INTRO

 

 

Performance Objectives

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

• Define narrative composition and list its key elements (setting, characters, plot, conflict, resolution).
• Use a set of picture charts to develop a coherent, well-sequenced oral narrative.
• Identify and correctly use special time/sequence words that signal narration.
• Pronounce and use in sentences at least eight vocabulary items associated with the home.
• State, explain and apply all seven rules for forming the plural of English nouns, including irregular and invariable plurals.

Lesson Presentation / Detailed Note

A. Oral Composition Skills I — Developing a Narrative from Picture Charts

Introduction/Motivation: The teacher begins by asking students to recall an interesting event that happened to them recently and to tell it briefly to the class. This is used to introduce the idea that everybody is naturally able to 'narrate' — the lesson will now teach them to do this in an organised, structured way, both orally and eventually in writing.

1. Meaning of Narration

Narration (from the Latin 'narrare', to tell) is the art or skill of recounting a series of connected events, whether real or imaginary, in the order in which they occurred, so as to entertain, inform or instruct the listener/reader. A narrative composition therefore tells a story: it has people (characters) doing things (actions/events) in a particular place and time (setting), usually building up to a problem (conflict) which is eventually settled (resolution).

1. The Five Basic Elements of a Narrative

• Setting — the time and place in which the story happens. It answers the questions 'when?' and 'where?'.
• Characters — the people, animals or personified objects who take part in the story. There is usually a main character (protagonist) around whom the story revolves.
• Plot — the sequence of events; what happens from the beginning to the end of the story.
• Conflict — the central problem, struggle or challenge that the main character faces; this creates interest and tension in the story.
• Resolution/Climax — the point where the conflict is settled or resolved, followed by the conclusion, which shows the final outcome.

1. Using Picture Charts to Develop a Narrative

A picture chart (or picture sequence/composition) usually contains three to six frames showing a story unfolding step by step, similar to a comic strip without words. To turn a picture chart into an oral (and later written) narrative, the learner should:

1. Study each frame carefully and note who is present, where the action is happening, and what is taking place.
2. Arrange the frames in the correct logical/time order (they are often already numbered).
3. Decide on a suitable title for the whole story.
4. Compose one or two sentences describing the action in each frame, using appropriate time and sequence markers to link the frames smoothly into a flowing account.
5. Add a brief introduction (to set the scene) and a conclusion (to show how the story ends) so that the narrative feels complete.
6. Special Words That Signal Narration (Sequence/Time Markers)

These expressions help to link events in the correct order and make a narrative easy to follow:

• Opening markers: once upon a time, one fine morning, one day, a long time ago.
• Sequencing markers: first, next, then, after that, afterwards, subsequently, later on, meanwhile (for simultaneous events).
• Climax/turning-point markers: suddenly, all of a sudden, unexpectedly, just then, to everyone's surprise.
• Closing markers: eventually, in the end, finally, at last, from that day on.

1. Worked Example — Turning a Picture Chart into a Short Oral Narrative

Suppose a picture chart shows: (i) a boy fetching water at a stream; (ii) the boy slipping and falling into the water; (iii) another boy nearby jumping in to rescue him; (iv) both boys walking home safely. A model oral narrative could be built as follows:

B. Vocabulary Development — Words Associated with the Home

Students are introduced to specialised vocabulary connected with household life, with clear definitions and example sentences to aid correct usage in both speech and writing.

• Kitchen — the room in a house set aside for cooking food. Sentence: My mother spends most of her morning in the kitchen.
• Kitchen wares/utensils — tools and containers used for cooking, serving or storing food, such as pots, pans, ladles, sieves and knives. Sentence: All the kitchen wares were neatly arranged on the shelf.
• Pantry — a small room or large cupboard near the kitchen where food items and kitchen supplies are stored. Sentence: We keep bags of rice and tins of tomatoes in the pantry.
• Dining room — the room where family meals are eaten, usually containing a dining table and chairs. Sentence: The family gathered in the dining room for dinner.
• Upholstery — the soft, padded covering (fabric, foam, springs) fitted onto furniture such as chairs and sofas. Sentence: The upholstery of the old sofa was torn and needed to be replaced.
• Wardrobe — a tall cupboard in which clothes are hung or stored. Sentence: She hung her new dress in the wardrobe.
• Chandelier — an ornamental light fitting with several branches, usually hung from the ceiling. Sentence: A beautiful chandelier hung above the dining table.
• Veranda(h) — a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor. Sentence: We sat on the veranda in the evening to enjoy the breeze.

C. Grammar — Nouns: Number (Formation of Plural Nouns)

A noun is a word used to name a person, place, animal, thing or idea. 'Number' is the grammatical property that shows whether a noun refers to one item (singular) or more than one item (plural). Below are the complete rules, with several examples under each, that govern how English nouns form their plurals.

