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Pre A1 Starters classroom objects: first words for kids

A1-A2Pre A1 Starters40 questionsUpdated

Classroom objects are the first words most Starters children learn, and they turn up in every part of the exam. This page drills pencil, rubber, ruler, book, bag and board until a child can match the written word to the picture without stopping to think, and adds the short sentences that carry those words in the speaking test.

What this task tests

  • Whether a child can link a short written word to a familiar object.
  • Recognition of the spelling, not just the sound: book and look look alike to a beginner.
  • The articles a and an in front of everyday nouns.
  • Understanding of simple classroom instructions built from these nouns.
  • Whether the child can copy the word accurately when asked to write it.
  • Plurals of the commonest school things: two pencils, three books.
  • The verbs that go with each object: write, read, cut, stick, rub out.
  • Prepositions used with classroom objects: in my bag, on the desk, under the chair.
  • Whether the child can answer a friendly what is this question with a full short sentence.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Touch the real thing

    Do the first pass with the objects on the table. A child who has held the rubber while saying rubber remembers it far better than one who only saw a flashcard.

  2. Step 2:

    Words on labels

    Stick written labels on the real objects for a week. Starters tests reading, so the child needs to meet the written form constantly, not only the picture.

  3. Step 3:

    Sort by first letter

    Ask the child to put all the p words together: pen, pencil, pencil case, paper. Sorting fixes spelling without feeling like spelling practice.

  4. Step 4:

    Say it in a sentence

    Never leave the word alone. I write with a pencil is far more useful in the speaking test than pencil on its own.

  5. Step 5:

    Two minutes, twice a day

    Short and frequent beats a long Sunday session. Children at this age forget quickly and relearn quickly.

  6. Step 6:

    Add the verb

    Teach pencil with write, scissors with cut, glue with stick. The pair is easier to remember than either word alone.

  7. Step 7:

    Hide and describe

    Put an object in a bag and let the child feel it and guess. Guessing forces real recall rather than recognition.

  8. Step 8:

    Copy, cover, check

    The child copies the word, covers it, writes it again and compares. Two minutes of this is worth a page of tracing.

  9. Step 9:

    Use the words for real

    Give genuine classroom instructions in English all lesson: open your book, take your pencil. The vocabulary then teaches itself.

  10. Step 10:

    Finish on a win

    End each session with three words the child already knows well. Children remember how the practice felt, not what was in it.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisa rubber and a ruler said as one word

    Thisa rubber, a ruler

    Children hear the two as one blurred sound. Separate them early and practise them on different days.

  • Not thisI write with pencil.

    ThisI write with a pencil.

    Many first languages drop the article. Drill a and an from the very first lesson.

  • Not thisa scissor

    Thissome scissors

    Scissors has no singular. Teach it as a fixed pair, like trousers.

  • Not thisbok

    Thisbook

    The double o is hard for beginners. Copying practice, not guessing, is what fixes it.

  • Not thistwo pencil

    Thistwo pencils

    The plural s vanishes in speech first. Count things aloud constantly.

  • Not thisIt is a apple on my desk.

    ThisIt is an apple on my desk.

    An goes before a vowel sound. Practise with an apple, an orange, an egg.

  • Not thisI open the book at page four.

    ThisOpen your book at page four.

    Children copy your instruction word for word. Model the form you actually want back.

Language this task keeps reusing

pencil
You write with it and you can rub the writing out.
rubber
It takes pencil marks off the paper.
ruler
A flat stick for drawing straight lines.
board
The big flat thing at the front of the classroom.
desk
The table you work at in class.
bag
You carry your books in it.
glue
It sticks paper together.
scissors
You cut paper with them.
bin
You put paper you do not want in it.
clock
It tells you the time.
crayon
A thick coloured stick for colouring in.
paper
The white sheets you draw and write on.
pencil case
The small bag that holds your pens and pencils.
cupboard
A tall box with doors where the class things live.
shelf
A flat board on the wall for books.

Practice: first words and classroom objects

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence.

I write with a and then I rub it out.
Which one do you use to rub out a mistake?

3Complete the sentence.

Open your and look at page four.
Right or wrong?
  • You write with a pencil.
  • You eat a book.
  • A chair has legs.
  • A board is very small.
4 to go

5Complete the sentence.

Please sit down on your .
Which one is NOT in a classroom?

7Complete the sentence.

My pens are in my pencil .

8Name three things in your pencil case.

What do you use to draw a straight line?

10Complete the sentence.

The teacher writes on the .

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Note

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Frequently asked questions

How many words should a Starters child know?

A few hundred, all of them concrete: school things, colours, numbers, animals, food, family and the house. Depth matters more than breadth, so a word the child can read, say and copy is worth three they half recognise.

Does spelling really count at Starters?

Only copying does. Children are asked to copy words that are printed in front of them, so accurate letter-by-letter copying is the skill to practise, not spelling from memory.

My child says the word but cannot read it. Is that a problem?

It is the single most common gap at this level. Add the written form to every activity: labels on objects, word cards face up next to the picture, and plenty of matching.

How long should a practice session be?

Ten minutes is plenty for a six or seven year old, and two short sessions beat one long one. Stop while the child still wants to carry on.

Should I correct pronunciation?

Lightly. Repeat the word correctly yourself and move on. Heavy correction at this age makes children stop volunteering answers, which costs far more than a wobbly consonant.

Flashcards or real objects?

Real objects first, cards second, written words alongside both. Cards alone teach children to recognise a drawing rather than a word.