Spelling and Reading Words Up to Four Letters for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Third Term
Week: 6
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Previous Lesson: Identifying and sounding out letters of the alphabet.
Topic: Spelling and Reading Words Up to Four Letters
Subject Matter: SPEECH STRUCTURE. Weekly focus: Spelling and Reading Words Up to Four Letters.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify and pronounce simple two, three, and four-letter words.
• Spell simple two, three, and four-letter words as guided by the teacher.
• Read simple words up to four letters.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm for learning new words.
• Listen attentively to the teacher’s guidance.

Psychomotor Domain

• Copy simple words correctly in their writing books.
• Attempt to write simple words independently.

Social Domain

• Participate actively in group word-building activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Relevant early-years literacy workbook

Instructional Materials

• Word charts with two, three, and four-letter words
• Flashcards with individual letters and simple words
• MP3 player and MP4 player for audio/visual aids
• Writing books and pencils
• Letter tiles or magnetic letters

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for Pre-School Level 4 pupils as it builds foundational literacy skills by teaching them to spell and read short words. Mastering these skills helps children decode written language, boosting their confidence and preparing them for more complex reading and writing tasks in primary school.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise and sound out individual letters of the alphabet. They can also identify some simple sight words and have basic pre-writing skills.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Spelling and Reading Words Up to Four Letters

Learning to spell means saying the letters in a word in the correct order. Learning to read means looking at the letters and saying the whole word.

How to Spell and Read Words

We can put letter sounds together to make words. This is called blending.

• Two-letter words: We know these as sight words (e.g., go, to, in, on, it, is).
• Three-letter words: We can sound out the letters and blend them.
  • C-V-C words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant): These are common and easy to sound out.
    Example: c-a-t (cat), d-o-g (dog), s-u-n (sun)
  • C-C-C words (Consonant blends with a vowel sound): These words have consonant sounds blended together.
    Example: t-r-y (try), f-r-y (fry)
  • C-V-V words (Vowel digraphs): Two vowels together make one sound.
    Example: t-oo (too), s-ea (sea), b-ee (bee), f-ee (fee)
  • C-C-V words (Consonant digraphs/blends with a vowel): Two consonants together make one sound, or blend.
    Example: sh-e (she), th-e (the), b-r-a (bra), tw-o (two), sp-a (spa), wh-o (who)
• Four-letter words: We can also sound out and blend four letters.
  Example: b-o-o-k (book), r-e-a-d (read), t-a-l-k (talk), g-i-r-l (girl), f-o-o-d (food), s-i-n-g (sing)

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Display word charts with clear, large words like “cat,” “dog,” “book,” “read.”
• Show flashcards of individual letters and then combine them to form words.
• Demonstrate how to sound out each letter and then blend them to say the whole word.
• Write the words clearly on the board for pupils to copy.

Sounding Out Words Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
Letters make a word for me.
Sound them out, one by one,
Reading words is so much fun!
C-A-T, that spells cat,
Reading words, just like that!

Actions: Point to letters as you sing them, then pretend to read a book, and finally, clap for “so much fun.” For “C-A-T,” point to each letter on a flashcard or chart.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme together, emphasizing the idea of sounding out letters to make words. Use flashcards or a word chart to demonstrate the “C-A-T” example.

Watch and Practise Blending Sounds

Let’s watch a video that shows us how to put sounds together to read words. Pay attention and try to blend the sounds with the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh1jC74F42E

Key Words

• Spell – to say the letters in a word in the correct order.
• Read – to look at letters and say the whole word.
• Word – a group of letters that has a meaning.
• Letter – a symbol used to write a sound.
• Sound – what we hear when we say a letter or word.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Repetition, Practical Activity, Manipulation of Objects (letter tiles).

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recap

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and quickly reviews letter sounds by holding up letter flashcards and asking pupils to say the sound. The teacher then introduces the topic by explaining that today they will learn to put these sounds together to make and read words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, say letter sounds, and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Pupils recall letter sounds and understand the purpose of the lesson.

