How to Teach Position's Vocabulary: Above and Below | Lesson Plan

To introduce the lesson, you can do the following:

• Greet your students and tell them that they will learn new words today to help them talk about where things are.
• Ask them if they know what position means. Explain that position is where something is in relation to something else. For example, you can say that you are sitting in front of your desk or that your desk is behind you.
• Ask them if they can think of some words that describe positions. Write down their responses on the board or paper. If they don't mention the above and below positions, add them to the list.
• Tell them that today, they will focus on two words that describe position: above and below. Ask them if they know what these words mean. Give them some examples using objects in the classroom. For example, you can say that the clock is above the door or the trash can is below the window.
• Show them the video from mathskills4kids.com (https://youtu.be/SG7Q89AhrAI) to see pictures and practice to understand what above and below mean. The video is about 4 minutes long, and the narrator repeats the words several times. You can pause the video at specific points to ask questions or check for understanding.

To warm up your students for the lesson, you can do the following:

• Review the words above and below with your students. Ask them to point to something that is above something else in the classroom and below something else. Repeat this several times with different objects.
• Play a "Simon Says" game with your students using above and below. For example, you can say, "Simon says touch something above your head," or "Simon says put your hands below your knees." If you don't say, "Simon says," they should not do it. If they do it anyway, they are out of the game. The last one standing wins.
• Play a "Hot Potato" game with your students using above and below. Please give them a ball or a stuffed animal to toss around while you play some music. When you stop the music, whoever has the ball or animal has to say something above or below something else in the classroom. For example, they can say, "The ball is above my head" or "The animal is below the table." They are out of the game if they can't think of anything. The last one standing wins.

To introduce the concept of above and below to your students, you can do the following:

• Show them the picture cards with objects in different positions. Ask them to identify the objects and their positions using above and below. For example, you can show them a picture of a cat above a dog and ask them, "What do you see in this picture?" They should say, "I see a cat above a dog," or “I see a dog below a cat.”
• Give each student an index card with either above or below written on it. Ask them to find a partner who has the opposite word. Then, ask them to stand up and hold their cards above or below their heads, depending on what their card says. Ask them to look around and see who else has the same word as them and who has the opposite word. Then, ask them to switch cards with their partner and repeat the process.
• Give each student a picture card and ask them to glue it on a large paper or a poster board. Then, ask them to cut two pictures from the magazine or newspaper and glue them on the paper. After that, they separate the two pictures by drawing a line or an object using a marker or a felt. Now, let them say a sentence using the above or below words to describe the position of their object in relation to another object on the paper or board. For example, they can say, "The apple is above the banana" or "The flower is below the sun." Please encourage them to use different colors and stickers to decorate their pictures.

To practice the concept of above and below with your students, you can do the following:

• Divide your students into small groups and give each group a set of picture cards. Ask them to sort the cards into two piles: one for pictures that show something above something else and one for pictures that show something below something else. Then, ask them to count how many cards they have in each pile and write down the numbers on a piece of paper. Ask them to compare their numbers with other groups and see which group has the most cards for each category.
• Play an "I Spy" game with your students using above and below. Ask one student to secretly choose an object in the classroom and say, "I spy with my little eye something that is above (or below) something else.” The other students must guess what it is by asking yes or no questions. For example, they can ask, "Is it above (or below) the door?" or "Is it above (or below) something green?" The student who guesses correctly gets to choose the next object.
• Play a "Memory" game with your students using above and below. Make pairs of picture cards that show the same object in different positions using above and below. For example, you can make a pair of cards that show a bird above a tree and a bird below a cloud. Shuffle the cards and place them face down on a table or floor. Ask your students to take turns flipping over two cards at a time and try to find a matching pair. If they find a match, they must say what they see using the above and below words. For example, they can say, "I found a match! I see a bird above a tree and a bird below a cloud". They must flip the cards back over if they don't find a match. The student who finds the most pairs wins.

To share what they have learned with their peers, you can do the following:

• Ask your students to show their collages that they made earlier and describe them aloud using the above and below words. Praise their work and ask them questions about their choices. For example, you can ask, "Why did you choose this object?" or "How did you decide where to put it?"
• Ask your students to form pairs or small groups and quiz each other on the concept of above and below using their picture cards or index cards. They can take turns asking and answering questions like "Which picture shows something above something else?" or "What word do you need to use to describe this position?" Give them feedback and correct any mistakes.
• Ask your students to share examples of how they use above and below in their daily lives outside school. For example, they can say, "I put my books above my desk," or "I sleep below my blanket." Please encourage them to use gestures or drawings to illustrate their examples.

To conclude the lesson, you can do the following:

• Review the main points of the lesson with your students. Ask them what they learned today about position words, especially above and below. Ask them to give some examples using objects in the classroom or on their collages.
• Thank your students for their participation and hard work. Tell them they did a great job learning about the above and below positions.