Tracing and Writing Letters u, v and w for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 9
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: Tracing and Writing Letters r, s and t
Topic: Tracing and Writing Letters u, v and w
Subject Matter: Tracing and Writing Letters: “u”, “v” and “w”

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the uppercase and lowercase forms of letters u, v, and w.
• Recognise the sounds associated with letters u, v, and w.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm while tracing and writing letters.
• Listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions.

Psychomotor Domain

• Grip their pencils correctly using the tripod fingers.
• Trace letters u, v, and w accurately following directional strokes.
• Write simple forms of letters u, v, and w independently.

Social Domain

• Participate cooperatively in classroom tracing activities.

Reference Materials

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

Instructional Materials

• Handwriting books
• Pencils
• Charts showing uppercase and lowercase letters Uu, Vv, Ww
• Flashcards with pictures starting with u, v, w (e.g., umbrella, van, watch)
• Sand tray or sensory writing materials (e.g., flour, rice)
• Worksheets with dotted lines for tracing letters u, v, w

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is essential for 5-year-olds as it builds foundational handwriting skills, which are crucial for literacy development. Learning to trace and write letters u, v, and w helps pupils develop fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition, preparing them for more complex writing tasks in the future.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can hold a pencil, make basic strokes, and have been introduced to tracing and writing other letters of the alphabet, such as r, s, and t.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Tracing and Writing Letters u, v and w

Today, we will learn to trace and write three new letters: u, v, and w.

Letter ‘u’ (Uu)

• Sound: /uh/ (as in “umbrella”)
• Formation:
  • Uppercase U: Start at the top, go down, curve up, and come back down.
  • Lowercase u: Start in the middle, go down, curve up, and add a small stick down on the right.
• Example: Umbrella

Letter ‘v’ (Vv)

• Sound: /v/ (as in “van”)
• Formation:
  • Uppercase V: Start at the top left, slant down to the bottom, then slant up to the top right.
  • Lowercase v: Start in the middle left, slant down to the bottom, then slant up to the middle right.
• Example: Van

Letter ‘w’ (Ww)

• Sound: /w/ (as in “watch”)
• Formation:
  • Uppercase W: Start at the top left, slant down, slant up, slant down, and slant up. (Like two Vs joined together)
  • Lowercase w: Start in the middle left, slant down, slant up, slant down, and slant up.
• Example: Watch

Key Words

• u – the twenty-first letter of the alphabet.
• v – the twenty-second letter of the alphabet.
• w – the twenty-third letter of the alphabet.
• trace – to draw over lines or letters.
• write – to form letters or words on a surface.
• sound – the noise a letter makes.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Large, clear examples of uppercase and lowercase Uu, Vv, Ww on the board or chart.
• Arrows indicating the correct starting points and directional strokes for each letter.
• Pictures of an umbrella, a van, and a watch.

Tracing and Writing Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

U, u, u, go down and up,
Then a little stick, like a cup.
V, v, v, slant down, slant high,
Like a bird flying in the sky.
W, w, w, two Vs you see,
Writing letters, happy we!

Actions:

• For ‘u’: Use finger to trace ‘u’ in the air.
• For ‘v’: Use finger to trace ‘v’ in the air.
• For ‘w’: Use finger to trace ‘w’ in the air, making two ‘v’ motions.
• For “happy we”: Smile and clap hands.

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

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a short video to see how to form these letters correctly. Pay attention to how the pencil moves.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Demonstration, Guided Practice, Repetition, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Practical Activity, Play-based Learning.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Revision

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, leads a short warm-up song, and briefly revises letters r, s, t by asking pupils to identify them on flashcards. The teacher then introduces the new letters for the day: u, v, w.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, identify letters r, s, t, and listen to the introduction of new letters.

Learning Point: Pupils recall previous knowledge and are prepared for the new lesson.

