Note for teachers using this lesson plan
Before the lesson, prepare clear flashcards for letters Ee and Ff, and pictures of objects starting with various beginning sounds (e.g., apple, ball, cat, dog, egg, fish). Ensure the writing books or paper are ready for tracing. The central idea is for pupils to recognise beginning sounds, identify letters Ee and Ff, and enjoy a farm animal rhyme. Successful learning will be observed when pupils can point to the correct letter, repeat sounds, and participate in the rhyme with actions.
Class: Pre-School Level 1
Term: Third Term
Week: 7
Age: 2 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Literacy
Previous Lesson: Recognition of simple sounds and letters, and participation in simple rhymes.
Topic: Beginning Sounds /a/-/z/, Letters e-f and Rhyme Practice
Subject Matter: Speech: Sounds: /a/ – /z/ Sounding and recognition of sounds.; Writing: Tracing and Writing Letters e – f; Rhyme: Grandpa’s farm. Weekly focus: Beginning Sounds /a/-/z/, Letters e-f and Rhyme Practice.
Specific Objectives
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
Cognitive Domain
- Identify the beginning sounds of familiar objects when heard.
- Recognise uppercase ‘E’ and lowercase ‘e’.
- Recognise uppercase ‘F’ and lowercase ‘f’.
- Repeat words from the “Grandpa’s Farm” rhyme.
Affective Domain
- Show interest in listening to different sounds.
- Enjoy participating in letter recognition activities.
- Express joy while singing and performing actions for the rhyme.
Psychomotor Domain
- Trace letters ‘e’ and ‘f’ with guidance.
- Perform simple actions related to the “Grandpa’s Farm” rhyme.
Social Domain
- Participate actively in group sound and rhyme activities.
Reference Materials
- NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 1
- Early Childhood Care and Education resources
Instructional Materials
- Picture cards of objects starting with various sounds (e.g., apple, ball, cat, dog, egg, fish)
- Flashcards for uppercase ‘E’, lowercase ‘e’, uppercase ‘F’, and lowercase ‘f’
- Charts showing letters Ee and Ff with associated pictures
- Writing books or paper
- Crayons
- MP4 Player (for video/audio)
- Rhyme book (for “Grandpa’s Farm” lyrics)
Rationale for the Lesson
This lesson is crucial for 2-year-olds as it introduces them to the foundational building blocks of language and literacy. Recognising beginning sounds helps develop phonological awareness, while identifying letters Ee and Ff builds early letter recognition skills. Engaging with rhymes like “Grandpa’s Farm” fosters language development, memory, and a love for learning through fun, interactive activities.Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge
Pupils have previously listened to different sounds, seen some letters, and participated in simple songs and rhymes. They are familiar with common objects and animals.Lesson Content/Board Summary
Beginning Sounds /a/-/z/, Letters e-f and Rhyme Practice
Beginning Sounds
The first sound we hear when we say a word is its beginning sound. We listen carefully to hear the sound at the start of a word. Examples:- A-a-apple (sound /a/)
- B-b-ball (sound /b/)
- C-c-cat (sound /c/)
- D-d-dog (sound /d/)
- E-e-egg (sound /e/)
- F-f-fish (sound /f/)
Watch and Repeat the Sounds
Letters Ee and Ff
Letter Ee
- Uppercase: E
- Lowercase: e
- Words that start with E: Elephant, Egg
Letter Ff
- Uppercase: F
- Lowercase: f
- Words that start with F: Fish, Fan
Grandpa’s Farm Rhyme
Tune: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Lyrics:
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O!
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo-moo!
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O!
With an oink-oink here and an oink-oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink-oink!
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a duck, E-I-E-I-O!
With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack-quack!
Grandpa had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Actions:
- “E-I-E-I-O”: Point thumbs over shoulders.
- “Cow”: Make horns with hands, make “moo” sound.
- “Pig”: Wiggle nose, make “oink” sound.
- “Duck”: Flap hands like wings, make “quack” sound.
Watch and Sing Along
Key Words
- Sound – What we hear.
- Letter – A symbol we see and write.
- Farm – A place where animals live and food grows.
- Animal – A living creature like a cow, pig, or duck.
💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary
How to teach the content: Begin by saying words clearly and slowly, emphasizing the beginning sound. Use large, colourful picture cards for each example. For letters Ee and Ff, show the flashcards and charts, tracing the letters in the air and on the board. Encourage pupils to repeat after you. For the rhyme, introduce farm animals with pictures before singing.
What to show or demonstrate: Display picture cards for beginning sounds. Show flashcards for uppercase and lowercase Ee and Ff. Demonstrate air tracing for both letters. Model the actions for the “Grandpa’s Farm” rhyme clearly.
How to use the rhyme/song: Sing “Grandpa’s Farm” (Old MacDonald) slowly at first, then pick up the pace. Repeat each animal verse several times. Encourage pupils to join in with the animal sounds and actions. Use the provided actions to make it engaging.
