Letter U Words, Picture Reading and Writing for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Third Term
Week: 3
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Literacy
Previous Lesson: Pupils have been introduced to other letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
Topic: LETTER U: 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 Uu to Umbrella, Uncle, Under. Writing: Tracing, colouring and writing Uu. 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 the uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’.
• Recognise the short ‘uh’ sound of the letter ‘Uu’.
• Name objects that start with the ‘uh’ sound, such as ‘umbrella’, ‘uncle’, and ‘under’.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in discussions about happenings at home and in the community.
• Show enthusiasm when singing songs and reciting rhymes related to the letter ‘Uu’.
• Listen attentively to the teacher and peers during activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace the uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’ accurately.
• Colour pictures of objects that start with the letter ‘Uu’.
• Perform actions related to ‘Uu’ words like opening an imaginary umbrella.

Social Domain

• Share simple news and experiences with their classmates.
• Take turns when speaking or participating in activities.

Reference Materials

NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2, Early Childhood Care and Education resources.

Instructional Materials

• Flashcards of uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’
• Picture cards of an umbrella, an uncle, and an object ‘under’ another object (e.g., cat under a table)
• Worksheets with large outlines of ‘Uu’ for tracing and colouring
• Crayons and pencils
• Chalk and chalkboard/whiteboard
• Storybook or picture book with ‘Uu’ words (optional)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson introduces pupils to the letter ‘Uu’ and its sound, which is fundamental for early literacy development. By connecting the letter to familiar objects and engaging in practical activities like tracing and picture reading, pupils build foundational reading and writing skills. This also enhances their phonological awareness and ability to communicate effectively.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some letters of the alphabet and their sounds. They are familiar with discussing simple events and following basic instructions.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

LETTER U: SOUND RECOGNITION, PICTURE READING AND WRITING

The Letter Uu

The letter ‘U’ is the twenty-first letter of the English alphabet.

• Uppercase U: U
• Lowercase u: u

The Sound of Uu

The letter ‘Uu’ makes the short ‘uh’ sound, like the sound you make when you are surprised or when you say “up”.

Sound: /uh/ /uh/ /uh/

Words that start with ‘Uu’ (short ‘uh’ sound)

• Umbrella: We use an umbrella to keep us dry from the rain or safe from the sun.
• Uncle: An uncle is your mother’s or father’s brother.
• Under: When something is under, it is below something else. For example, the ball is under the table.

Tracing and Writing Uu

To write ‘U’: Start at the top, go down, make a curve, and go back up to the top.

To write ‘u’: Start in the middle, go down, make a curve, go back up, and then draw a small stick down on the right side.

Letter Uu Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

U, u, u, like umbrella,
U, u, u, for my dear uncle.
U, u, u, when things are under,
U, u, u, the sound we wonder.
U, u, u, let’s learn it well,
U, u, u, a story to tell!

Actions:

• “U, u, u, like umbrella”: Open hands above head like an umbrella.
• “U, u, u, for my dear uncle”: Hug self or point to an imaginary uncle.
• “U, u, u, when things are under”: Crouch down.
• “U, u, u, the sound we wonder”: Tap chin thoughtfully.
• “U, u, u, let’s learn it well”: Give a thumbs-up.
• “U, u, u, a story to tell!”: Put hands together like a book.

Watch and Learn the Letter Uu

Key Words

• Uu – The twenty-first letter of the alphabet.
• Sound – What we hear when we say the letter ‘Uu’ (uh).
• Umbrella – A cover used for protection from rain or sun.
• Uncle – Your parent’s brother.
• Under – Below something.
• Trace – To draw over a line or shape.

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/Social Connection

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets pupils warmly. The teacher then invites pupils to share any interesting news or happenings from their homes or the community, fostering a sense of belonging and communication. The teacher introduces the letter ‘Uu’ as the focus for the day.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and share brief news or stories from their experiences. Pupils listen as the teacher introduces the new letter.

Learning Point: Pupils feel valued and ready to learn, and are introduced to the lesson topic.

Step 2: Letter Recognition and Sound Introduction

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Recognition/Auditory Discrimination

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flashcards of the uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’. The teacher clearly pronounces the short ‘uh’ sound of the letter ‘Uu’ several times, modelling it for the pupils.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the letter shapes. Pupils listen carefully and repeat the ‘uh’ sound after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils identify the letter ‘Uu’ and recognise its short ‘uh’ sound.

Step 3: Picture Reading and Word Association

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Association/Vocabulary Building

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows picture cards of an umbrella, an uncle, and an object ‘under’ another. For each picture, the teacher says the word, emphasizing the initial ‘uh’ sound, and guides pupils to perform a simple action (e.g., opening an imaginary umbrella, crouching down for ‘under’).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, repeat the words after the teacher, and perform the associated actions.

Learning Point: Pupils associate the ‘uh’ sound with familiar objects and expand their vocabulary.

Step 4: Rhyme Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Auditory Memory/Motor Skills

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the “Letter Uu Sound Rhyme” and sings it clearly, performing the actions. The teacher encourages pupils to join in the singing and actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the rhyme, then sing along with the teacher, performing the actions.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce the ‘uh’ sound and ‘Uu’ words through song and movement.

Step 5: Video Learning

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Multimedia Engagement/Auditory Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays the educational video on the letter ‘Uu’ and its sound. The teacher encourages pupils to watch, listen, and repeat any sounds or words they hear in the video.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video attentively, listen for the ‘uh’ sound, and repeat words as prompted by the video or teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils get additional exposure to the letter ‘Uu’ and its sound in an engaging format.

Step 6: Pre-writing/Writing Activity

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Fine Motor Development/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates air tracing of both uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’. The teacher then distributes worksheets and guides pupils to trace the letters and colour pictures of ‘Uu’ words (e.g., umbrella).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practise air tracing. Pupils then use pencils to trace ‘Uu’ on their worksheets and crayons to colour the pictures.

Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills and practise forming the letter ‘Uu’.

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.

1. “Can you point to the letter ‘Uu’ on the flashcard?”
2. “What sound does the letter ‘Uu’ make?” (Uh, uh, uh)
3. “Can you name one thing that starts with the ‘uh’ sound?”
4. “Show me your tracing of ‘Uu’ on your worksheet.”

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: Reinforcement/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their participation and effort. The teacher reminds them that they have learned about the letter ‘Uu’ and its ‘uh’ sound. The teacher leads a short farewell song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to praise and participate in the farewell song.

Learning Point: Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment and retain the key learning points.

Lesson Keywords

• Uu – The letter ‘U’ in both its big and small forms.
• Sound – The ‘uh’ noise that ‘Uu’ makes.
• Umbrella – A tool to keep us dry from rain.
• Uncle – Your parent’s brother.
• Under – Being below something.
• Trace – To draw over a line.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide larger tracing outlines for ‘Uu’ and offer hand-over-hand guidance during tracing. Use more repetition of the ‘uh’ sound and provide extra visual cues with the picture cards. Allow them to simply point to the letter or picture instead of naming it if speaking is difficult.

Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, encourage them to identify other objects in the classroom that might start with the ‘uh’ sound (e.g., ‘up’, ‘us’). They can also be asked to draw a simple picture of an ‘umbrella’ or ‘uncle’ on the back of their worksheet.