Note for teachers using this lesson plan
Before the lesson, prepare large flashcards of uppercase ‘I’ and lowercase ‘i’, along with clear pictures of an iron, ink, and ice. Have tracing sheets or a sand tray ready for pupils to practise letter formation. The central idea is for pupils to recognise the letter ‘I’, associate its sounds with familiar objects, and begin to trace it. Observe pupils as they point to the letter, say the associated words, and attempt to trace the letter ‘I’ to gauge their understanding.
Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: First Term
Week: 9
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Literacy
Previous Lesson: Recognition of other letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
Topic: LETTER I: SOUND RECOGNITION, PICTURE READING AND WRITING
Subject Matter: Listening and Speaking: Talking about news and happenings at home and in the community. Reading: Picture reading, recognising familiar objects and relating the sound of Ii to Iron, Ink, Ice. Writing: Tracing, colouring and writing Ii. Songs, Rhymes and Poems: Singing traditional rhymes, songs and poems and acting out characters.
Specific Objectives
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
Cognitive Domain
- Identify uppercase ‘I’ and lowercase ‘i’.
- Recognise the initial sound of ‘I’ in words like “Ink,” “Iron,” and “Ice.”
- Name objects that start with the ‘I’ sound.
- Share simple news or happenings from home.
Affective Domain
- Participate actively in discussions about their home and community.
- Show enjoyment while singing songs and rhymes related to the letter ‘I’.
- Listen attentively to their peers and the teacher.
Psychomotor Domain
- Trace the letter ‘I’ (both uppercase and lowercase) with their fingers or crayons.
- Colour pictures of objects starting with the letter ‘I’.
- Act out simple characters or actions from a song or rhyme.
Social Domain
- Take turns speaking when sharing news with the class.
- Engage in group activities such as singing and tracing.
Reference Materials
- NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2
- Early Childhood Care and Education resources
- Suitable early-years literacy workbook
Instructional Materials
- Large flashcards of uppercase ‘I’ and lowercase ‘i’
- Picture cards of an iron, ink bottle, and ice cubes
- Chart posters showing the letter ‘I’ and related pictures
- Tracing sheets for letter ‘I’
- Crayons, pencils, and paper
- Sand tray or salt tray for finger tracing
- Playdough for forming letters
- Storybook or picture book with ‘I’ words (optional)
Rationale for the Lesson
This lesson is crucial for Pre-School Level 2 pupils as it introduces them to a new letter of the alphabet, ‘I’, and its sounds. Learning to recognise letters and their sounds is a fundamental step in developing early literacy skills, helping children to eventually read and write. Sharing personal news also builds communication skills and a sense of community.Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge
Pupils can already recognise some other letters of the alphabet and their sounds. They are familiar with discussing simple events from their daily lives and participating in classroom songs.Lesson Content/Board Summary
Letter I: Sound Recognition, Picture Reading and Writing
Listening and Speaking: Sharing News
We talk about what happened at home or in our community. We share happy news, what we ate, or who we played with. It’s good to listen to our friends too!
Letter Ii Sound and Recognition
The letter ‘I’ can make different sounds. Today, we will learn two sounds:
- Short ‘i’ sound: Like in “Ink” (say: /ɪ/ as in ‘igloo’, ‘insect’).
- Long ‘i’ sound: Like in “Iron” and “Ice” (say: /aɪ/ as in ‘island’, ‘idea’).
Uppercase I: (Show large ‘I’ flashcard) Looks like a tall stick with a hat and shoes.
Lowercase i: (Show large ‘i’ flashcard) Looks like a short stick with a dot on top.
Picture Reading and Relating the Sound of Ii
- Ink: (Show picture of ink) This is ink. Ink starts with the short ‘i’ sound. /ɪ/, /ɪ/, Ink.
- Iron: (Show picture of an iron) This is an iron. Iron starts with the long ‘i’ sound. /aɪ/, /aɪ/, Iron.
- Ice: (Show picture of ice cubes) This is ice. Ice starts with the long ‘i’ sound. /aɪ/, /aɪ/, Ice.
Let’s say the words together: Ink, Iron, Ice!
Writing Letter Ii
We will learn to trace and write the letter ‘I’ and ‘i’.
- Uppercase ‘I’: Start at the top, draw a straight line down. Then draw a short line across the top and a short line across the bottom.
- Lowercase ‘i’: Start in the middle, draw a straight line down. Then put a small dot above the line.
Key Words
- Ink – a liquid used for writing or drawing.
- Iron – a hot tool used to make clothes smooth.
- Ice – frozen water.
- Letter Ii – the ninth letter of the English alphabet.
Sound and Action Rhyme for Letter I
Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
Letter I, Letter I,
Makes a sound, oh my, oh my.
/ɪ/, /ɪ/, Ink, we say,
/aɪ/, /aɪ/, Iron, every day.
Letter I, Letter I,
Makes a sound, oh my, oh my.
Actions:
- Point to the letter ‘I’ flashcard.
- Make a small, quick ‘i’ sound with your mouth.
- Pretend to write with a pen for ‘Ink’.
- Pretend to iron clothes for ‘Iron’.