How to use the video: For the “Beginning Sounds” video, play short segments and pause to ask pupils to repeat the sounds. For the “Grandpa’s Farm” video, play it after practising the rhyme live. Encourage pupils to sing and do the actions along with the video. Ask them to name the animals they see.
What to watch for: Observe if pupils are listening to the beginning sounds and attempting to repeat them. Check if they can point to Ee and Ff when asked. Look for active participation and enjoyment during the rhyme and its actions. Correct pronunciation gently and encourage all attempts.
Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques
Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Repetition, Manipulation of Objects, Practical Activity.Instructional Procedures
Step 1: Introduction
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Warming up/Engagement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets pupils with a cheerful song. “Good morning, everyone! Let’s get ready to learn!” The teacher asks pupils to listen to a sound (e.g., a clap, a knock) and identify it. “What sound did you hear?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, listen to the sounds, and try to identify them.
Learning Point: Settling in and preparing to listen actively.
Step 2: Exploring Beginning Sounds
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Sound Recognition/Oral Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows picture cards of familiar objects (e.g., apple, ball, cat, dog). For each picture, the teacher says the word clearly, emphasizing the beginning sound. “A-a-apple, /a/.” The teacher asks pupils to repeat the sound and the word. The teacher plays a short segment of the “Beginning Sounds” video, pausing for repetition.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, listen to the teacher, repeat the beginning sounds and words, and sing along with the video.
Learning Point: Developing phonological awareness by identifying and repeating beginning sounds.
Step 3: Introducing Letters Ee and Ff
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Letter Recognition/Association
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows flashcards for uppercase ‘E’ and lowercase ‘e’. “This is letter E. E for Elephant, E for Egg.” The teacher then shows flashcards for uppercase ‘F’ and lowercase ‘f’. “This is letter F. F for Fish, F for Fan.” The teacher guides pupils to air trace the letters and repeat their names and associated words.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards, repeat the letter names and example words, and air trace the letters.
Learning Point: Recognising letters Ee and Ff and associating them with pictures.
Step 4: Guided Tracing of Ee and Ff
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Pre-writing/Fine Motor Skills
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes writing books or paper and crayons. The teacher demonstrates on the board how to trace uppercase ‘E’, lowercase ‘e’, uppercase ‘F’, and lowercase ‘f’ using simple strokes. The teacher then guides pupils to trace the letters in their books, providing individual support as needed.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils hold their crayons correctly and trace letters Ee and Ff in their writing books with teacher guidance.
Learning Point: Developing fine motor skills and early letter formation.
Step 5: Introducing “Grandpa’s Farm” Rhyme
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Storytelling/Rhyme Introduction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the “Grandpa’s Farm” rhyme, explaining it’s about animals on a farm. The teacher shows pictures of cows, pigs, and ducks. The teacher sings the first verse of the rhyme (cow verse) slowly, pointing to the animals.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher, look at the animal pictures, and try to sing along to the first verse.
Learning Point: Understanding the theme and characters of the rhyme.
Step 6: Rhyme Practice with Actions
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Rhyme Recitation/Movement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the full “Grandpa’s Farm” rhyme, incorporating the animal sounds and actions for each verse (cow, pig, duck). The teacher plays the “Old MacDonald” video and encourages pupils to sing and move along.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along with the teacher and the video, performing the actions for each animal.
Learning Point: Enjoying rhymes, developing language, memory, and gross motor skills.
Step 7: Evaluation/Review
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.
- “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘egg’?”
- The teacher shows the flashcard for ‘F’ and asks, “What letter is this?”
- “Can you make the sound of a pig from Grandpa’s farm?”
- The teacher points to a traced ‘e’ in a pupil’s book and asks, “What letter did you trace here?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally by saying sounds, naming letters, making animal sounds, and pointing to traced letters.
Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson content.
Step 8: Conclusion
Time: 1 minute
Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Closure
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their active participation and good work. “You all did so well listening to sounds, learning letters Ee and Ff, and singing about Grandpa’s farm!” The teacher reminds them to keep practising.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s praise and respond happily.
Learning Point: Positive reinforcement and a sense of accomplishment.
Lesson Keywords
- Sound – The first sound we hear in a word.
- Letter E – The letter that looks like ‘E’ or ‘e’.
- Letter F – The letter that looks like ‘F’ or ‘f’.
- Farm – A place with animals like cows and pigs.
- Rhyme – A song with words that sound alike.
Differentiation
- Support: For pupils who need extra help, the teacher can provide larger flashcards, use hand-over-hand guidance for tracing, repeat sounds and words more frequently, and focus on only one or two animals for the rhyme.
- Extension: For pupils who grasp concepts quickly, the teacher can ask them to identify other objects in the classroom that start with /e/ or /f/, or encourage them to suggest another animal for Grandpa’s farm rhyme.
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