Reading and Copying Simple Sentences with Short Words for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Third Term
Week: 8
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Letter Work
Previous Lesson: Pupils have learned to recognise letters, sounds, and simple sight words.
Topic: Reading and Copying Simple Sentences with Short Words
Subject Matter: COLOURING WRITING. Weekly focus: Reading and Copying Simple Sentences with Short Words.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify individual words within simple sentences.
• Read simple sentences containing two-, three-, and four-letter words.
• Spell short words as guided by the teacher.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in reading activities.
• Ask the teacher for guidance when encountering new or difficult words.

Psychomotor Domain

• Copy simple sentences neatly into their notebooks.
• Form letters correctly when writing words and sentences.

Social Domain

• Listen attentively as others read and participate in group reading.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Suitable early-years reading and writing workbooks

Instructional Materials

• Flash cards with short words (e.g., “I”, “am”, “fast”, “you”, “are”, “a”, “girl”, “she”, “is”)
• Sentence strips or charts with simple sentences written on them
• Whiteboard or chalkboard and markers/chalk
• Pupils’ writing books and pencils/crayons
• Reading books with simple sentences
• MP3 player or MP4 player (for audio-visual reading support, if available)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for 5-year-olds as it builds on their letter and word recognition skills, transitioning them to reading and understanding complete thoughts. Learning to read and copy simple sentences helps develop early literacy, comprehension, and fine motor skills necessary for future academic success and everyday communication.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise most alphabet letters, identify some letter sounds, and read a few common sight words. They can also trace and form simple letters.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Reading and Copying Simple Sentences with Short Words

A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. It tells us something or asks a question. Simple sentences for us usually have short words.

Today, we will learn to read and copy simple sentences using short words like “I”, “am”, “you”, “are”, “a”, “is”, “she”, “fast”, “girl”.

Examples of Simple Sentences

• I am fast. (This sentence tells us someone is fast.)
• You are a girl. (This sentence tells us about someone.)
• She is a girl. (This sentence also tells us about someone.)

When we read a sentence, we read each word one by one, then we put them together to understand the whole idea.

When we copy a sentence, we write it carefully in our books, making sure our letters are clear and neat.

Key Words

• Sentence – A group of words that makes complete sense.
• Word – A single unit of language that has meaning.
• Read – To look at written words and understand their meaning.
• Copy – To write something exactly as it is shown.
• Short – Not long.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Flash cards of individual short words (e.g., “I”, “am”, “fast”).
• Sentence strips or a chart showing the example sentences: “I am fast.”, “You are a girl.”, “She is a girl.”
• Demonstrate writing each sentence clearly on the board, showing correct letter formation and spacing.

Our Reading Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Words, words, short and sweet,
Put them together, can’t be beat.
“I am fast,” we read with glee,
“You are a girl,” for all to see.
Words, words, short and sweet,
Reading makes our learning complete!

Actions: Point to words on a chart as you sing. Clap for each word. Pretend to write in the air.

How to use the rhyme: Sing this song together to reinforce the idea of putting words together to make sentences and the joy of reading.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a video that shows us how to read simple sentences with short words. Pay attention to how the words are sounded out and blended together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J32B2aP1r1E

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Demonstration, Guided Practice, Repetition, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Oral Practice, Practical Activity.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Review

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and reviews some familiar sight words using flash cards (e.g., “I”, “am”, “a”, “is”, “you”). The teacher asks pupils what happens when we put words together.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, identify the sight words, and offer ideas about combining words.

Learning Point: Pupils recall previous knowledge of words and begin to think about sentences.

Step 2: Presentation of Short Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Word Recognition/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flash cards of short words that will be used in sentences (e.g., “I”, “am”, “fast”, “you”, “are”, “a”, “girl”, “she”, “is”). The teacher says each word clearly and leads pupils to repeat them several times.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flash cards, listen to the teacher, and repeat each word aloud.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and pronounce short words accurately.

Step 3: Introduction of Simple Sentences

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes the first simple sentence, “I am fast,” on the board or displays it on a sentence strip. The teacher points to each word as they read the sentence slowly, then faster. The teacher repeats this for “You are a girl” and “She is a girl.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch and listen attentively as the teacher reads the sentences. They observe how words form a sentence.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that words can be put together to form a complete sentence.

Step 4: Guided Reading Practice

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils to read the sentences together, pointing to each word. The teacher then asks individual pupils to read a sentence or identify a specific word within a sentence. The teacher uses the “Our Reading Song” to reinforce the concept.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils read the sentences aloud with the teacher and individually. They point to and identify words as requested. They sing the reading song.

Learning Point: Pupils practise reading simple sentences and identifying individual words.

Step 5: Video Reinforcement

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Audio-Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays the short educational video on reading simple sentences. The teacher encourages pupils to watch, listen, and repeat any words or sentences they hear in the video.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video, listen to the words and sentences, and repeat them aloud, imitating the pronunciation.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of reading simple sentences through visual and auditory input.

Step 6: Guided Copying Practice

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Writing Guidance/Fine Motor Skill Development

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to copy one of the sentences, “I am fast,” neatly into a writing book, emphasising correct letter formation, spacing, and starting point. The teacher then guides pupils to copy the sentences into their notebooks, providing individual support as needed. The teacher reminds them about neatness and using pencils/crayons if they want to colour parts of their writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils open their writing books, hold their pencils correctly, and carefully copy the simple sentences from the board into their books.

Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills and learn to copy sentences accurately and neatly.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Who can read the sentence ‘You are a girl’ for me?”
2. “Point to the word ‘she’ in the sentence ‘She is a girl’.”
3. “Copy the sentence ‘I am fast’ one more time in your book.”
4. “What is a sentence?” (Teacher guides answers if needed.)

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate by reading, pointing, or copying.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarisation/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort in reading and copying sentences. The teacher reminds them that practice makes perfect and encourages them to read simple sentences they see around them. The teacher assigns homework to copy the sentences again at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s summary and instructions, pack their books, and prepare for the next activity.

Learning Point: Pupils are motivated to continue practising reading and writing simple sentences.

Lesson Keywords

• Sentence – A group of words that tells a complete idea.
• Word – A small part of a sentence that has meaning.
• Read – To look at words and say them out loud to understand.
• Copy – To write something exactly as you see it.
• Short – Small or not long.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle, the teacher can provide larger print sentences, use hand-over-hand guidance for copying, allow more repetition, or focus on reading just one sentence accurately before moving to others.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, the teacher can challenge them to read slightly longer simple sentences (e.g., “The cat is big.”), identify more words, or write a short sentence from memory after reading it.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Prepare flash cards and sentence strips in advance. Ensure the sentences chosen are truly simple, using only two-, three-, or four-letter words that pupils are likely to recognise or can easily sound out. Emphasise reading for meaning, not just sounding out words. When guiding copying, focus on correct pencil grip, letter formation, and spacing between words. Encourage pupils to read the sentences aloud as they copy them. Observe pupils’ ability to identify individual words within a sentence and their neatness in copying. Praise effort and provide gentle correction. The “COLOURING WRITING” aspect can be incorporated by allowing pupils to use different coloured pencils for specific words or to underline parts of sentences after copying, if time permits and it aids engagement.