Reading, Tracing and Writing with Vowel Sounds a, e, i, o, u for Pre-School Level 3

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: Second Term
Week: 7
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Introduction to letter sounds and recognition of some alphabet letters.
Topic: VOWEL SOUNDS A, E, I, O, U: READING, TRACING AND WRITING
Subject Matter: Vowel Sounds a, e, i, o, u: Reading, Tracing and Writing; Blending sounds; Word formation.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify and say the short sounds of vowels a, e, i, o, u.
• Recognise simple words containing these vowels.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm for learning new sounds and words.
• Participate actively in vowel sound and writing activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace and write uppercase and lowercase forms of a, e, i, o, u.
• Attempt to write simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.

Social Domain

• Listen attentively to the teacher and peers during activities.
• Take turns when identifying vowels or sharing examples.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3.
• Early Childhood Care and Education Literacy Resources.
• Jolly Phonics Handbook and CD.

Instructional Materials

• Flashcards for each vowel (A, E, I, O, U) with corresponding pictures (e.g., apple, egg, ink, orange, umbrella).
• Charts displaying uppercase and lowercase vowels.
• Charts with simple CVC words (e.g., cat, hen, pig, pot, sun).
• Whiteboard/chalkboard and markers/chalk.
• Pupils’ writing books or activity sheets with dotted lines for tracing.
• Pencils and crayons.
• Sound recorder (optional, for recording pupils’ sounds).

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning vowel sounds is fundamental for early literacy development. Vowels are the “glue” that holds words together, and understanding them helps 4-year-olds decode and encode words, laying a strong foundation for reading and writing simple sentences. This lesson connects sounds to written forms, making language concrete and accessible.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some letters of the alphabet and have been introduced to a few letter sounds. They can also hold a pencil and make basic strokes.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

VOWEL SOUNDS A, E, I, O, U: READING, TRACING AND WRITING

Vowels are special letters that make open sounds. There are five main vowels: A, E, I, O, U. Every word must have at least one vowel sound.

• A a: Makes the /a/ sound (like in apple, cat).
• E e: Makes the /e/ sound (like in egg, hen).
• I i: Makes the /i/ sound (like in ink, pig).
• O o: Makes the /o/ sound (like in orange, pot).
• U u: Makes the /u/ sound (like in umbrella, sun).

Tracing and Writing Vowels

A a: Start at the top, slant down, slant down, then across. For ‘a’, round and down, then a small stick.
E e: Straight line down, then three lines across. For ‘e’, curve around and touch the middle line.
I i: Straight line down, top and bottom lines across. For ‘i’, straight line down with a dot on top.
O o: Big round circle. For ‘o’, small round circle.
U u: Curve down and up. For ‘u’, curve down and up, then a small stick down.

Blending Sounds and Word Formation

We can put consonant sounds and vowel sounds together to make words.

• c-a-t = cat
• h-e-n = hen
• p-i-g = pig
• p-o-t = pot
• s-u-n = sun

Key Words

• Vowel – Special letters (A, E, I, O, U) that make open sounds.
• Sound – What we hear when we say a letter.
• Trace – To draw over a line or shape.
• Write – To make letters or words on paper.
• Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.

Vowel Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:
A, E, I, O, U,
Vowel sounds for me and you.
‘A’ for apple, /a/, /a/, /a/,
‘E’ for egg, /e/, /e/, /e/,
‘I’ for ink, /i/, /i/, /i/,
‘O’ for orange, /o/, /o/, /o/,
‘U’ for umbrella, /u/, /u/, /u/,
A, E, I, O, U,
Vowel sounds for me and you!

Actions: Point to each vowel flashcard as it is named, make the corresponding sound with an open mouth, and mime the example word (e.g., pretend to eat an apple, crack an egg, write with ink, peel an orange, open an umbrella).

Watch and Practise Vowel Sounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1C-qL9_K8

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: Review/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, reviews some previously learned letter sounds (e.g., m, s, t) by reading the Jolly Phonics 42 sounds quickly, and introduces today’s topic: “Today, we are going to learn about some very special letters called VOWELS!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, listen to the teacher, and try to repeat some familiar sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and ready for the new lesson.

