Learn: Checking how we grow

Hello, little friend. Come sit with me. We will learn slowly, with play, songs and kind words. We are taught the idea with examples we can touch or tell. The heart of this lesson is Checking how we grow.

In about 20 minutes we will: (1) say hello and warm up, (2) learn the new idea with examples, (3) practise together, (4) try it on our own, (5) check we understood, (6) pack away and celebrate.

• I can say what Checking how we grow means in my own words.
• I can show Checking how we grow with a picture, object or action.
• I can try one small task about Checking how we grow with help.

Look around. Can you find something that makes you think of Checking how we grow? Point to it. Smile. Now we begin.

This plan shows what will be taught for “Checking how we grow”. We will see the topic, the class activities, and how to know the child is learning. We use short steps, songs, and plenty of praise. Nobody is rushed. The teacher’s guide talks about this idea like this: “40 Plus One pg 26 Assumed knowledge: Lnrs know a car. Intro: Recap on indigenous transport. 1: Tr explains on modern transport. 2: In pairs lnrs list and state the means of transport in their area. 3: Groups give feedback. 4: Individually lnrs match modern means of transport to its mode. Conclusion: Revision of the lesson. Pictures Specialised materials ICT tools Charts L3 Self-expression Social Sciences Infant Sylla” Today we go deeper: we use two examples, one easy and one a little braver.
Let’s walk through Checking how we grow slowly for ECD B Schemes of Work. Step A — Notice: what can we see, hear, or touch that belongs to this idea? Step B — Name: say the idea in a short sentence a child can copy. Step C — Try: one tiny task using mbira keys. Step D — Talk: how does this help someone at home or at school in Zimbabwe? If the child looks tired, stop after Step C and return tomorrow. Remember: understanding is not a race. Repeating a small, true example is better than rushing a big, foggy one. When you finish, the child should be able to point, say, and try — not recite a page they do not feel.
Common mix-up for Checking how we grow: children sometimes copy a sentence they do not feel. Ask them to show Checking how we grow with exercise books instead of only saying it. In ECD B Schemes of Work, a true example from Chitungwiza beats a long copied definition.
What good looks like: the child can (1) say Checking how we grow in their own words, (2) give a Zimbabwe example, (3) help someone else try a tiny task. If any piece is missing, return to the Learn lesson. Charts and pictures on this page are helpers, not decoration.
Worked example for Checking how we grow (ECD B Schemes of Work). A child starts with something they already know. They point, they name, they try. Example 2: they use a home object (a cup, a leaf, a coin, a song) to show the idea. Then they tell a helper: “This is Checking how we grow because …” A second example is slightly harder: two objects, or a short sentence, or a tiny game. We do not skip the easy example. The easy one is the ladder.

How we unpack this

1. Notice: look, listen or touch something that belongs to Checking how we grow.
2. Name: say the idea in one short sentence a child can copy.
3. Try: one tiny task with a home object.
4. Talk: how this helps at home or school in Zimbabwe.

Watch for this mix-up

Copying a long sentence is not the same as understanding Checking how we grow. If the child cannot show it, go back one step.

Success looks like

• Says Checking how we grow in their own words.
• Gives one Zimbabwe example.
• Helps someone else try a tiny task.

A short story from Chitungwiza. A friend sat with a child in ECD B and said, “Today we will understand Checking how we grow in Schemes of Work.” They looked at mangoes on the mat. First they named what they could see. Then they asked one curious question. When the child felt stuck, they did not skip the idea. They made it smaller: one object, one word, one try. After a drink of water they tried again, and the idea began to feel friendly. That is how Checking how we grow moves from a book page into a real Zimbabwean day. You can tell this story at home in your own words, using people and objects you actually have.
Tell the story again, but change the place. The idea Checking how we grow must still be true.

A plan is a kindness to the future. “Checking how we grow” on the scheme tells us what we will do, with whom, and how we will know it worked.

Say each word. Clap the beats. Draw a tiny picture.

Look for Checking how we grow today in a growth point, or wherever you are. It may hide in maize cobs, in a conversation at the shops, in a game after school, or in helping at home. When you spot it, say: “That is Checking how we grow.” Then tell one sentence about it. If you cannot go outside, draw the place and point to the idea in your drawing. Real life is the best exercise book because it does not close when the lesson ends.
Common mix-up for Checking how we grow: children sometimes copy a sentence they do not feel. Ask them to show Checking how we grow with exercise books instead of only saying it. In ECD B Schemes of Work, a true example from Chitungwiza beats a long copied definition.
What good looks like: the child can (1) say Checking how we grow in their own words, (2) give a Zimbabwe example, (3) help someone else try a tiny task. If any piece is missing, return to the Learn lesson. Charts and pictures on this page are helpers, not decoration.

Do this with an adult or a friend:

1. Say the name of today’s idea: Checking how we grow.
2. Point to something in the room that belongs to this idea, or draw it.
3. Clap or jump once for each example you can find.
4. Tell one sentence: “I see …”

Draw Checking how we grow. Colour it. Tell the story of your picture in a loud, proud voice.

Extra play (choose two):

1. Sing a two-line song that names Checking how we grow.
2. Build Checking how we grow with stones, bottle tops, or clay.
3. Teach a toy or a younger child in one sentence.
4. Colour a picture and label it with help.

Stop while it is still fun. Tomorrow we can choose a different two.

1. Draw or photograph (with a helper) one real example and caption it.

Can you: (1) say Checking how we grow? (2) show it with your hands or a drawing? (3) tell one thing you liked? If yes, you are ready. If not, we practise again — that is learning.

Today we met Checking how we grow. Tomorrow we will use it again, a little deeper. Tell someone at home one new word or one new idea. Drink water, stretch, and be proud of trying.
If you get stuck: make the task smaller. Use one object, one word, or one drawing. Ask for the idea in ChiShona or IsiNdebele first, then try English. Drink water, stretch, and try one more time — then stop if you are tired.

Crayons, paper, and something to count or hold. An adult nearby to help. The teacher’s weekly plan, the matching learner book, and a simple timetable.

Sit beside the child. Praise effort (“You kept trying”) more than speed. Keep this sitting under 20 minutes. Use home objects. End with a hug or a song about Checking how we grow.