Official Curriculum Details
Learning Area: Literacy in Zambian Language
Component: Listening & Speaking
Topic Code: 0.1.3 Conversations
Subtopic Code: 0.1.3.1 Family experiences
Competence: 0.1.3.1.1 Talking about family experiences (shopping / church)
Source: MoE ECE Teaching Module, Term 2, 2025
Lesson Overview for the Teacher
This is an integrated lesson combining Listening & Speaking, Pre-reading (sounds and syllables), Pre-writing (tracing), and Environmental Hygiene. It is delivered entirely through play, song, movement and storytelling.
Learning Environment: Set up a “market corner” or “storytelling corner” in the classroom. Use real or pretend items (plastic fruits, baskets, paper money, church clothes) to create a shopping or church scenario.
Step-by-Step Lesson Progression
A. Arrival of Learners (15 minutes)
The teacher emphasises routines and links them to the lesson theme.
- Washing hands: “Why do we wash our hands before entering the classroom?” (To remove dirt.) “He/she is washing his/her hands — what is he/she doing?” (Nakwisuka.) Then slowly clap the syllables: na – kwi – su – ka.
- Picking up litter: Ask a child to pick up a paper and put it in the bin. Ask: “Where did you take the paper? Why?” This introduces environmental hygiene.
B. Morning Routine (15 minutes)
Children sit in a circle on a mat. The teacher conducts the morning routine while reinforcing syllables.
- Registration: Call each child’s name, stressing the syllables. The child responds “Present” or raises a hand.
- Date and weather: Establish the day and check the weather. Emphasise syllables in words like to – day, sun – ny.
- Play areas: Announce which corners (market, storytelling, art) are open today.
C. Teacher-Led Whole Class Activity (20 minutes)
Activity 1 – Talking about a shopping experience. The teacher asks: “Who is going to tell us about the time they went shopping?” Guide the child with these prompts:
- When did you go?
- Who did you go with?
- Why did you go? (Purpose)
- Where did you go?
- What did you buy?
- How did you feel?
The teacher listens and gently corrects pronunciation. Every child who speaks is praised.
Activity 2 – Role-play: At the market. Set up a pretend market. One child is the seller, another is the buyer. Use simple phrases in the Zambian language: “Good morning”, “How much is this?”, “Thank you”. The teacher models first, then children take turns.
Activity 3 – Syllable clapping. The teacher says words related to shopping (e.g., mar – ket, bas – ket, mon – ey) and claps the syllables. Children repeat and clap along. This builds phonological awareness.
Activity 4 – Song with actions. Sing a simple song about going to the market:
I went to the market,
I went with my mother,
We bought some tomatoes,
And waved to my brother.
Children clap, stamp, and act out the words.
D. Group Work and Play Corners (20 minutes)
- Market corner: Children continue role-play with pretend money and goods.
- Storytelling corner: Children look at picture books about families and talk about what they see.
- Tracing corner: Children trace simple shapes (circles, lines) in sand or on paper. This develops fine motor control for pre-writing.
E. Outdoor Play (15 minutes)
Children play a running or hopping game. The teacher reinforces vocabulary: “Run to the tree!”, “Hop to the door!”.
F. Assessment Through Observation (10 minutes)
Assessment at ECE is through observation and participation, not written tests. The teacher observes each child during the activities and records notes on the Observation Checklist in the Quiz section.
Home Activity for Parents
Activity: Family Shopping Talk
- Take your child with you to the market or shop, or pretend to shop at home.
- Ask your child to tell you about the experience using the prompts: When? With whom? Why? Where? What did you buy? How did you feel?
- Clap the syllables of words like mar-ket, mon-ey, shop-ping.
- Sing the market song together with actions.
- Take a photo or record a short audio of your child doing the activity and upload it to the Assignment section.