Step 2: Presentation of Vowels ‘A’ and ‘E’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces vowel ‘A’ (uppercase and lowercase) using a flashcard. Says its name and short sound /a/ (as in apple). Shows an apple picture. Repeats the sound. Then introduces vowel ‘E’ (uppercase and lowercase), says its name and short sound /e/ (as in egg). Shows an egg picture. Repeats the sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards, listen to the teacher, repeat the letter names and sounds /a/ and /e/, and say the example words.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and can say the sounds of ‘A’ and ‘E’.

Step 3: Guided Tracing and Writing (A, E)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to trace and write uppercase ‘A’ and lowercase ‘a’ on the board, explaining the strokes. Pupils air-trace the letters. The teacher then guides pupils to trace ‘A a’ in their writing books or on activity sheets. Repeats the process for ‘E e’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils air-trace the letters, then trace ‘A a’ and ‘E e’ in their books with pencils, following the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils practise tracing and writing ‘A a’ and ‘E e’ correctly.

Step 4: Presentation of Vowels ‘I’, ‘O’, ‘U’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces vowel ‘I’ with its sound /i/ (as in ink), ‘O’ with its sound /o/ (as in orange), and ‘U’ with its sound /u/ (as in umbrella), using flashcards and pictures, similar to Step 2. Repeats each sound several times.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flashcards, listen, repeat the letter names and sounds /i/, /o/, /u/, and say the example words.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and can say the sounds of ‘I’, ‘O’, and ‘U’.

Step 5: Guided Tracing and Writing (I, O, U)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to trace and write ‘I i’, ‘O o’, and ‘U u’ on the board. Guides pupils to air-trace and then trace these letters in their writing books or on activity sheets.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils air-trace the letters, then trace ‘I i’, ‘O o’, and ‘U u’ in their books, focusing on correct formation.

Learning Point: Pupils practise tracing and writing ‘I i’, ‘O o’, and ‘U u’ correctly.

Step 6: Blending Sounds, Word Formation, Rhyme and Video

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays CVC word flashcards (e.g., cat, hen, pig, pot, sun). Sounds out each letter and blends them to form the word, asking pupils to repeat. Leads pupils in singing the “Vowel Sound Rhyme” with actions. Plays the “The Vowel Song” video and encourages pupils to sing along and make the sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the blended words, sing the rhyme with actions, and participate in the video activity by singing and making vowel sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils practise blending sounds to form words and reinforce vowel recognition through song and video.

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. “What are the five special letters we learned today?” (Show flashcards for pupils to name)
2. “Can you make the sound for this letter?” (Point to a vowel flashcard)
3. “Show me how to trace the letter ‘O’ in the air.”
4. “Which word starts with the /a/ sound: ‘egg’ or ‘apple’?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate by naming vowels, making sounds, air-tracing, and identifying words.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson by identifying vowels, their sounds, and showing basic tracing skills.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and effort. Briefly recaps that vowels are important for reading and writing. Encourages them to practice their vowels at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher and respond with “Thank you, teacher.”

Learning Point: Pupils feel encouraged and understand the importance of practising vowels.

Lesson Keywords

• Vowel – A, E, I, O, U are the vowels.
• Sound – The noise a letter makes.
• Trace – To follow a line with a pencil.
• Write – To make letters on paper.
• Blend – To join sounds to make a word.

Differentiation

• Support for struggling learners: Provide larger flashcards and more repetition of sounds. Use hand-over-hand guidance for tracing. Offer fewer words for blending practice, focusing on just one or two at a time. Allow them to point to the correct vowel rather than saying its name if they struggle with verbalisation.
• Extension for advanced learners: Challenge them to identify other familiar words that contain the short vowel sounds. Encourage them to attempt writing simple CVC words independently after tracing. Ask them to identify the vowel sound in the middle of a simple word.