Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Second Term
Week: 5
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: Recognition and formation of various letter patterns and short letters.
Topic: Tall Sounds h, b, d and f: Identify and Copy
Subject Matter: Identify and Copy the Tall Sounds: (h, b, d, f). Weekly focus: Tall Sounds h, b, d and f: Identify and Copy.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

Identify the tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’ when shown.
Recognise that these letters are called “tall sounds” because they reach up.

Affective Domain

Show enthusiasm for learning to write new letters.
Cooperate with the teacher and peers during handwriting activities.

Psychomotor Domain

Form the tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’ in the air and on the whiteboard.
Copy the tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’ correctly in their handwriting books.

Listen attentively to instructions during the lesson.
Participate in group activities like air-tracing.

Reference Materials

NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
Early Childhood Care and Education Handwriting resources
Relevant early-years handwriting workbooks

Instructional Materials

Handwriting books
Pencils and erasers
Flashcards with large ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’
Whiteboard and markers
Chart showing correct formation of tall letters

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for 5-year-olds as it introduces them to a specific group of letters that share a common characteristic: their height. Learning to identify and correctly form tall letters like ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’ helps pupils develop proper letter spacing and proportion, which are foundational skills for legible and neat handwriting in later stages.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have prior knowledge of holding a pencil correctly, making basic strokes (lines and curves), and recognising some short letters. They also understand simple instructions for tracing and copying.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Tall Sounds h, b, d and f: Identify and Copy

Today, we are learning about special letters called “Tall Sounds”! These letters are tall because they reach up high, like a tall tree or a tall person.

What Makes a Letter “Tall”?

Tall letters start from the top line (or near the top) and go down.
They are taller than the “short” letters we have learned before.

Let’s Meet Our Tall Sounds: h, b, d, f

Letter ‘h’ (Sound: /h/ as in “hat”)

Starts at the top, straight line down.
Then a small curve from the middle, down to the bottom.

Letter ‘b’ (Sound: /b/ as in “ball”)

Starts at the top, straight line down.
Then a curve from the middle, around to the bottom on the right side.

Letter ‘d’ (Sound: /d/ as in “drum”)

Starts with a ‘c’ shape (round shape) first.
Then a straight line up from the ‘c’ shape, and down again.

Letter ‘f’ (Sound: /f/ as in “fish”)

Starts with a curve at the top, then a straight line down.
Then a small line across the middle.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

The teacher will draw large examples of each letter ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’ on the whiteboard, demonstrating the correct starting points and stroke directions. Use dotted lines for tracing practice.

h: Start at the top, straight line down, then up to the middle and curve down.
b: Start at the top, straight line down, then up to the middle and curve around.
d: Start like a ‘c’, then go up tall and straight down.
f: Start with a little curve at the top, straight line down, then a crossbar in the middle.

Tall Letter Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Tall letters reach up high,
To the sky, oh, to the sky.
‘h’ and ‘b’ and ‘d’ and ‘f’,
Practice them, give your best.
Tall letters reach up high,
To the sky, oh, to the sky.

Actions: Pupils reach their hands up high when singing “reach up high”, and make the air-tracing motion for each letter as it is called out.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme together to help pupils remember the concept of tall letters and their names. Encourage them to do the actions.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a video to see how these tall letters are formed, and then we will practise together!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYc3vWq9G6U

(Teacher: Play the video from the beginning, focusing on the formation of ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’. Pause to allow pupils to air-trace.)

Key Words

Tall – reaching high up.
Sound – the noise a letter makes.
Form – to make the shape of a letter.
Copy – to write something exactly as you see it.

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/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and asks them to show how they hold their pencils. The teacher then reminds them about some letters they already know and introduces the idea of “tall letters” by showing a picture of a tall building or tree.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, demonstrate pencil grip, and respond to questions about known letters. They look at the picture and listen attentively.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and ready to learn about new letters.