Step 2: Presentation of Letter ‘u’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the chart for letter ‘u’ (Uu), says its sound /uh/, and gives an example (umbrella). The teacher demonstrates the correct formation of uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’ on the board, using directional arrows. Pupils are guided to air-trace the letter.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the sound /uh/, say “umbrella”, and air-trace uppercase ‘U’ and lowercase ‘u’ with their fingers.

Learning Point: Pupils identify letter ‘u’, its sound, and learn its formation.

Step 3: Presentation of Letter ‘v’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the chart for letter ‘v’ (Vv), says its sound /v/, and gives an example (van). The teacher demonstrates the correct formation of uppercase ‘V’ and lowercase ‘v’ on the board. Pupils are guided to air-trace and then trace in a sand tray or on a sensory surface.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the sound /v/, say “van”, air-trace, and then trace uppercase ‘V’ and lowercase ‘v’ in the sand tray.

Learning Point: Pupils identify letter ‘v’, its sound, and practise its formation.

Step 4: Presentation of Letter ‘w’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the chart for letter ‘w’ (Ww), says its sound /w/, and gives an example (watch). The teacher demonstrates the correct formation of uppercase ‘W’ and lowercase ‘w’ on the board. Pupils are guided to air-trace and then trace on their individual worksheets with dotted lines.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the sound /w/, say “watch”, air-trace, and then trace uppercase ‘W’ and lowercase ‘w’ on their worksheets.

Learning Point: Pupils identify letter ‘w’, its sound, and practise its formation.

Step 5: Reinforcement and Rhyme

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Song

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Tracing and Writing Rhyme” while performing the actions. The teacher encourages pupils to identify the letters u, v, w on flashcards and charts.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme, perform the actions, and point to letters u, v, w when called upon.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce letter recognition and formation through song and visual cues.

Step 6: Guided Writing Practice

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Supervision

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes handwriting books and pencils. The teacher reminds pupils about the tripod pencil grip and guides them to trace and write letters u, v, w in their books, moving around to provide individual support and correction.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils grip their pencils correctly and attempt to trace and write letters u, v, w in their handwriting books.

Learning Point: Pupils apply learned formation skills to write letters in their books.

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. “Point to the letter ‘u’ on the chart.”
2. “What sound does this letter make? (Teacher points to ‘v’)”
3. “Show me how you would trace the letter ‘w’ in the air.”
4. “Trace one line of ‘u’, ‘v’, and ‘w’ 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: Summarisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their effort and good work. The teacher briefly recaps the letters learned (u, v, w) and encourages them to continue practising at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and tidy up their materials.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate learning and feel encouraged.

Lesson Keywords

• Uu – The letter ‘U’ in both uppercase and lowercase forms.
• Vv – The letter ‘V’ in both uppercase and lowercase forms.
• Ww – The letter ‘W’ in both uppercase and lowercase forms.
• Tripod grip – The way of holding a pencil with the thumb, index, and middle fingers.
• Trace – To follow a dotted or faint line to form a letter.
• Write – To form letters independently.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle, the teacher will provide hand-over-hand guidance for tracing, use larger tracing lines, or offer more opportunities for sensory tracing (e.g., in sand). Repetition of sounds and letter names will be increased.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, the teacher can encourage them to identify other words starting with u, v, or w, or challenge them to write the letters independently on a blank page without tracing lines.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, ensure all charts, flashcards, handwriting books, pencils, and sensory materials (if used) are prepared and easily accessible. Emphasize the correct tripod pencil grip from the start, as good habits are easier to form early. Demonstrate each letter’s formation clearly and slowly, breaking down strokes into simple directions (e.g., “down, curve up”). Encourage pupils to air-trace and use sensory materials before attempting pencil and paper, as this builds muscle memory. Provide plenty of positive reinforcement for effort, not just perfection. Observe pupils’ pencil grip and posture throughout the activity, offering gentle corrections. The goal is consistent effort and understanding of the letter forms, not perfectly formed letters at this stage. Repeat the rhyme multiple times to reinforce learning.