Reading and Writing Two- and Three-Letter Words for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Third Term
Week: 2
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Previous Lesson: Pupils have learned to identify and sound individual letters of the alphabet.
Topic: Reading and Writing Two- and Three-Letter Words
Subject Matter: Speech Structure Writing. Weekly focus: Reading and Writing Two- and Three-Letter Words.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify common two- and three-letter words when shown.
• Blend letter sounds to read simple two- and three-letter words.
• Pronounce simple two- and three-letter words correctly.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm for reading and writing new words.
• Participate actively in word-building games.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace and copy given two- and three-letter words.
• Form simple two- and three-letter words using letter cards or cut-outs.

Social Domain

• Take turns when reading words aloud.
• Work collaboratively with peers during word formation activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4.
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
• Suitable early-years literacy workbook/textbook.

Instructional Materials

• Charts showing two- and three-letter words with pictures.
• Flash cards of individual letters (uppercase and lowercase).
• Flash cards of two- and three-letter words (e.g., at, in, ox, as, of, no, so, hi, cat, dog, sun, pen).
• Small whiteboards or slates and markers.
• Pencils and writing books/workbooks.
• Cut-out alphabet letters (magnetic or paper).
• Posters displaying simple words.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for 5-year-olds as it builds foundational literacy skills by teaching them to blend sounds and recognise simple words. Mastering two- and three-letter words helps children transition from individual letter recognition to actual reading, boosting their confidence and preparing them for more complex vocabulary and sentence structures in primary school.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify and pronounce the sounds of individual alphabet letters (phonics). They can also recognise some sight words and trace simple patterns.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Reading and Writing Two- and Three-Letter Words

Today, we will learn to put sounds together to read short words and also practise writing them. These short words help us to read stories!

What are Two-Letter Words?

These are words made up of two letters. They often follow a Vowel-Consonant (VC) or Consonant-Vowel (CV) pattern.

• Vowel-Consonant (VC) words:
  • at (a-t)
  • in (i-n)
  • ox (o-x)
  • as (a-s)
  • of (o-f)
• Consonant-Vowel (CV) words:
  • no (n-o)
  • so (s-o)
  • hi (h-i)

What are Three-Letter Words?

These are words made up of three letters. Many follow a Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) pattern.

• CVC words:
  • cat (c-a-t)
  • dog (d-o-g)
  • sun (s-u-n)
  • pen (p-e-n)
  • bed (b-e-d)
  • cup (c-u-p)

How to Read Short Words (Blending Sounds)

We read short words by blending the sounds of the letters together. For example:

• For ‘at’: Say /a/ then /t/, then put them together: /a/-/t/ → “at”
• For ‘cat’: Say /c/ then /a/ then /t/, then put them together: /c/-/a/-/t/ → “cat”

Writing Short Words

We will practise writing these words by tracing and copying them. Remember to hold your pencil correctly and write neatly.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

The teacher should display large flash cards of individual letters and then combine them to form words. For example, show ‘c’ card, then ‘a’ card, then ‘t’ card, then the ‘cat’ word card. Demonstrate blending the sounds clearly.

The teacher should also model tracing and writing the words on a whiteboard or chart, showing the correct letter formation for each word.

Blending Sounds Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

C-A-T, that makes “cat”
S-U-N, that makes “sun”
Blend the sounds, short and clear
Words are fun for us to hear!

Actions: Point to each letter as it’s said, then clap hands together for the word. Pretend to write in the air.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme slowly, pointing to letter flashcards or a word chart as the letters are called out. Encourage pupils to blend the sounds and say the word with you.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a short video to see how we can blend sounds to read two- and three-letter words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8a_n-G5y6Y

After watching, let’s try to read some words together just like in the video!

Key Words

• Blend – to put sounds together to make a word.
• Trace – to draw over a word or letter that is already written.
• Copy – to write a word or letter by looking at an example.
• Read – to understand words by looking at them.
• Words – groups of letters that have meaning.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Phonics Approach, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Repetition, Manipulation of Objects (letter cut-outs).

