Recognition of Seventh Sound Group qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar for Pre-School Level 3

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: Second Term
Week: 4
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Recognition of previous sound groups and basic letter sounds.
Topic: Seventh Sound Group qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar: Recognition
Subject Matter: Introduction of the seventh group of sounds qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar – Blending sounds – Word formation.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify and recognise the sound groups qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar when shown.
• Say the sounds qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar clearly.
• Name simple words containing the target sound groups.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm while participating in sound practice.
• Listen attentively to the teacher and peers during activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to the correct sound group when called out.
• Perform actions associated with example words (e.g., quack for ‘qu’).

Social Domain

• Take turns when identifying sounds or words.
• Participate in group chanting of sounds and words.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3.
• Early Childhood Care and Education Phonics resources.

Instructional Materials

• Large flashcards with sound groups: qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar.
• Picture cards for example words (e.g., queen, cloud, coin, blue, teacher, car, star).
• Whiteboard and markers.
• Sound recorder (optional, for recording pupils’ voices).

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for 4-year-olds as it introduces essential sound combinations that are building blocks for reading and spelling. Recognising these sound groups helps children decode words, improve their pronunciation, and develop early literacy skills, which are crucial for future academic success.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can already recognise some individual letter sounds and have been introduced to earlier sound groups. They can also identify familiar objects and pictures.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Seventh Sound Group: qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar

Today we are learning new sound groups! Listen carefully and look at the pictures.

The Sound Group ‘qu’

• The letters ‘q’ and ‘u’ often come together to make the /kw/ sound.
• Example words: queen (like a queen on a throne), quack (like a duck says), quiet.

The Sound Group ‘ou’

• The letters ‘o’ and ‘u’ often make the /ow/ sound.
• Example words: cloud (like a cloud in the sky), house (where we live), mouse.

The Sound Group ‘oi’

• The letters ‘o’ and ‘i’ often make the /oy/ sound.
• Example words: coin (money), oil (for cooking), boil.

The Sound Group ‘ue’

• The letters ‘u’ and ‘e’ often make the /oo/ or /yoo/ sound.
• Example words: blue (a colour), glue (to stick things), true.

The Sound Group ‘er’

• The letters ‘e’ and ‘r’ often make the /er/ sound.
• Example words: teacher (who teaches us), flower (a beautiful plant), sister.

The Sound Group ‘ar’

• The letters ‘a’ and ‘r’ often make the /ar/ sound.
• Example words: car (we ride in it), star (shines in the sky), farm.

Sound Group Rhyme

Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

‘Qu’ says /kw/, like a queen so grand,
‘Ou’ says /ow/, across the land.
‘Oi’ says /oy/, with a happy sound,
‘Ue’ says /oo/, all around.
‘Er’ says /er/, in a flower so bright,
‘Ar’ says /ar/, with all its might!

Actions: For ‘qu’, make a queen’s crown gesture. For ‘ou’, point to a cloud. For ‘oi’, pretend to drop a coin. For ‘ue’, point to something blue. For ‘er’, make a flower shape with hands. For ‘ar’, pretend to drive a car.

Watch and Practise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wQ7-D10b3Y

Key Words

• Sound Group – Two or more letters that make one sound together.
• Recognise – To know or identify something when you see or hear it.
• Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.

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: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, leads a short greeting song, and briefly reviews some previously learned letter sounds. The teacher then introduces the new topic: “Today, we will learn about new special sounds that two letters make together!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and recall previous sounds. They listen attentively to the introduction of the new topic.

Learning Point: Pupils are prepared and motivated for the new lesson.

Step 2: Introduction of Sounds ‘qu’ and ‘ou’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows the flashcard for ‘qu’, says the /kw/ sound clearly, and shows pictures of ‘queen’ and ‘quack’. Pupils are encouraged to repeat the sound and words. The teacher then repeats the process for ‘ou’ (e.g., ‘cloud’, ‘house’).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards and pictures, listen to the teacher, and repeat the sounds /kw/ and /ow/ and the example words.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and orally produce the ‘qu’ and ‘ou’ sounds.

Step 3: Introduction of Sounds ‘oi’ and ‘ue’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces ‘oi’ with its /oy/ sound and examples like ‘coin’ and ‘oil’. Then, the teacher introduces ‘ue’ with its /oo/ sound and examples like ‘blue’ and ‘glue’. For each, the teacher shows flashcards and pictures, and guides pupils to repeat.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flashcards, listen to the sounds /oy/ and /oo/, and repeat the sounds and example words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and orally produce the ‘oi’ and ‘ue’ sounds.

Step 4: Introduction of Sounds ‘er’ and ‘ar’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Association/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents ‘er’ with its /er/ sound and examples like ‘teacher’ and ‘flower’. Finally, ‘ar’ is introduced with its /ar/ sound and examples like ‘car’ and ‘star’. The teacher uses flashcards and pictures for each, ensuring pupils repeat the sounds and words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the flashcards, listen to the sounds /er/ and /ar/, and repeat the sounds and example words.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and orally produce the ‘er’ and ‘ar’ sounds.

Step 5: Blending and Word Formation Practice

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Blending/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes simple words containing the target sounds on the board (e.g., q-u-een, c-l-ou-d, c-oi-n, b-l-ue, t-each-er, c-ar). The teacher models blending the sounds to form the word, then asks pupils to try. For example, “Let’s blend ‘c’ and ‘ar’ together… c-ar, car!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch and listen as the teacher blends sounds. They then attempt to blend the sounds to form the words as guided by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils practise blending the learned sound groups into simple words.

Step 6: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the class in singing the “Sound Group Rhyme” with actions. After the rhyme, the teacher plays the short educational video on sound groups, asking pupils to listen for the sounds they just learned.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and watch the video, listening for the target sounds. They may point to the sounds on flashcards if they hear them in the video.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their recognition of the sound groups through song and visual media.

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 ‘ou’ sound on the flashcard.”
2. “What sound do ‘o’ and ‘i’ make together?”
3. “Show me a picture of something that has the ‘ar’ sound.”
4. “Say a word that has the ‘qu’ sound.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate by pointing to flashcards or saying words.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Encouraging

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and effort in learning the new sound groups. The teacher reminds them to keep practising these sounds at home and gives a simple task like drawing a picture of a ‘car’ or a ‘flower’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s summary and praise, and acknowledge the home activity.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to continue practising the learned sounds.

Lesson Keywords

• Qu – A sound group often heard in words like ‘queen’.
• Ou – A sound group often heard in words like ‘cloud’.
• Oi – A sound group often heard in words like ‘coin’.
• Ue – A sound group often heard in words like ‘blue’.
• Er – A sound group often heard in words like ‘teacher’.
• Ar – A sound group often heard in words like ‘car’.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with recognition, provide larger flashcards, more one-on-one repetition, and hand-over-hand guidance to point to the correct sounds. Focus on only 2-3 sound groups at a time for these pupils.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the sounds, challenge them to identify other familiar words that contain these sound groups or to draw pictures for each sound group independently. They can also try to write the sound groups on a small whiteboard.