Step 2: Presentation – Identifying Tall Sounds

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Identification/Recognition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flashcards of ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’ and explains that these are “tall sounds” because they reach up high. The teacher says each letter name and its sound, giving a simple example word (e.g., h for hat, b for ball, d for drum, f for fish). Pupils repeat after the teacher.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the flashcards, listen to the teacher, and repeat the letter names and sounds. They point to the tall part of each letter.

Learning Point: Pupils identify the tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’ and associate them with their sounds.

Step 3: Demonstration and Guided Practice – Forming ‘h’ and ‘b’

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates the correct formation of ‘h’ and ‘b’ on the whiteboard, explaining each stroke clearly (e.g., “straight line down from the top, then a curve”). The teacher then guides pupils to air-trace the letters and trace them on their palms or desks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the teacher’s demonstration, air-trace the letters ‘h’ and ‘b’, and practise tracing them on their palms/desks, following the teacher’s instructions.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the correct stroke order and direction for forming ‘h’ and ‘b’.

Step 4: Demonstration and Guided Practice – Forming ‘d’ and ‘f’

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: Similar to Step 3, the teacher demonstrates the correct formation of ‘d’ and ‘f’ on the whiteboard, giving clear verbal cues. The teacher then guides pupils to air-trace and trace these letters.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the teacher’s demonstration, air-trace the letters ‘d’ and ‘f’, and practise tracing them on their palms/desks.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the correct stroke order and direction for forming ‘d’ and ‘f’.

Step 5: Reinforcement – Rhyme and Identification Game

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the class in singing the “Tall Letter Rhyme” with actions. The teacher then quickly shows flashcards of various letters (some tall, some short) and asks pupils to clap only when they see a tall letter.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and participate in the clapping game, identifying tall letters from a mix.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their recognition of tall letters and enjoy a fun, active learning experience.

Step 6: Application – Copying Tall Sounds

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Supervision

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes handwriting books, pencils, and erasers. The teacher writes ‘h, b, d, f’ clearly on the board as a guide and instructs pupils to copy them in their books, reminding them to start from the top and make them tall. The teacher walks around, observing and providing individual guidance.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils open their books, pick up their pencils, and carefully copy the tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’ in their handwriting books, applying the learned strokes.

Learning Point: Pupils practise forming and copying the tall sounds independently.

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.

Show me the letter ‘h’ on your flashcard.
Which of these letters is a tall sound: ‘a’ or ‘b’?
Can you air-trace the letter ‘d’?
Show me your handwriting book where you copied the letter ‘f’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate (pointing, air-tracing, showing their work).

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson by identifying and showing their copied tall letters.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Closure/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort and good work, reiterating that they have learned about tall sounds ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’. The teacher encourages them to keep practising.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils tidy up their materials and respond to the teacher’s encouragement.

Learning Point: Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment and are motivated to continue practising their handwriting.

Lesson Keywords

Tall – Letters that reach up high.
h – A tall letter sound, like in ‘hat’.
b – A tall letter sound, like in ‘ball’.
d – A tall letter sound, like in ‘drum’.
f – A tall letter sound, like in ‘fish’.
Copy – To write something exactly as it is shown.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils who struggle, provide larger tracing templates with arrows indicating stroke direction. Use hand-over-hand guidance for pencil grip and initial strokes. Focus on one letter at a time before moving to the next.
Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, encourage them to identify other tall letters they might know (e.g., ‘l’, ‘t’, ‘k’) or to draw simple objects that start with the ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’ sounds.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have large, clear flashcards or a chart showing the correct formation of ‘h’, ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’. Prepare the whiteboard with guide lines if possible, to demonstrate the “tallness” of the letters. Emphasize the starting point and direction for each stroke, as this is crucial for developing good handwriting habits. Encourage pupils to use their whole arm for air-tracing before using their pencils. Observe their pencil grip and posture during the copying activity, correcting gently as needed. For assessment, focus on effort and general understanding of the “tall” concept and the main strokes, rather than perfect formation, which comes with practice. Repeat the rhyme and air-tracing throughout the week to reinforce learning.