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recap

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and leads a quick recap of individual letter sounds. “Good morning, children! Remember how we learned our letter sounds? Today, we are going to put those sounds together to read and write short words!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and participate in the letter sound recap by saying sounds for letters shown by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils recall individual letter sounds as a foundation for blending.

Step 2: Presentation of Two-Letter Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flash cards of two-letter words (e.g., ‘at’, ‘in’, ‘no’, ‘so’). “Look at these two letters! This is ‘a’ and this is ‘t’. When we put them together, they make ‘at’. Listen: /a/-/t/ → ‘at’. Can you say ‘at’?” The teacher repeats with other VC and CV words, guiding pupils to blend and pronounce.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flash cards, listen to the teacher’s pronunciation, and repeat the two-letter words aloud.

Learning Point: Pupils learn to blend sounds for two-letter words and pronounce them.

Step 3: Presentation of Three-Letter Words (CVC)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Reading

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces three-letter CVC words using flash cards (e.g., ‘cat’, ‘dog’, ‘sun’). “Now, let’s add one more letter! This is ‘c’, ‘a’, ‘t’. Listen as I blend them: /c/-/a/-/t/ → ‘cat’. What is it?” The teacher guides pupils to blend the sounds and read the words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flash cards, listen to the blending, and attempt to read the three-letter words with the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils learn to blend sounds for three-letter words and pronounce them.

Step 4: Guided Reading and Tracing

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Motor Skills

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes writing books or slates with pre-written two- and three-letter words for tracing. “Now, let’s trace these words in our books. Remember to say the word as you trace it.” The teacher demonstrates correct pencil grip and tracing direction.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace the words in their books or on slates, saying the words aloud as they trace. They practice correct pencil grip.

Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills for writing and reinforce word recognition through tracing.

Step 5: Word Formation Activity

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Practical Activity/Problem Solving

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher provides groups of pupils with cut-out alphabet letters. “Let’s make some words! Can you find the letters for ‘in’ and put them together? How about ‘bed’?” The teacher guides pupils to form words using the letters.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in groups to select and arrange cut-out letters to form the given two- and three-letter words.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their knowledge of letter sounds to form words practically.

Step 6: Rhyme Reinforcement

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Auditory Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Blending Sounds Rhyme” from the Lesson Content. “Let’s sing our blending sounds rhyme again to help us remember how to put sounds together!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions, reinforcing the concept of blending letter sounds to form words.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce word blending skills through a fun, repetitive song.

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. Show a flash card of ‘ox’. “What word is this?”
2. Show a flash card of ‘pen’. “Can you blend the sounds and tell me this word?” 3. Ask pupils to trace the word ‘sun’ in their writing books. 4. Ask a pupil to use letter cut-outs to form the word ‘dog’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarization

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort and summarises the lesson. “Well done, everyone! Today we learned to read and write many new two- and three-letter words. Keep practising at home!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils acknowledge the conclusion and prepare for the next activity.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and are encouraged to continue practising.

Lesson Keywords

• At – a two-letter word meaning a place or time.
• In – a two-letter word meaning inside.
• No – a two-letter word meaning not yes.
• Cat – a three-letter word for a pet animal.
• Sun – a three-letter word for the star that gives us light and warmth.
• Pen – a three-letter word for a writing tool.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide larger flash cards, more one-on-one guidance during blending, hand-over-hand tracing, and focus on only a few words at a time. Use more picture cues for word recognition.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, encourage them to identify other two- or three-letter words they know, or try to write simple words independently without tracing. They can also form more complex CVC words with letter cut-outs.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Prepare all flash cards, charts, and letter cut-outs in advance. Ensure you have enough writing materials for all pupils. When demonstrating blending, exaggerate the sounds to make them distinct for the children. Repeat the blending process multiple times for each new word. Encourage pupils to say the sounds as they trace or form words. Observe pupils closely during activities to identify those needing extra support or those ready for extension. Praise effort and participation to build confidence. The goal is for children to understand that letters combine to form meaningful words, which is a key step in their reading journey.