Tracing and Writing Letters l, m and n for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 6
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: Tracing and Writing Letters i, j and k
Topic: Tracing and Writing Letters l, m and n for Pre-School Level 4
Subject Matter: Tracing and Writing Letters l, m, n.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the sound of letter ‘m’.
• Identify the sound of letter ‘n’.
• Recognise the lowercase letter ‘l’.
• Recognise the uppercase letter ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’.
• Recognise the uppercase letter ‘N’ and lowercase ‘n’.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm while learning to trace letters.
• Participate actively in tracing and writing activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Grip a pencil correctly using the tripod fingers.
• Trace the lowercase letter ‘l’ accurately.
• Trace the uppercase letter ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’ accurately.
• Trace the uppercase letter ‘N’ and lowercase ‘n’ accurately.
• Write the lowercase letter ‘l’ independently.
• Write the uppercase letter ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’ independently.
• Write the uppercase letter ‘N’ and lowercase ‘n’ independently.

Social Domain

• Share learning materials like pencils and erasers respectfully.

Reference Materials

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

Instructional Materials

• Handwriting books
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Markers or chalk
• Charts showing letters ‘l’, ‘m’, ‘n’ (both uppercase and lowercase where applicable)
• Picture cards of objects starting with ‘l’, ‘m’, ‘n’ (e.g., lemon, lion, mango, moon, nest, nose)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for Pre-School Level 4 pupils as it builds foundational handwriting skills. Learning to trace and write letters ‘l’, ‘m’, and ‘n’ correctly helps develop fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, and prepares children for fluent reading and writing. Mastering these letters contributes to early literacy by connecting letter shapes to their sounds.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can hold a pencil, make basic strokes (vertical, horizontal, curved lines), and may have been introduced to some other letters of the alphabet.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Tracing and Writing Letters l, m and n

Today, we will learn to trace and write three special letters: ‘l’, ‘m’, and ‘n’. We will also learn the sounds for ‘m’ and ‘n’.

Correct Pencil Grip (Tripod Grip)

• Hold your pencil with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. This is called the tripod grip.
• Your ring finger and pinky finger should be tucked in.
• This grip helps you control your pencil better for writing.

Letter ‘l’ (lowercase)

• Sound: The letter ‘l’ makes the /l/ sound, like in “lemon” or “lion”.
• Formation:
  1. Start at the top.
  2. Draw a straight line down.
• Examples: lemon, lion, leaf, lamp.

Letter ‘M’ and ‘m’ (Uppercase and Lowercase)

• Sound: The letter ‘m’ makes the /m/ sound, like in “mango” or “moon”. Your lips come together.
• Formation of Uppercase ‘M’:
  1. Start at the top, draw a straight line down.
  2. Go back to the top, slant down to the middle.
  3. Slant up to the top.
  4. Draw a straight line down.
• Formation of Lowercase ‘m’:
  1. Start at the middle, draw a straight line down.
  2. Go back up to the middle, make a curve down.
  3. Go back up, make another curve down.
• Examples: mango, moon, mat, milk.

Letter ‘N’ and ‘n’ (Uppercase and Lowercase)

• Sound: The letter ‘n’ makes the /n/ sound, like in “nest” or “nose”. Your tongue touches the roof of your mouth.
• Formation of Uppercase ‘N’:
  1. Start at the top, draw a straight line down.
  2. Go back to the top, slant down to the bottom.
  3. Draw a straight line up.
• Formation of Lowercase ‘n’:
  1. Start at the middle, draw a straight line down.
  2. Go back up to the middle, make a curve down.
• Examples: nest, nose, net, nail.

Letter Tracing Rhyme

Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Line down for letter ‘l’,
So simple, can’t you tell?
‘M’ goes up and down, around,
Making its /m/ sound.
‘N’ goes up and down, then curve,
Making its /n/ sound, observe!

Actions: Pupils use their fingers to trace the letters in the air as they sing each line.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme after introducing each letter to reinforce its shape and sound. Encourage pupils to trace the letter in the air with their fingers.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a video to see how to trace and write these letters correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e6T3e5K6_Q

Key Words

• l – The twelfth letter of the alphabet.
• m – The thirteenth letter of the alphabet, makes the /m/ sound.
• n – The fourteenth letter of the alphabet, makes the /n/ sound.
• Trace – To draw over a line or shape.
• Write – To form letters with a pen or pencil.
• Sound – The noise a letter makes.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Draw large uppercase and lowercase letters ‘l’, ‘M’, ‘m’, ‘N’, ‘n’ on the board.
• Display picture cards for words like lemon, lion, mango, moon, nest, nose.
• Demonstrate the correct tripod pencil grip.
• Demonstrate tracing each letter in the air and on the board.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

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, leads a short warm-up song, and asks pupils to show how they hold their pencils. The teacher reminds them of the tripod grip.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, sing along, and demonstrate their pencil grip.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and reminded of the correct pencil grip.