Watch and Practise
💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary
How to teach the content: Begin by showing the uppercase ‘I’ and lowercase ‘i’ flashcards, clearly stating their names. Explain that ‘I’ can make different sounds. Introduce the short ‘i’ sound first with “Ink,” then the long ‘i’ sound with “Iron” and “Ice,” emphasizing the initial sound in each word. Have pupils repeat the sounds and words multiple times. For writing, demonstrate the strokes for ‘I’ and ‘i’ clearly on the board or in the air, using simple directional language like “down,” “across,” and “dot.”
What to show or demonstrate: Display large flashcards of ‘I’ and ‘i’. Show actual pictures of an iron, an ink bottle, and ice cubes. Demonstrate air tracing of both letters, followed by finger tracing in a sand or salt tray, and then guided tracing on paper.
How to use the rhyme/song: Sing the “Letter I” rhyme slowly and clearly, demonstrating the actions. Repeat the rhyme several times, encouraging pupils to join in with the sounds and actions. Use it as a fun way to reinforce the letter sounds and associated words.
How to use the video: Introduce the video as a fun way to learn more about the letter ‘I’. Play the video “Learn The Letter I | Let’s Learn About The Alphabet | Phonics Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F052sXk_d_w). Encourage pupils to watch, listen, and sing along to the sounds and words. After watching, ask pupils to recall some words that start with ‘I’ from the video and practise making the sounds shown.
What to watch for: Observe if pupils can distinguish between uppercase and lowercase ‘I’. Pay attention to their pronunciation of the ‘I’ sounds in “Ink,” “Iron,” and “Ice.” During tracing, look for correct starting points and direction of strokes. Correct gently and provide hand-over-hand guidance if needed.
Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques
- Play-based Learning
- Demonstration
- Guided Practice
- Songs and Rhymes
- Picture Talk
- Question and Answer
- Repetition
- Practical Activity
Instructional Procedures
Step 1: Introduction
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Engagement/Review
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, sings a familiar alphabet song, and briefly reviews a previously learned letter sound, e.g., “What letter did we learn last week? What sound does it make?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and recall the previous letter sound.
Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and connect to prior learning.
Step 2: Listening and Speaking (News Sharing)
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Communication/Social Interaction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils to share one piece of news or a happening from their home or community, encouraging simple sentences. “Who wants to tell us something interesting that happened at home?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils take turns sharing simple news or events from their lives.
Learning Point: Pupils practise speaking and listening skills, building confidence.
Step 3: Introduction of Letter Ii
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Letter Recognition/Sound Introduction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the letter ‘I’ (uppercase and lowercase) using flashcards. The teacher clearly pronounces the short ‘i’ sound (as in Ink) and the long ‘i’ sound (as in Iron, Ice) and asks pupils to repeat.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the letter ‘I’ flashcards and repeat the sounds after the teacher.
Learning Point: Pupils recognise the visual form of ‘I’ and begin to associate its sounds.
Step 4: Picture Reading and Sound Association
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Picture Association/Vocabulary
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows picture cards of an iron, ink, and ice. For each picture, the teacher says the word, emphasizes the initial ‘I’ sound, and asks pupils to repeat the word and sound. “This is Ink, /ɪ/, /ɪ/, Ink!”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, listen to the words, and repeat the words and their initial ‘I’ sounds.
Learning Point: Pupils connect the ‘I’ sound to concrete objects and expand their vocabulary.
Step 5: Rhyme/Video Reinforcement
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Engagement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the “Letter I” rhyme with actions. Afterwards, the teacher plays the verified YouTube video about Letter I for pupils to watch and listen.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and watch the video, repeating sounds and words as prompted.
Learning Point: Pupils reinforce letter ‘I’ recognition and sounds through a fun, interactive medium.
Step 6: Tracing, Colouring and Writing Ii
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Fine Motor Skills/Pre-writing
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to air trace ‘I’ and ‘i’. Then, the teacher guides pupils to trace the letters in a sand tray or on tracing sheets. Pupils also colour pictures of ‘I’ words.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils air trace, finger trace in sand, and trace/colour the letter ‘I’ and ‘i’ on their sheets.
Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills and practise forming the letter ‘I’.
Step 7: Evaluation/Review
Time: 4–5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.
- “Can you point to the letter ‘I’?” (Teacher shows ‘I’ and other letters).
- “What sound does ‘I’ make in ‘Ink’?”
- “What sound does ‘I’ make in ‘Iron’?”
- “Can you show me how to trace uppercase ‘I’ in the air?”
- “Which picture starts with the ‘I’ sound: a ball or an ink bottle?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.
Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.
Step 8: Conclusion
Time: 2 minutes
Teaching Skill: Summary/Closure
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation, summarises the letter ‘I’ and its sounds, and encourages them to look for ‘I’ words at home. The teacher may assign a simple task like drawing an object that starts with ‘I’.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary, receive praise, and acknowledge the homework task.
Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and are motivated for future lessons.
Lesson Keywords
- I – The ninth letter of the English alphabet.
- Ink – A coloured liquid used for writing or drawing.
- Iron – A household appliance used to smooth clothes.
- Ice – Water that has frozen solid.
- Sound – The noise a letter makes.
Differentiation
- Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide larger letter ‘I’ cut-outs for tactile tracing. Offer more one-on-one guidance during tracing activities and repeat the sounds more frequently. Use hand-over-hand assistance for tracing.
- Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, encourage them to identify other familiar objects in the classroom or at home that start with the ‘I’ sound. They can also try to draw simple pictures of ‘I’ words.
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