Recognition and Pronunciation of Sound /a/ for Pre-School Level 1

Class: Pre-School Level 1
Term: First Term
Week: 2
Age: 2 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Literacy
Previous Lesson: Listening to familiar sounds and words.
Topic: Sound /a/: Recognition and Pronunciation
Subject Matter: Speech: Sound: /a/ Sounding and recognition of /a/. Weekly focus: Sound /a/: Recognition and Pronunciation.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Recognise the sound /a/ when heard.
• Identify pictures of objects that start with the /a/ sound.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm when repeating the /a/ sound.
• Participate actively in singing a sound-focused rhyme.

Psychomotor Domain

• Attempt to pronounce the /a/ sound correctly.
• Point to pictures of objects starting with the /a/ sound.

Social Domain

• Take turns repeating the sound after the teacher.
• Engage cooperatively in group activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 1
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Relevant early-years picture books and flashcards

Instructional Materials

• Charts displaying pictures of objects starting with /a/ (e.g., apple, ant, alligator, aeroplane)
• Flashcards with uppercase ‘A’ and lowercase ‘a’
• MP4 Player or tablet for video playback
• Real objects like a toy apple or an ant model (if available)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for Pre-School Level 1 pupils as it introduces them to early phonological awareness, a foundational skill for literacy development. Learning to recognise and pronounce the /a/ sound helps children connect sounds to objects and words, enhancing their speech development and preparing them for future reading.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have previously listened to various sounds in their environment and can speak a few simple words. They are also familiar with looking at pictures and identifying common objects.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Sound /a/: Recognition and Pronunciation

The sound /a/ is a short, open vowel sound. To make the /a/ sound, your mouth opens slightly, and your tongue lies flat in your mouth. It’s the sound you hear at the beginning of words like:

• Apple
• Ant
• Alligator
• Aeroplane

We can hear the /a/ sound in many words around us!

Key Words

• /a/ – The sound we make at the beginning of words like ‘apple’.
• Apple – A round fruit that often starts with the /a/ sound.
• Ant – A small insect that often starts with the /a/ sound.

Our Sound /a/ Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

/a/, /a/, /a/ like apple,
/a/, /a/, /a/ like ant.
Open mouth and say /a/,
Happy sound for us today!

Actions:

• For “/a/, /a/, /a/ like apple”: Open mouth slightly and pretend to bite an apple.
• For “/a/, /a/, /a/ like ant”: Wiggle fingers like a crawling ant.
• For “Open mouth and say /a/”: Open mouth wide and point to mouth.
• For “Happy sound for us today!”: Clap hands happily.

Watch and Practise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_jQ423gQ0A

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Play-based Learning
• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk
• Repetition
• Manipulation of Objects (if real objects are used)

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: Greet pupils warmly. Sing a familiar greeting song. Tell pupils they will learn a new, fun sound today.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher and sing along. They listen attentively.

Learning Point: Pupils are settled and ready to learn.

Step 2: Presentation of Sound /a/

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher makes the /a/ sound clearly, showing the mouth shape. “Today, we will learn the sound /a/! Listen: /a/, /a/, /a/.” The teacher repeats the sound slowly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher making the /a/ sound and try to imitate the mouth shape.

Learning Point: Pupils hear and observe the correct production of the /a/ sound.

Step 3: Identification of /a/ in Pictures

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Picture Talk/Association

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows picture cards (apple, ant, alligator) one by one. “Look! This is an apple. Apple starts with /a/.” The teacher emphasizes the /a/ sound in each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures and listen to the teacher say the words, focusing on the initial /a/ sound.

Learning Point: Pupils associate the /a/ sound with familiar objects.

Step 4: Guided Pronunciation Practice

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Repetition/Correction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to repeat the /a/ sound after him/her, both individually and as a group. “Now, let’s all say /a/, /a/, /a/!” The teacher also guides them to say the words: “apple,” “ant.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the /a/ sound and the example words after the teacher, trying to mimic the pronunciation.

Learning Point: Pupils practise pronouncing the /a/ sound and words correctly.

Step 5: Rhyme/Song Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Songs and Rhymes/Movement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces and leads pupils in singing “Our Sound /a/ Rhyme” with actions. The teacher encourages pupils to make the /a/ sound during the song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along with the rhyme, performing the actions and trying to make the /a/ sound.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their recognition and pronunciation of /a/ through a fun, interactive rhyme.

Step 6: Video Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Audio-Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays the “Letter A Sound Song – Phonics for Kids” video on the MP4 player. After the video, the teacher asks pupils to repeat the /a/ sound and point to any objects they remember from the video that start with /a/.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video and listen to the sounds. They then repeat the /a/ sound and try to point to /a/ objects.

Learning Point: Pupils get further exposure and practice with the /a/ sound through a visual and auditory medium.

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 sound did we learn today?” (Teacher prompts /a/)
2. “Can you say the /a/ sound?”
3. “Point to the picture that starts with /a/.” (Teacher shows ‘apple’ and another non-/a/ picture like ‘ball’)
4. “Let’s sing our /a/ rhyme one more time!”

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: Summarisation/Praise

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their participation and effort. “Well done, everyone! You all did a great job learning the /a/ sound today!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the praise and prepare for the next activity or dismissal.

Learning Point: Pupils feel encouraged and motivated.

Lesson Keywords

• /a/ – The short sound like in ‘apple’.
• Apple – A round, sweet fruit.
• Ant – A tiny insect that crawls.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with pronunciation, the teacher can provide more one-on-one repetition, use hand-over-hand to guide mouth shape, and offer larger picture cards for easier identification. Focus on just one or two /a/ words.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, the teacher can ask them to identify other familiar objects in the classroom that might start with the /a/ sound (e.g., asking if ‘arm’ or ‘axe’ starts with /a/ if appropriate for their vocabulary). They can also be encouraged to lead the rhyme.