Recognising and Writing Letter M for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Second Term
Week: 4
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Previous Lesson: Recognising and writing a previous letter of the alphabet.
Topic: LETTER M: 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 Mm to Man, Mat, Mango. Writing: Tracing, colouring and writing Mm. 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

• Recognise the uppercase letter ‘M’ and lowercase letter ‘m’.
• Identify the /m/ sound associated with the letter ‘M’.
• Name familiar objects that start with the /m/ sound, such as Man, Mat, Mango.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in learning new letters and their sounds.
• Participate actively in discussions and singing activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace the uppercase ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’ accurately.
• Colour pictures of objects starting with ‘M’.
• Attempt to write ‘M’ and ‘m’ with guidance.
• Act out simple characters or actions related to songs and rhymes.

Social Domain

• Share simple news or happenings from home and the community.
• Take turns speaking during group activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2.
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
• Suitable early-years literacy workbook.

Instructional Materials

• Flashcards of uppercase ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’.
• Picture cards of objects starting with ‘M’ (e.g., Man, Mat, Mango, Mummy, Milk, Moon).
• Tracing worksheets for letter ‘M’ and ‘m’.
• Crayons, pencils, chalk.
• A sand tray or sensory bin for letter formation.
• Storybook or picture book with ‘M’ words.
• Chart posters showing letter ‘M’ and associated pictures.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for developing early literacy skills in 3-year-olds by introducing them to the letter ‘M’ and its sound. Recognising letters and sounds forms the foundation for reading and writing, enabling children to connect spoken words with their written forms. It also encourages communication as pupils share their experiences and relate new vocabulary to their daily lives.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some other letters of the alphabet, make various speech sounds, and identify familiar objects in their environment. They have also participated in simple discussions about their homes and communities.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Recognising and Writing Letter M

The letter we are learning today is M m.

• M is the big letter.
• m is the small letter.

The Sound of Letter M

The letter M makes the /m/ sound.
To make the /m/ sound, put your lips together and make a humming sound: /m-m-m/.

Objects that Start with M

• Man
• Mat
• Mango
• Mummy
• Milk
• Moon

How to Write Letter M

Uppercase M:

1. Start at the top, draw a straight line down.
2. Go back to the top, draw a slanted line down to the right.
3. Draw another slanted line up to the right.
4. Draw a straight line down.

Lowercase m:

1. Start in the middle, draw a straight line down.
2. Go back to the middle, draw a curve down and up.
3. Draw another curve down and up.

Key Words

• M – The letter that makes the /m/ sound.
• Man – An adult male person.
• Mat – A piece of material used on the floor.
• Mango – A sweet, juicy fruit.
• Mummy – A mother.
• Milk – A white liquid drink.

Letter M Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

M, M, M, the letter M,
Makes the /m/ sound, /m-m-m/.
Mummy, Mango, Milk and Mat,
M, M, M, just like that.
M, M, M, the letter M,
Makes the /m/ sound, /m-m-m/.

Actions:
M, M, M, the letter M: Hold up ‘M’ flashcard.
Makes the /m/ sound, /m-m-m/: Press lips together and hum.
Mummy, Mango, Milk and Mat: Point to pictures as named.
M, M, M, just like that: Repeat humming sound.

Watch and Practise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT8_p1LzW88

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Repetition, Practical Activity, Video Learning.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Relating

Teacher’s Activity: Greet pupils warmly. Ask pupils to share one interesting thing that happened at home or in their community over the past day. Encourage them to speak clearly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher and take turns sharing a short piece of news from home or their community.

Learning Point: Pupils feel comfortable sharing and practise oral communication.

Step 2: Presentation of Letter M

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Introducing/Visualisation

Teacher’s Activity: Introduce the letter of the day, “M m”. Show the uppercase ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’ flashcards. Say “This is big M” and “This is small m”.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards and repeat “Big M” and “Small m” after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise the visual forms of uppercase and lowercase ‘M’.

Step 3: Sound Recognition and Picture Association

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Phonics/Association

Teacher’s Activity: Explain that ‘M’ makes the /m/ sound (demonstrate by pressing lips together and humming). Show picture cards one by one (Man, Mat, Mango, Mummy, Milk, Moon). Say the word, emphasising the /m/ sound, and ask pupils to repeat.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils make the /m/ sound and repeat the ‘M’ words after the teacher, pointing to the pictures.

Learning Point: Pupils connect the /m/ sound with the letter ‘M’ and associated pictures.

Step 4: Oral Practice and Rhyme

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Singing

Teacher’s Activity: Lead pupils in saying the ‘M’ words again. Introduce and sing the “Letter M Sound Rhyme” with actions. Sing it a few times to help pupils learn it.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat ‘M’ words and sing the rhyme with actions, practising the /m/ sound.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce the /m/ sound and ‘M’ words through song and repetition.

Step 5: Tracing and Colouring Letter M

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Fine Motor

Teacher’s Activity: Demonstrate how to trace ‘M’ and ‘m’ in the air, then on the board. Provide pupils with tracing worksheets or guide them to trace in a sand tray. Encourage them to colour pictures of ‘M’ objects.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace ‘M’ and ‘m’ in the air, then on their worksheets or in the sand tray. They also colour the ‘M’ pictures.

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

Step 6: Video Reinforcement

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Multimedia/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: Introduce the video about the letter ‘M’. Play the video for the pupils. After the video, ask pupils to recall some ‘M’ words or sounds they heard.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video and then respond to the teacher’s questions about ‘M’ words or sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their learning of letter ‘M’ through an engaging visual medium.

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. “Point to the big M.” (Show flashcards)
2. “What sound does the letter M make?”
3. “Name one thing that starts with the /m/ sound.”
4. “Show me how you trace the letter ‘m’ in the air.”

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: Summarising/Closing

Teacher’s Activity: Briefly recap the letter ‘M’ and its sound. Praise pupils for their participation and effort. Assign simple homework like finding ‘M’ words at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the recap and receive their homework.

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

Lesson Keywords

• M – The thirteenth letter of the English alphabet.
• Sound – The noise that the letter ‘M’ makes, which is /m/.
• Man – An adult male human.
• Mango – A popular sweet, tropical fruit.
• Mat – A piece of material used to cover a small area of a floor.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with letter recognition, provide larger flashcards and more one-on-one repetition of the /m/ sound. Use hand-over-hand guidance for tracing. Offer fewer ‘M’ word choices when asking for examples.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, encourage them to identify other objects in the classroom or at home that start with the /m/ sound. Ask them to point out the letter ‘M’ in a simple storybook or chart.