Step 2: Introduction of Letter ‘l’ (lowercase)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Presentation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the lowercase letter ‘l’, saying its sound /l/. The teacher shows a picture of a lemon and a lion, emphasizing the /l/ sound. The teacher demonstrates how to form ‘l’ in the air and on the board (a straight line down).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the /l/ sound, identify pictures, and trace ‘l’ in the air with their fingers.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letter ‘l’ and its sound, and learn its formation.

Step 3: Guided Tracing and Writing of ‘l’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to trace letter ‘l’ in their handwriting books. The teacher walks around, checking pencil grip and formation, providing individual help.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace and attempt to write letter ‘l’ in their books, focusing on the correct grip and stroke.

Learning Point: Pupils practice tracing and writing ‘l’ with guidance.

Step 4: Introduction of Letter ‘M’ and ‘m’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Presentation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces uppercase ‘M’ and lowercase ‘m’, saying its sound /m/. The teacher shows pictures of a mango and moon, emphasizing the /m/ sound. The teacher demonstrates how to form ‘M’ and ‘m’ in the air and on the board. The class sings the tracing rhyme.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the /m/ sound, identify pictures, trace ‘M’ and ‘m’ in the air, and sing the rhyme.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letters ‘M’, ‘m’ and their sound, and learn their formation.

Step 5: Guided Tracing and Writing of ‘M’ and ‘m’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to trace and write ‘M’ and ‘m’ in their handwriting books. The teacher continues to supervise pencil grip and letter formation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils trace and attempt to write ‘M’ and ‘m’ in their books.

Learning Point: Pupils practice tracing and writing ‘M’ and ‘m’ with guidance.

Step 6: Introduction of Letter ‘N’ and ‘n’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Presentation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces uppercase ‘N’ and lowercase ‘n’, saying its sound /n/. The teacher shows pictures of a nest and nose, emphasizing the /n/ sound. The teacher demonstrates how to form ‘N’ and ‘n’ in the air and on the board. The class sings the tracing rhyme again.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the /n/ sound, identify pictures, trace ‘N’ and ‘n’ in the air, and sing the rhyme.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise letters ‘N’, ‘n’ and their sound, and learn their formation.

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. “Show me how you write the letter ‘l’ in the air.”
2. “What sound does letter ‘m’ make?”
3. “Point to the letter ‘N’ on the chart.”
4. “Trace letter ‘m’ and ‘n’ 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: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Recap/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their effort and good work. The teacher quickly reviews the letters and sounds learned. The teacher gives a simple homework assignment (e.g., trace ‘l’, ‘m’, ‘n’ at home).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, respond to praise, and note down their homework.

Learning Point: Pupils feel encouraged and remember the letters learned.

Lesson Keywords

• l – A letter formed by a straight line down.
• m – A letter with two humps, making the /m/ sound.
• n – A letter with one hump, making the /n/ sound.
• Trace – To draw over a dotted letter.
• Write – To form a letter on your own.
• Tripod grip – The way we hold a pencil with three fingers.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with pencil grip or letter formation, the teacher will provide hand-over-hand guidance. They can use larger letters for tracing or practise with finger painting/sand tracing to develop muscle memory. Focus on one letter at a time if needed.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, the teacher can encourage them to write simple words starting with ‘l’, ‘m’, ‘n’ (e.g., “lap”, “man”, “net”) or identify more objects around the classroom that begin with these sounds.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Ensure you have all instructional materials ready before the lesson begins, especially clear charts of the letters and relevant picture cards. Emphasize the tripod pencil grip repeatedly, as it is crucial for developing good handwriting habits. Demonstrate each letter formation slowly and clearly, breaking it down into simple steps. Allow ample time for pupils to practice tracing and writing in their books, providing individualised feedback and encouragement. Use the rhyme and video to make the lesson engaging and reinforce learning. Observe pupils closely during the tracing activities to identify those who need extra support or those who are ready for more challenging tasks. Praise effort and progress, not just perfection.