Sounds /a/-/z/ and Writing Letters e-f for Pre-School Level 1

Class: Pre-School Level 1
Term: Third Term
Week: 6
Age: 2 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Previous Lesson: Pupils have been exposed to various sounds and simple pre-writing activities.
Topic: Sounds /a/-/z/ and Writing Letters e-f
Subject Matter: Speech: Sounds: /a/ – /z/ Sounding and recognition of sounds; Writing: Tracing and Writing Letters e – f; Rhyme: Grandpa’s farm.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Recognise that letters have sounds.
• Identify the sounds for letters ‘e’ and ‘f’.
• Recognise uppercase ‘E’ and ‘F’, and lowercase ‘e’ and ‘f’.
• Identify objects that start with the /e/ and /f/ sounds.

Affective Domain

• Show enjoyment in repeating letter sounds.
• Participate enthusiastically in singing rhymes and sound games.
• Show interest in tracing and colouring activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Make simple tracing movements for letters ‘e’ and ‘f’ in the air, sand, or on paper.
• Colour objects neatly.
• Point to specific letters when named.

Social Domain

• Participate in group activities like singing and sound repetition.
• Take turns during sound identification games.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 1
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Suitable early-years literacy workbook

Instructional Materials

• Charts displaying uppercase and lowercase letters E, e, F, f
• Picture cards of objects starting with various sounds (e.g., apple, ball, cat, egg, elephant, fish, fan)
• MP4 Player (for video/audio)
• Crayons
• Writing books/sheets with large letter outlines for tracing
• Sand tray or finger paint for tactile tracing
• Rhyme book (for “Grandpa’s Farm” / Old MacDonald)
• Sound games (e.g., matching pictures to initial sounds)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson introduces 2-year-olds to the foundational concept that letters have distinct sounds, which is crucial for early literacy development. Practising the sounds and shapes of ‘e’ and ‘f’ helps build phonological awareness and fine motor skills necessary for future reading and writing, connecting abstract letters to concrete sounds and actions in a fun, engaging way.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some familiar objects, make simple sounds, and hold a crayon or finger paint tool.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Sounds /a/-/z/ and Writing Letters e-f

Letters have sounds! We hear sounds all around us, and letters also make sounds.

Letter Ee

• Uppercase E: E (Show large E)
• Lowercase e: e (Show large e)
• Sound: /e/ (as in ‘egg’, ‘elephant’)
• Example Words: egg, elephant

Letter Ff

• Uppercase F: F (Show large F)
• Lowercase f: f (Show large f)
• Sound: /f/ (as in ‘fish’, ‘fan’)
• Example Words: fish, fan

Tracing Letters e and f

• Letter e: Start in the middle, go round and up, then down and curve.
• Letter f: Start at the top, curve down, then a small line across the middle.

Key Words

• Sound – what we hear.
• Letter – a symbol we write.
• Trace – to draw over a line.

Sound Rhyme: Grandpa’s Farm (Tune: Old MacDonald Had a Farm)

Lyrics:

Grandpa’s farm has many sounds, E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm, he has a cow, E-I-E-I-O!
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo-moo!
Grandpa’s farm has many sounds, E-I-E-I-O!

Grandpa’s farm has many sounds, E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm, he has a duck, E-I-E-I-O!
With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack-quack!
Grandpa’s farm has many sounds, E-I-E-I-O!

Actions: Pupils make animal sounds and actions (e.g., pretend to milk a cow, waddle like a duck).

Watch and Practise Letter Sounds and Shapes

This video helps us learn about the letter ‘e’ and its sound.

This video helps us learn about the letter ‘f’ and its sound.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Play-based Learning
• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk
• Question and Answer
• Repetition
• Manipulation of Objects (picture cards, sand)
• Practical Activity (tracing, colouring)

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets pupils warmly and sings a familiar greeting song. The teacher then asks pupils to make some animal sounds (e.g., dog, cat, cow) to introduce the idea of different sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and make animal sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and introduced to the concept of sounds.

Step 2: Introduction to Letter Sounds

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Oral Repetition/Recognition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows a few picture cards (e.g., ‘apple’, ‘ball’, ‘cat’) and clearly pronounces their beginning sounds (/a/, /b/, /c/). The teacher explains that letters also make sounds. The teacher then introduces the idea that today they will learn about the sounds of ‘e’ and ‘f’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, listen to the sounds, and attempt to repeat them after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils begin to associate pictures with initial sounds and understand that letters have sounds.

Step 3: Letter Ee – Sound and Recognition

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Recognition/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays charts of uppercase ‘E’ and lowercase ‘e’. The teacher says the sound /e/ clearly (as in ‘egg’) and shows picture cards of ‘egg’ and ‘elephant’. The teacher guides pupils to trace ‘E’ and ‘e’ in the air with their fingers.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the letters, repeat the /e/ sound, point to the pictures, and trace the letters in the air.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letters Ee and their sound /e/, and begin simple tracing movements.

Step 4: Letter Ff – Sound and Recognition

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Recognition/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays charts of uppercase ‘F’ and lowercase ‘f’. The teacher says the sound /f/ clearly (as in ‘fish’) and shows picture cards of ‘fish’ and ‘fan’. The teacher guides pupils to trace ‘F’ and ‘f’ in the air with their fingers.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the letters, repeat the /f/ sound, point to the pictures, and trace the letters in the air.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letters Ff and their sound /f/, and continue simple tracing movements.

Step 5: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Auditory Learning/Visual Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing “Grandpa’s Farm” (Old MacDonald) with actions, focusing on animal sounds. The teacher then plays the two short videos about letters ‘e’ and ‘f’, encouraging pupils to watch and listen carefully.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along, make animal sounds, perform actions, watch the videos, and repeat sounds as prompted.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce sound recognition through song and visual aids, connecting sounds to letters.

Step 6: Guided Tracing and Colouring

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Fine Motor Development/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher provides pupils with writing sheets containing large outlines of Ee and Ff, or guides them to trace in a sand tray/finger paint. The teacher also provides sheets with objects starting with E/F for colouring. The teacher supervises and offers hand-over-hand guidance where needed.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace letters Ee and Ff using their fingers, crayons, or in sand/paint. They also colour the objects beautifully.

Learning Point: Pupils develop fine motor skills and practise forming letter shapes and associating them with objects.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Point to the letter ‘E’ on the chart.”
2. “What sound does ‘e’ make?” (Teacher prompts with ‘egg’ picture).
3. “Point to the letter ‘F’ on the chart.”
4. “What sound does ‘f’ make?” (Teacher prompts with ‘fish’ picture).
5. “Show me how you trace the letter ‘e’ in the air.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate (pointing, saying sounds, air tracing).

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson’s key sounds and letter recognition.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Recap/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their participation and effort. The teacher briefly recaps that they learned about letter sounds and practised tracing ‘e’ and ‘f’. The teacher then leads a closing song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to praise and sing the closing song.

Learning Point: Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment and consolidate learning.

Lesson Keywords

• Sound – what we hear from letters.
• Letter – a written symbol like E or F.
• Trace – to draw over a line or shape.
• Egg – starts with the /e/ sound.
• Fish – starts with the /f/ sound.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with sound recognition, provide more one-on-one repetition with picture cards. For tracing, offer hand-over-hand guidance or use larger outlines for finger painting. Focus on recognising just one form (e.g., uppercase E) before introducing both.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concepts, encourage them to identify other familiar objects in the classroom that start with the /e/ or /f/ sounds. Provide additional tracing opportunities on different textures or try to identify the letters in a simple picture book.