Kindergarten ESL Lesson Plan: Shapes — What Shape Is It?

Learning Objectives

• Say the 8 shape words: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, diamond.
• Point to the right shape when they hear it — in any color, any size and turned any way.
• Ask and answer "What shape is it?" – "It's a circle."
• Find shapes in everyday things: a clock is a circle, a door is a rectangle.
• Say a color and a shape together: "a red circle", "a yellow star".
• Trace the 8 shapes and shape words, and count shapes in a picture.

Lesson Procedure

• Read the plan once before Lesson 1. Each lesson table shows the time, stage, what the teacher does (with slide and page numbers) and what children do. The table on page 3 shows how every part of the pack fits into the four lessons.

Assessment

The plan shows where to observe with the Grading Rubric (exits, floor games, Shape Hunt) and where to use the Quick Quiz or Test.

Differentiation

Support: Teach 4 shapes first (circle, square, triangle, star) and add the others in Lesson 2 or later. Give children real shapes to hold — cut card shapes, blocks or a cookie — and let them run a finger around the edge as they say the word. Accept the shape word alone ("Circle!"), then model "It's a circle." for them to repeat. In tracing, children can trace the shape only and leave the dotted words.

Extension: Children count sides and corners ("A triangle has 3 sides."), sort shapes by color, size or shape, and say "a big red circle / a small blue square". They make their own shape picture (a robot, a house, a fish) with the cut-out shapes and tell a partner: "I have 3 circles and 2 triangles." Strong children can copy the shape words without the dots.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Start every lesson with the Shape Chant and big arm movements.
• Keep 4 tape shapes on the floor for the whole unit — Jump on the Shape takes one minute.

Teacher Tips

Draw every new shape in the air with a big arm and count out loud as you go: "One, two, three — triangle!", "One, two, three, four — square!", "Round and round — circle!" Children copy you. Counting the sides is what stops the two common mix-ups: a square has 4 sides that are all the same, a rectangle has 2 long and 2 short sides; an oval is long like an egg, a circle is round like a ball. Also show each shape in a new color, a new size and turned upside down — many young children think a triangle must point up, or that "square" means "blue square" because that was the first card they saw.

What's Included

• 3-page lesson plan (DOCX + PDF): objectives, target language, materials, board plan, 4 lesson tables, differentiation, assessment, checklist, mistakes table, classroom language, pack overview

Additional Files

• Kindergarten ESL Lesson Plan: Shapes — What Shape Is It? (DOCX)

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