Rule 1 — Regular plurals: add -s

• book → books
• chair → chairs
• table → tables
• pen → pens
• road → roads

Rule 2 — Nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z: add -es

• bus → buses
• glass → glasses
• brush → brushes
• watch → watches
• box → boxes
• buzz → buzzes

Rule 3 — Nouns ending in consonant + y: change y to i, add -es (vowel + y: just add -s)

• city → cities
• baby → babies
• country → countries
• boy → boys (vowel + y)
• day → days (vowel + y)

Rule 4 — Some nouns ending in -f/-fe: change to -ves

• knife → knives
• leaf → leaves
• wife → wives
• life → lives
• Exceptions that simply add -s: roof → roofs, chief → chiefs, cliff → cliffs

Rule 5 — Nouns ending in -o: some add -es, some add -s

• potato → potatoes
• tomato → tomatoes
• hero → heroes
• photo → photos (exception)
• piano → pianos (exception)

Rule 6 — Irregular plurals (do not follow any of the above patterns)

• man → men
• woman → women
• child → children
• foot → feet
• tooth → teeth
• mouse → mice
• goose → geese
• ox → oxen
• person → people

Rule 7 — Invariable nouns (same form in singular and plural) and always-plural nouns

• Same in singular and plural: sheep, deer, fish, aircraft, series, species.
• Always plural in form (no singular counterpart with the same meaning), taking a plural verb: trousers, scissors, spectacles, clothes, tongs, pyjamas.

Practice Exercise (to be done in class before the written evaluation)

Teacher writes the following singular nouns on the board for oral response: leaf, city, ox, sheep, tomato, mouse, box, roof. Students supply the plurals, stating which rule applies in each case.

Class/Teacher Activity (Step-by-Step)

1. Teacher tells a short personal narrative to model tone, pace and use of sequence markers, then asks guiding questions to draw out the elements of narration.
2. Teacher displays the picture chart in the correct sequence and asks individual students to describe each frame in one or two sentences.
3. Class jointly builds a full oral narrative on the board/orally, with the teacher guiding students to insert appropriate sequence markers between frames.
4. Teacher pronounces each home vocabulary word clearly; students repeat chorally and individually, then use each word in an original oral sentence.
5. Teacher writes singular nouns on the board; students come to the board in turns to write the plural forms and state the rule used.
6. Students work in pairs to compose and orally present a five- to seven-sentence narrative using at least two home vocabulary words and at least three plural nouns.

Evaluation / Assessment Questions and Answers

1. Define narrative composition.

Answer: A narrative composition is a piece of speech or writing that tells a story or recounts a series of connected events, real or imaginary, usually in the order in which they happened, with a beginning, middle and end.

1. List the five basic elements of a narrative.

Answer: Setting, characters, plot, conflict, and resolution/climax.

1. Give four time/sequence words used to signal narration, and state where in a story each is typically used (opening, middle or closing).

Answer: Opening: once upon a time / one day. Middle: suddenly / meanwhile. Closing: finally / in the end. (Any four correctly placed.)

1. Explain the meaning of 'pantry' and use it in a sentence.

Answer: A pantry is a small room or cupboard used for storing food and kitchen supplies. Sentence: We keep our bags of garri and beans in the pantry.

1. What is 'upholstery'?

Answer: Upholstery is the soft padded covering — fabric, foam and springs — fitted on chairs, sofas and similar furniture.

1. Write the plural forms of: leaf, city, ox, sheep, tomato, mouse.

Answer: leaves, cities, oxen, sheep, tomatoes, mice.

1. State the rule that governs the plural of nouns ending in a consonant followed by y, and give one example.

Answer: Change the y to i and add -es, e.g. baby → babies, city → cities.

1. Give two examples of nouns that are always plural in form and take a plural verb.

Answer: Any two of: trousers, scissors, spectacles, clothes, tongs, pyjamas.

1. Give the plural of 'roof' and explain why it does not follow the usual -f to -ves rule.

Answer: 'Roof' becomes 'roofs'. It is an exception to the -f/-fe → -ves rule; such exceptions simply add -s.

1. In not more than five sentences, narrate briefly what happened in the sample story 'The Day I Almost Drowned' studied in class.

Answer: Model answer (accept reasonable paraphrase): A boy went to fetch water at a stream, slipped on a wet stone and fell into deep water. He struggled and cried for help. His friend Tunde, who was washing clothes nearby, jumped in and rescued him. They returned home safely, and the boy became more careful and grateful to his friend.

Assignment

1. Write a ten-sentence narrative composition titled 'A Visit to My Grandmother's House', using at least four vocabulary words associated with the home and at least five correctly formed plural nouns.
2. Underline every sequence/time marker used in your composition.