Recognising and Writing Letter Y for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Third Term
Week: 8
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Literacy
Previous Lesson: Recognising and writing other alphabet letters
Topic: Recognising and Writing Letter Y for Pre-School Level 2
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 Yy to Yam, Yoyo, Yacht. Writing: Tracing, colouring and writing Yy. 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 ‘Y’ and lowercase ‘y’.
• Recognise the sound of letter ‘Yy’ as /y/.
• Name objects that start with the /y/ sound, such as yam, yoyo, and yacht.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm when discussing news from home and the community.
• Participate actively in singing songs and rhymes related to the letter ‘Yy’.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace the uppercase ‘Y’ and lowercase ‘y’ correctly.
• Colour pictures of objects starting with the letter ‘Yy’.

Social Domain

• Take turns to share simple news or happenings with their classmates.

Reference Materials

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

Instructional Materials

• Flashcards of uppercase ‘Y’ and lowercase ‘y’
• Picture cards of yam, yoyo, yacht, and yellow objects
• Real yam and a yoyo (if available)
• Chart posters showing letter ‘Yy’ and associated pictures
• Worksheets with tracing outlines for ‘Yy’
• Crayons, pencils, chalk, small whiteboards/slates
• Storybook or picture book with ‘Yy’ words

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning to recognise and write the letter ‘Yy’ is an important step in early literacy development for three-year-olds. This lesson helps pupils connect the letter to its sound and familiar objects, building foundational phonics skills. It also encourages oral communication and social interaction through sharing personal news, which enhances language and social-emotional growth.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can already recognise some other letters of the alphabet, identify familiar objects, listen to short stories, and hold a pencil or crayon.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Recognising and Writing Letter Y for Pre-School Level 2

The Letter Yy

• Uppercase: Y
• Lowercase: y

The Sound of Yy

The letter ‘Yy’ makes the /y/ sound, as in “yes” or “yum”.

Words that start with Yy

• Yam (a common food in Nigeria)
• Yoyo (a toy that goes up and down)
• Yacht (a boat)
• Yellow (a bright colour)

How to write Letter Yy

• Uppercase Y: Start at the top, slant down to the middle. Lift, start at the top right, slant down to meet the first line in the middle. Then draw a straight line down from the middle.
• Lowercase y: Start at the middle, slant down to the bottom. Lift, start at the middle right, slant down past the bottom line, making a curve to the left.

Community News and Happenings

Sharing simple stories about what happened at home or in the community helps us talk and listen.

• What did you do yesterday?
• What did you see on your way to school?
• What did you eat for breakfast?

Key Words

• Yam – A popular food, often eaten boiled or fried.
• Yoyo – A toy that moves up and down on a string.
• Yacht – A type of boat, usually used for pleasure.
• Yellow – A primary colour, like the sun or a ripe banana.

Letter Yy Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Y, Y, Y, the letter Y,
Makes the /y/ sound, oh my, oh my!
Y for yummy yam, so sweet,
Y for yoyo, fun to meet.
Y, Y, Y, the letter Y,
Makes the /y/ sound, in the sky!

Actions: Point to letter Y, make /y/ sound with mouth, pretend to eat yam, move hand up and down like a yoyo, point to the sky.

Watch and Practise

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/Warm-up

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, sings a short greeting song, and asks them to recall some letters they have learned previously.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and name a few familiar letters.

Learning Point: Pupils are settled and ready to learn, activating prior knowledge.

Step 2: Sharing Community News

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Listening and Speaking/Facilitation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher encourages pupils to share simple news or happenings from their home or community, asking questions like, “What did you do yesterday?” or “Did you see anything interesting on your way to school?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils take turns to share short stories or observations from their personal experiences.

Learning Point: Pupils practise oral communication and listening skills.

Step 3: Introduction of Letter Yy and its Sound

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Letter Recognition/Phonics

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the letter ‘Yy’ using flashcards, clearly stating “This is uppercase Y” and “This is lowercase y”. The teacher then makes the /y/ sound, demonstrating the mouth shape, and asks pupils to repeat.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards, repeat the names of the letters, and practise making the /y/ sound several times.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letter ‘Yy’ and associate it with its /y/ sound.

Step 4: Picture and Object Association with Yy

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Vocabulary/Association

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows pictures or real objects (yam, yoyo, yacht, yellow) and clearly names each, emphasising the initial /y/ sound. The teacher then leads pupils in singing the “Letter Yy Sound Rhyme” with actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the objects, repeat their names, and sing the rhyme with actions, linking the objects to the /y/ sound.

Learning Point: Pupils connect the /y/ sound to familiar objects and reinforce learning through song.

Step 5: Air Tracing and Finger Tracing of Yy

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Pre-writing/Motor Skills

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to form uppercase ‘Y’ and lowercase ‘y’ in the air using large movements. Pupils are then guided to trace the letters in the air and on their palms or desks with their fingers.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils imitate the teacher, tracing ‘Y’ and ‘y’ in the air and with their fingers, following the correct stroke order.

Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills and learn the correct formation of letter ‘Yy’.

Step 6: Guided Writing and Colouring

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Creativity

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes worksheets with large tracing outlines of ‘Yy’ and pictures of ‘Yy’ words. The teacher guides pupils to trace the letters with pencils and colour the pictures, providing individual support as needed.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace the uppercase ‘Y’ and lowercase ‘y’ on their worksheets and colour the ‘Yy’ pictures.

Learning Point: Pupils practise writing ‘Yy’ and reinforce recognition through colouring.

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. “Point to the letter Y on the chart.”
2. “What sound does the letter Y make?”
3. “Name one thing that starts with the /y/ sound.”
4. “Show me how you trace the letter Y 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: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and effort, reiterates the letter ‘Yy’ and its sound, and encourages them to look for ‘Yy’ words at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher, respond to praise, and say goodbye.

Learning Point: Pupils leave with a positive reinforcement of the lesson.

Lesson Keywords

• Y – The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet.
• Sound – The noise that a letter makes, like /y/ for Y.
• Yam – A starchy root vegetable, common in Nigeria.
• Yoyo – A toy consisting of a pair of disks joined by a string.
• Yellow – A primary colour, like the colour of a lemon.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide larger tracing templates or hand-over-hand guidance for tracing. Offer more one-on-one repetition of the /y/ sound and focus on only one ‘Yy’ word (e.g., yam) initially.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, encourage them to identify other words that start with the /y/ sound. They can also try to draw a simple picture of a ‘Yy’ word on their own or trace ‘Yy’ independently on a small whiteboard.