Year: Year 1 Lesson Coverage: Coconut Shy

Curriculum Covered: KS1

English En1 Speaking and listening
2a,c, 3a,b, 8d
En2 Reading
1b, 1f
En3 Writing
2a, 3c, 4a,b,e,g, 5a-e
Science Sc2 Life processes and living things
2b,g
ICT Knowledge, skills and understanding
1a, 5b
Art Exploring and developing ideas
1a, 4a

About the Game

This game is based around the traditional hangman concept. The player has to guess the food
related word before they knock all the coconuts off the shy. When a letter guess is made,
correct letters appear in the grid above the coconuts and incorrect letters result in losing a
coconut. The player begins with 6 coconuts. The game and lesson plan involves activities
using upper and lower case letters, therefore teachers should use this game when children
have reached appropriate levels in English. This game is probably more relevant in Term 1 of
Year 1, when children may need practice working with upper case letter names.

The main learning objectives within this game are:

 To sound and name letters of the alphabet

 To match lower case to upper case letters
 To attempt to read food words containing 4 letters
 To write each letter of the alphabet
In ‘Coconut Shy’ an appropriate difficulty level is selected by choosing the length of the word to
guess. The choice ranges from 3-9 letter words. Year 1 children will find the 4 letter word
option most suitable.
When playing the game, children use their mouse to click on the letter they think appears in the
mystery word. The mouse is represented on screen by a white hand.
Lesson Plan
Before online activity Introduce children to the worksheet ‘Capital letters’. Ask the
children to complete this before they play the ‘Coconut Shy’ game
Additional Resources (please see description below). Ensure the children take a copy
Worksheet: Capital Letters
of their completed worksheet to the computer area.

During online activity 1. Introduce children to computer and keyboard.

2. Help children with the computer start up procedures and
entering of the My School Lunch website. Ask children to
select the ‘For Fun’ section.
3. Ensure that all children have selected ‘Coconut Shy’ and then
number 4 to indicate the length of the word to guess.
4. Read aloud the ‘How to play’ instructions, encourage children
to try and follow.
5. Ensure all children have selected ‘CLICK HERE TO START’.
6. Talk to children about what they can see, coconut shy,
coconuts, stands, blank flags and alphabet grid.
Possible online activity questions:
o Where are the coconuts?
o Why are they on stands?
o What will happen if they fall off?
o Where are the letters?
o How many letters do we have to choose?
o How do we know?
o Where will the letter go?
o What do you think might happen if your letter isn’t in the
word?
7. If appropriate show some of the children how to use the grid
on the worksheet to help identify the upper case letters.
8. Show the children how to use the mouse to select the letters,
making sure they can locate the white hand on screen.
9. Help the children to identify the word that appears. Children
can use their completed worksheet to help them to identify
the word by matching it to the illustration.
Possible online activity questions:
o What is that letter?
o What sound does it make?
o Has it got another name?
o Can you see that word on your sheet?
o Have you eaten that food before?
o When do we eat that food?
o Do you eat that for school lunch?
10. Talk to the children about re-starting the game by selecting
‘CLICK HERE TO PLAY AGAIN’.
11. The ‘NEXT LEVEL’ is also accessible at this point, but should
only be used as an extension activity for more able children.
12. Encourage children to alternate players and help each other
with the game.
 13. At the end of the session help the children with closing the
website and shutting down procedures.

Following online Activity 1: Using Food Words

activities  With the whole class look at a list of 4 letter words, these
Additional Resources
should be food orientated if possible. You may like to use the
Worksheet: Sentences following words from the ‘Coconut Shy’ game. Write the words
on the board for the class to see.
 Meat  Leek  Peas  Plum
 Fish  Beef  Corn  Duck
 Pear  Lamb  Tuna  Leek
 Milk  Pork  Crab  Soya
 Rice  Salt  Lime
 Make sure all children know what each of the words are and
ensure things such as soya are explained. Ask the children to
then have a go at re-writing the 4 letter words from the board.
Give the children the worksheet ‘Sentences’ and explain the
tasks (see worksheet description below).
 During this activity pay particular attention to pencil control and
letter formation.

Support/Extension Ideas
The ideas below are given to support the less able and extend the more able children in Year
1.
Support Ideas  Seat less able child with a more able partner (child/adult).
 Teacher to provide adult help with worksheet tasks, especially
to reinforce letter sound and shape.
 Teacher to provide illustrations (picture dictionary could be
used) of relevant foods for children to copy.
 Teacher to act as scribe when re-writing 4 letter words if
appropriate.
Extension Ideas  Encourage more able children to help less able children play
‘Coconut Shy’.
 Allow more able children to work independently during
worksheet activity.
 Give more able children an opportunity to find their own 4 letter
words during the Using Food Words activity. Provide word
bank or picture dictionary.
 Ask more able children to write full sentences containing 4 letter
words in the Using Food Words activity.
 When confident to proceed, allow children to select five letter
words and proceed to next level.
 If children have selected five letter words, encourage them to
write sentences including five letter food words.
 Worksheet Description

Title Capital Letters

Additional Resources  Pencil
 Rubber
 Coloured pencils
 Word bank/picture dictionary
Worksheet Summary This worksheet is for children needing practice with upper case
letters and may be best used earlier in Year 1. It contains an
alphabet grid showing upper and lower case letters to help the
children when playing the ‘Coconut Shy’ game. The teacher may
feel some children in Year 1 do not need this grid during the
activity and they should be allowed to work independently.
How to use  The first task is designed to help children match lower to upper
case letters. The children should be allowed to work through
this task independently wherever possible. The teacher should
talk to the children about letter sound and shape. Teachers
could also use this task to monitor handwriting skills, for
example, forming letters.
 The next activity uses words that are used in the ‘Coconut Shy’
game. Children should be encouraged to look at the words,
identify letters using the grid, and match them to the
appropriate picture. Teacher help may be required. The
teacher may wish to read through the words used in the game
and identify the letters with the whole class before going to the
computer area.
Assessment Teachers should assess levels of understanding by outcome and
level of support required during the task.
 Worksheet Description

Title Sentences
Additional Resources  Pencil
 Rubber
 Coloured pencils
 Word bank/picture dictionary
Worksheet Summary This worksheet is for use later in Year 1. The first activity is for
matching uppercase words to the appropriate image. In the
second activity children are asked to draw and write about foods
used in the game.
How to use  The matching words to pictures task is available to ensure that
all children have had practice using upper case words.
 When children proceed to the second task, ask them to look at
the picture dictionary and draw an image of the food. Then ask
the children to write their own sentence for each of the four
letter words on the worksheet. The children should be allowed
to work through this task independently wherever possible.
Teachers should provide word bank/picture dictionary to help
with spellings.
Assessment Teachers should assess levels of understanding by outcome and
level of support required during the task.