Areas of Learning: Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Communication, Language and Literacy, Personal Social and Emotional Development.
Context: Children have practised their mouse control in previous lessons. Children have also been learning phonemes.
Learning Intentions:Find out about and identify some features of events they observe (KUW)
Ask questions about why things happen and how things work (KUW)
Sustain attentive listening responding to what they have heard (CLL)
Hear and say initial sounds (CLL)
Child Speak Targets: I am learning to/can navigate a CD-ROM.
Key Vocabulary: CD-ROM, program, click, icon, picture, next screen

You will need: CD-ROM Talking Animated Alphabet (Sherston Software.)

Show the class the CD-ROM. Explain what it is called and where it fits into the computer. Show pupils how to open the CD-ROM by clicking on its icon twice. Encourage the children to practise double clicking by doing so in the air using imaginary air mice!

Demonstrate how the program opens and show that children need to click the arrow to start. Talk about the options and discuss which one they would choose. Click on "letter sounds." Explain what each icon does e.g. the 'm' gets you back to the menu/beginning and the speaker will say the phoneme again.

Model how to use the program, using children to predict what will happen if...and then ask them to demonstrate on the computer to show the class.

Encourage pupils to navigate the CD-ROM.

With support from an adult question the pupils about the objects they can see and the sounds/phonemes they can hear. Show pupils the cards that come with the CD and encourage them to match the card and the letter on the screen.

Encourage pupils to navigate the program independently. Lay out a number of letter cards on the table and ask pupils to pick up a card that matches the ones that appear on the screen.

Top tip: Try labelling your monitor with stickers: up, down, left and right. It really helps children to use the correct directional vocabulary when they are navigating around a screen.

Thinking Questions: What shape is this disc? What is this disc called?
Where do we put the CD-ROM?
How many times do I have to click to open the CD-ROM?
What happens when I click on the arrow?
How can I hear the question or sound again?
What is that letter? What sound does it make? What else begins with that phoneme?