Step 2: Presentation of Two and Three-Letter Words

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher uses flashcards and word charts to introduce simple two-letter words (e.g., “go,” “in”) and then three-letter words. The teacher demonstrates how to sound out each letter and then blend them to read the whole word, focusing on CVC words first (e.g., “cat,” “dog,” “sun”). The teacher also introduces simple C-C-C (try), C-V-V (too), and C-C-V (she) words from the seed, explaining simply how the letters blend to make a sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the sounds and words after the teacher, pointing to the letters on the charts/flashcards.

Learning Point: Pupils learn to sound out and blend letters to form simple two and three-letter words.

Step 3: Guided Practice with Four-Letter Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Pronunciation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flashcards or writes random four-letter words (e.g., “book,” “read,” “talk,” “girl,” “food,” “sing”) on the board. The teacher guides pupils to pronounce and spell these words by sounding out each letter and then blending them together.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils echo the teacher, sounding out and spelling the four-letter words. They attempt to read the words independently.

Learning Point: Pupils practice sounding out and reading four-letter words.

Step 4: Word Building Activity

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Practical Activity/Manipulation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes letter tiles or magnetic letters to small groups or pairs. The teacher calls out simple words (e.g., “fan,” “fish,” “ball,” “rain”) and asks pupils to use their letter tiles to build the words. The teacher circulates to assist and check their work.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in groups/pairs to arrange the letter tiles to form the words called out by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils physically manipulate letters to form words, reinforcing spelling.

Step 5: Rhyme Reinforcement

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Songs and Rhymes

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Sounding Out Words Rhyme” again, encouraging them to perform the actions and sound out the example words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions, actively participating in sounding out words.

Learning Point: The rhyme reinforces the concept of blending sounds to read words in a fun, memorable way.

Step 6: Copying and Writing Words

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes a few simple two, three, and four-letter words (e.g., “go,” “cat,” “book”) clearly on the board. The teacher guides pupils to copy these words into their writing books, emphasizing correct letter formation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils carefully copy the words from the board into their writing books, attempting to write them correctly.

Learning Point: Pupils develop their writing skills by copying simple words.

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. “Spell the word ‘dog’ for me.”
2. “Point to the word ‘fish’ on the chart.”
3. “Read this word: B-O-O-K.”
4. “Write the word ‘sun’ in your book.”

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: Summarization

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort and reminds them that practicing sounding out letters helps them read many words. The teacher encourages them to look for letters and words around them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and respond to the teacher’s concluding remarks.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to continue practicing spelling and reading.

Lesson Keywords

• Spell – to say the letters in a word in the correct order.
• Read – to look at letters and say the whole word.
• Word – a group of letters that has a meaning.
• Letter – a symbol used to write a sound.
• Sound – what we hear when we say a letter or word.
• Blend – to put sounds together to make a word.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who are struggling, the teacher can use larger letter flashcards, focus on only two or three-letter words, provide hand-over-hand guidance for writing, and allow more repetition. Peer support can also be encouraged.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, the teacher can challenge them to spell and read more four-letter words independently, or identify words with similar sounds (e.g., words that rhyme with “cat”). They can also try to form short, simple sentences with the words they have learned.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, ensure all word charts, flashcards, and letter tiles are prepared and easily accessible. The MP3/MP4 player should be tested. The core idea for pupils to grasp is that individual letter sounds combine to form words. Emphasize sounding out each letter and then blending them smoothly. For the C-C-C, C-V-V, and C-C-V words, focus on the *sound* they make rather than the technical linguistic labels, as these are too complex for KG. For example, for “try,” explain that ‘t’ and ‘r’ blend together to make a ‘tr’ sound, then add ‘y’. Repeat the rhyme multiple times throughout the lesson to reinforce the concept. Observe pupils’ ability to sound out, blend, and then write words. Look for their confidence in attempting to read new simple words as an indicator of understanding. Encourage all attempts, even if imperfect, to build their confidence.