Tracing and Writing Letters o, p and q for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 7
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: Tracing and writing letters n, m, l
Topic: Tracing and Writing Letters o, p and q
Subject Matter: Tracing and Writing Letters: o, p, q. Weekly focus: Tracing and Writing Letters o, p and q.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the sounds /o/, /p/, and /q/.
• Recognise the lowercase letters o, p, and q.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in tracing and writing activities.
• Show interest in forming letters correctly.

Psychomotor Domain

• Hold a pencil with the tripod grip.
• Trace and write the lowercase letters o, p, and q.

Social Domain

• Follow instructions for letter formation.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Early Childhood Care and Education Handwriting Workbook for Pre-School Level 4
• Relevant picture cards for letter sounds

Instructional Materials

• Handwriting books
• Pencils
• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Markers or chalk
• Chart showing letters o, p, q with example pictures (e.g., orange, pig, queen)
• Picture cards of objects starting with o, p, q

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for developing fine motor skills and early literacy in 5-year-olds. Learning to trace and write letters o, p, and q helps pupils build foundational handwriting skills, recognise letter shapes, and associate letters with their sounds, which are essential steps towards reading and writing simple words.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can hold a pencil, make basic strokes, and have traced and written some other letters of the alphabet.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Tracing and Writing Letters o, p and q

Today, we will learn to trace and write three new letters: o, p, and q.

Identifying the Sounds

• o makes the sound /o/ as in orange, octopus.
• p makes the sound /p/ as in pig, pen.
• q makes the sound /q/ as in queen, quilt.

Pencil Grip

Remember to hold your pencil correctly with your tripod fingers (thumb, index finger, and middle finger).

Forming Letter ‘o’ (lowercase)

• Start at the top middle.
• Go round to the left, curve down, then curve up to close the circle.
• It looks like a small circle.

Example:

( )
o

Forming Letter ‘p’ (lowercase)

• Start at the middle line.
• Draw a straight line down below the line.
• Go back up to the middle line and draw a curve to the right, closing it at the middle line.

Example:

|
| )
p

Forming Letter ‘q’ (lowercase)

• Start at the middle line.
• Draw a circle to the left, curve down, and close it at the middle line (like ‘o’).
• Then, draw a straight line down from the right side of the circle, with a small hook to the right at the bottom.

Example:

( )
| /
q

Letter Sound and Action Rhyme

Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Lyrics:

Round like an orange, that’s letter o,
/o/, /o/, /o/, watch it grow.
Down and a bump, that’s letter p,
/p/, /p/, /p/, for you and me.
Circle and a tail, that’s letter q,
/q/, /q/, /q/, for me and you.

Actions:

• For ‘o’: Make a round shape in the air.
• For ‘p’: Make a downward stroke and then a small curve in the air.
• For ‘q’: Make a circle and then a downward stroke with a hook in the air.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme while demonstrating the air tracing for each letter. Encourage pupils to sing along and perform the actions.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a video to see how to form these letters correctly, then we will practice together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V_tP0_g2qM

Key Words

• o – a letter of the alphabet, makes the /o/ sound.
• p – a letter of the alphabet, makes the /p/ sound.
• q – a letter of the alphabet, makes the /q/ sound.
• Trace – to draw over lines or shapes already made.
• Write – to form letters or words on a surface.
• Grip – how you hold something, like a pencil.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Demonstration, Guided Practice, Repetition, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Practical Activity, Question and Answer.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recap

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, asks them to recall some letters they have learned before, and introduces the new letters (o, p, q) for the day’s lesson.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, mention previous letters, and listen attentively to the introduction of new letters.

Learning Point: Pupils are prepared for the new lesson.

Step 2: Sound Identification and Association

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Auditory/Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays picture cards (e.g., orange, pig, queen) and clearly pronounces the initial sound for each. The teacher guides pupils to repeat the sounds /o/, /p/, /q/ several times.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, listen to the sounds, and repeat /o/, /p/, /q/ after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils identify and associate the sounds with the letters.

Step 3: Letter ‘o’ Formation

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to form lowercase ‘o’ on the whiteboard, explaining the starting point and direction (round to the left, close). The teacher then guides pupils to air trace ‘o’ and trace ‘o’ in their handwriting books.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the teacher, air trace the letter ‘o’, and then trace ‘o’ in their books, focusing on the correct pencil grip.

Learning Point: Pupils learn the correct formation of letter ‘o’.

Step 4: Letter ‘p’ Formation

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to form lowercase ‘p’ on the whiteboard (straight line down, then curve around). The teacher guides pupils to air trace ‘p’ and trace ‘p’ in their handwriting books.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe, air trace ‘p’, and trace ‘p’ in their books.

Learning Point: Pupils learn the correct formation of letter ‘p’.

Step 5: Letter ‘q’ Formation and Rhyme Integration

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Rhyme

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to form lowercase ‘q’ on the whiteboard (circle like ‘o’, then straight line down with a hook). The teacher leads pupils in air tracing ‘q’ and then sings the ‘o, p, q’ rhyme with actions. Pupils then trace ‘q’ in their books.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe, air trace ‘q’, sing the rhyme with actions, and trace ‘q’ in their books.

Learning Point: Pupils learn the correct formation of letter ‘q’ and reinforce all three letters through song.

Step 6: Guided Writing Practice

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Supervision

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes ‘o’, ‘p’, ‘q’ on the board as a guide and asks pupils to practice writing each letter independently in their books. The teacher walks around, observing and providing individual assistance and correction on pencil grip and letter formation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practice writing letters o, p, and q in their handwriting books, applying the correct formation and grip.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their knowledge to write the letters.

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. “What sound does this letter make?” (Pointing to ‘o’ on the chart).
2. “Show me how you write ‘p’ in the air.”
3. “Which letter is ‘q’ on the chart?”
4. “Let me see your best ‘o’, ‘p’, and ‘q’ in your books.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summary/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort, briefly recaps the letters learned, and encourages them to continue practicing at home. The teacher may assign a simple homework task like tracing the letters again.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the recap, receive praise, and prepare for homework.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and are encouraged to practice further.

Lesson Keywords

• o – The fifteenth letter of the English alphabet.
• p – The sixteenth letter of the English alphabet.
• q – The seventeenth letter of the English alphabet.
• Trace – To draw over an outline or guide.
• Write – To form letters or symbols on a surface.
• Sound – The noise a letter makes when spoken.
• Grip – The way a pencil is held.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with pencil grip or formation, the teacher can provide hand-over-hand guidance, use larger tracing lines, or offer extra verbal cues and demonstrations. They can also focus on one letter at a time before moving to the next.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly master the letters, the teacher can challenge them to identify objects in the classroom that start with o, p, or q, or try to write simple words like “ox”, “pot”, or “quit” with assistance.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have all instructional materials ready, especially clear charts and picture cards for the sounds. Emphasize the correct tripod pencil grip throughout the lesson. Pay close attention to the starting points and directionality for each letter (e.g., ‘o’ is a continuous curve, ‘p’ goes below the line, ‘q’ has a distinct hook). Encourage air tracing and finger tracing on desks before pupils put pencil to paper, as this helps build muscle memory. Repeat the sounds and letter formations frequently. Observe each pupil’s progress during guided practice and provide immediate, gentle correction. Praise effort and neatness to build confidence. Understanding should be judged by the pupil’s ability to correctly trace and attempt to write the letters, and to orally identify their sounds.