were learning some important skills in woodwork.

What was Eyo making?

• The object: Eyo was making a bookshelf.
• What he had done: he had marked out one end of it when the principal came.
• What he would do next: after marking out the piece of wood, he would cut it out.

What are the answers to likely questions?

What is vocabulary development?

Vocabulary development is the learning of new words, their meanings and how to use them.

• Use the context: look at the words around a new word for clues to its meaning.
• Use a dictionary: look up the word and read its meaning.
• Keep a word list: write each new word with its meaning in your notebook.
• Use the word: put the new word into a sentence of your own.

What are the words used for tools in woodwork?

Woodwork words name the work itself and the tools used to do it.

What do woodwork and carpentry mean?

• Woodwork: making things out of wood.
• Carpentry: also making things out of wood.
• Carpenter: a person who makes things out of wood.

What are the common woodwork tools and their uses?

What are the parts of a tool?

• Blade: the flat, cutting part of a tool, as in a saw.
• Handle: the part of a tool that the hand holds.

What does it mean to sharpen a blunt blade?

To sharpen a blunt blade is to make it sharp again.

• Blunt: not sharp, so it does not cut well.
• Sharp: able to cut easily.
• Sharpen: to make a blunt blade sharp again.

When the blade is blunt, the carpenter sharpens it.

How are the words in this lesson used in sentences?

• Saw: The carpenter used a saw to cut the board.
• Plane: He used a plane to take shavings off the wood.
• Hammer: Eyo used a hammer to drive nails into the bookshelf.
• Ruler: Use a ruler to draw a straight line.
• Drill: A drill makes a round hole.
• Sandpaper: Rub the wood with sandpaper to make it very smooth.

Evaluation

1. Do Practice 2 (1 to 7) on page 43.
2. What was Eyo making, and what would he do after marking out the wood?
3. Give the meaning of woodwork.
4. Name the tool used for each job: (a) cutting wood, (b) making round holes, (c) driving nails.
5. What does a carpenter do when a blade is blunt?

Assignment

Read the vocabulary section on page 43. Then write five sentences, each using a different tool word from this note.

Reference

Effective English for J.S.S. 1, page 43.