Tracing Slanting Lines for Pre-School Level 1

Class: Pre-School Level 1
Term: First Term
Week: 7
Age: 2 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: General pre-writing skills and holding writing tools.
Topic: Tracing Slanting Lines
Subject Matter: Tracing of slanting lines e.g. Weekly focus: Tracing Slanting Lines.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify a slanting line when pointed out by the teacher.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in tracing activities with enthusiasm.

Psychomotor Domain

• Hold a pencil or crayon with some guidance.
• Attempt to trace large slanting lines on paper.

Social Domain

• Share and take turns with instructional materials during group activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 1.
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources.

Instructional Materials

• Writing book or large paper with pre-drawn slanting lines.
• Pencils or crayons.
• Erasers.
• Whiteboard or chalkboard.
• Large picture cards showing slanting lines.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for 2-year-olds as it lays the foundation for handwriting. Tracing slanting lines helps develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and the correct pencil grip, which are essential pre-writing abilities needed for forming letters in the future. It also introduces children to directional movements necessary for writing.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have some experience with scribbling, making random marks on paper, and holding writing tools like crayons or pencils.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Tracing of Slanting Lines

Slanting lines are lines that go up or down at an angle, like a slide or the roof of a house. They are not straight up and down (vertical) or straight across (horizontal).

We can draw slanting lines in different ways:

• From top-left to bottom-right (like a slide going down).
• From top-right to bottom-left (like another slide going down).

How to trace a slanting line:

1. Hold your pencil gently.
2. Start at the top of the line.
3. Move your pencil slowly down the line, following the path.

Key Words

• Slant – to go at an angle, not straight up/down or across.
• Line – a long, thin mark.
• Trace – to follow the outline or path of something.

Slanting Line Rhyme

Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Lyrics:

Slanty lines, so fun to make,
Up and down, for goodness sake.
Like a slide, or roof so high,
Watch them slant across the sky.
Slanty lines, we trace with care,
Making marks everywhere!

Actions: Pupils use their fingers to draw slanting lines in the air as they sing, pointing up and down for the lines.

Watch and Practise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU142_m6y4w

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Play-based Learning
• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk
• Repetition
• Practical Activity

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Warm-up

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and leads them in a short “Hello” song. The teacher then asks pupils to show their hands and wiggle their fingers, preparing for writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and wiggle their fingers.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and ready for the lesson, warming up their hands.

Step 2: Presentation of Slanting Lines

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Visual Aid

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows large picture cards with slanting lines (e.g., a tent, a roof) and draws a big slanting line on the whiteboard. The teacher explains, “This is a slanting line! It goes like a slide!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils look at the pictures, observe the teacher drawing, and repeat “slanting line” after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils begin to recognise and name slanting lines.

Step 3: Demonstration of Pencil Grip and Tracing

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates the correct way to hold a pencil or crayon. Then, the teacher shows how to trace a large slanting line on a prepared sheet of paper, starting from the top and moving downwards, explaining each step slowly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the teacher’s demonstration of pencil grip and tracing, trying to imitate the grip with their own pencils.

Learning Point: Pupils learn the proper way to hold a pencil and observe the tracing motion.

Step 4: Guided Air Tracing and Finger Tracing

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Imitation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to draw slanting lines in the air with their fingers. Then, the teacher asks pupils to use their fingers to trace the slanting lines on the table or on their books (without a pencil yet).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils imitate the teacher, drawing slanting lines in the air and then tracing them with their fingers on surfaces.

Learning Point: Pupils practise the movement pattern for slanting lines using large motor skills.

Step 5: Practical Tracing on Paper (Guided)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Supervised Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes writing books or papers with pre-drawn slanting lines. The teacher moves around, providing individual guidance, helping pupils hold their pencils, and gently guiding their hands to trace the lines.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils attempt to trace the slanting lines in their books or on paper with pencils or crayons, following the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their knowledge to trace slanting lines on paper with support.

Step 6: Rhyme and Reinforcement Activity

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Slanting Line Rhyme” again, encouraging active participation and actions. The teacher then asks pupils to try tracing another slanting line in their books, offering praise for effort.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and make another attempt at tracing slanting lines in their books.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding and tracing skills through a fun, repetitive activity.

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. “Can you point to a slanting line on the board?”
2. “Show me how you hold your pencil.”
3. “Try to draw a slanting line in the air with your finger.”
4. “Show me one slanting line you traced 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: Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their hard work and effort in tracing slanting lines. The teacher reminds them to keep practising and leads a short closing song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher, respond to praise, and sing the closing song.

Learning Point: Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment and are encouraged to continue practising.

Lesson Keywords

• Slant – to go at an angle, not straight up or down.
• Line – a long, thin mark.
• Trace – to follow the outline or path of something with a pencil or finger.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with pencil grip, provide hand-over-hand assistance or use larger, chunkier crayons. Offer papers with very thick, bold slanting lines for easier tracing. Give more verbal cues and one-on-one encouragement.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, encourage them to identify slanting lines in the classroom environment (e.g., on a chair leg, a book cover). They can also try tracing slanting lines using different colours or in slightly different directions.