Watch this video to learn Six small high-frequency words and their meanings: on, of, in, by, to, at.
Small words can be hard to understand. For example: Can you define the word “of” ? How do you explain the word “at” to a small child? In this lesson, students will explicitly learn definitions of the small common words: on, of, in, by, to, and at (and maybe you will too!)
Using the video as a tool (like a moving book) and the teacher modeling, student will learn to say, read and understand the six most common small words: on, of, in, by, to and at.
Modeling:
Watch the video with the student, and pause in each section so student can practice. Repeat the word, viewing the descriptive pictures. Teacher uses gestures to show and reinforce word meanings.
Teacher prompts student and help students fill in the blanks. Throughout the lesson, teacher may prompt with questions like (“Where is the owl?”) (Answer: “The owl is on the book.”) .
Continue the lesson at each opportunity, until the student can speak the words and fill the blanks correctly and independently. For students hard of hearing or deaf use the video as a tool to teach the lesson in sign language.
Note that many adults cannot define the small words. Here are the basic definitions so you don’t need to get lost in the dictionary.
Word: meaning: descriptive hand gesture house when teaching/tutoring
On: shows placement: put your hand on something
To: shows direction: move your hand toward something
Of: shows belonging: move your hand moves in a circle
By: shows how or with whom: hand next to hand, hand using object
In: shows relation: hand in, hand out, hand through