Two-Letter Words Vowel-Consonant and Consonant-Vowel Patterns for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Third Term
Week: 1
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Previous Lesson: Recognising and sounding individual letters of the alphabet.
Topic: Two-Letter Words: Vowel-Consonant and Consonant-Vowel Patterns
Subject Matter: Structure of Two-Letter Words: Vowel-Consonant (VC) and Consonant-Vowel (CV) Patterns.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel (CV) patterns in two-letter words.
• Pronounce common two-letter VC words such as “an,” “it,” “if,” “or,” “up,” “in.”
• Pronounce common two-letter CV words such as “go,” “to,” “no,” “so,” “be.”

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in word-building activities.
• Show enthusiasm for learning new words.

Psychomotor Domain

• Copy simple two-letter words correctly on their slates or paper.
• Form two-letter words using individual letter cards.

Social Domain

• Take turns reading two-letter words aloud.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4.
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
• Suitable early-years literacy workbook.

Instructional Materials

• Charts displaying two-letter words (VC and CV patterns).
• Posters with pictures representing some two-letter words (e.g., “up” with an arrow pointing up).
• Flashcards with individual letters (vowels and consonants).
• Flashcards with complete two-letter words (e.g., “an,” “go”).
• Small whiteboards or slates.
• Markers or crayons.
• Paper.
• Letter cards (individual letters a-z).

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for Pre-School Level 4 pupils as it introduces the foundational concept of blending sounds to form simple words. Understanding two-letter words with VC and CV patterns helps pupils begin their journey into reading and writing, building confidence in decoding and recognising common sight words, which are essential for early literacy development.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should be able to recognise and sound individual letters of the alphabet (vowels and consonants) and understand that letters make sounds.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

TWO-LETTER WORDS: VOWEL-CONSONANT AND CONSONANT-VOWEL PATTERNS

Two-letter words are very short words made up of only two letters. We can make them by putting a vowel and a consonant together, or a consonant and a vowel together.

What are Vowels and Consonants?

• Vowels: A, E, I, O, U (These are special letters that make open sounds).
• Consonants: All other letters (B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z).

Vowel-Consonant (VC) Words

These words start with a Vowel and end with a Consonant.

Pattern: Vowel + Consonant

• an (/a/ + /n/) – Example: “An apple.”
• it (/i/ + /t/) – Example: “It is big.”
• if (/i/ + /f/) – Example: “If you want.”
• or (/o/ + /r/) – Example: “Red or blue.”
• up (/u/ + /p/) – Example: “Stand up.”
• in (/i/ + /n/) – Example: “Come in.”

We blend the sound of the vowel with the sound of the consonant to say the word.

Consonant-Vowel (CV) Words

These words start with a Consonant and end with a Vowel.

Pattern: Consonant + Vowel

• go (/g/ + /o/) – Example: “Let’s go.”
• to (/t/ + /o/) – Example: “Go to school.”
• no (/n/ + /o/) – Example: “Say no.”
• so (/s/ + /o/) – Example: “I am so happy.”
• be (/b/ + /e/) – Example: “Be kind.”

We blend the sound of the consonant with the sound of the vowel to say the word.

Key Words

• Vowel – A special letter like A, E, I, O, U.
• Consonant – Any letter that is not a vowel.
• Two-letter word – A short word made of two letters.
• Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Display charts with VC and CV words clearly written.
• Show flashcards for individual letters and then for the two-letter words.
• Demonstrate blending sounds using letter cards (e.g., hold up ‘a’ card, then ‘n’ card, then put them together to show ‘an’).
• Write examples of VC and CV words on the board, underlining the vowel and consonant in each.

Two-Letter Word Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

Two little letters, short and sweet,
Make a word, can’t be beat.
Vowel-consonant, like ‘an’ and ‘it’,
Let’s read them all, bit by bit.
Consonant-vowel, like ‘go’ and ‘to’,
Learning words is fun for you!

Actions:

• “Two little letters”: Hold up two fingers.
• “short and sweet”: Make a small gesture with hands.
• “Make a word, can’t be beat”: Clap hands.
• “Vowel-consonant, like ‘an’ and ‘it'”: Point to VC words on chart.
• “Let’s read them all, bit by bit”: Pretend to read.
• “Consonant-vowel, like ‘go’ and ‘to'”: Point to CV words on chart.
• “Learning words is fun for you!”: Give a thumbs-up.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the song together to reinforce the concept of two-letter words and their patterns. Point to the words on the chart as they are sung.

Watch and Practise

Let’s watch a short video that shows us more two-letter words and helps us practise reading them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX1jH9iLz8g

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Flashcard Drill, Word Building with Letter Cards, Repetition, Question and Answer, Picture Talk.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and quickly reviews individual letter sounds, especially vowels and consonants. The teacher then introduces the idea of putting two letters together to make a short word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, recall letter sounds, and listen attentively.

Learning Point: Pupils recall letter sounds and are introduced to the concept of two-letter words.

Step 2: Introducing Vowel-Consonant (VC) Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that some two-letter words start with a vowel and end with a consonant (VC pattern). The teacher shows flashcards for ‘a’ and ‘n’, blends them to form “an,” and provides examples like “it,” “if,” “or,” “up,” “in” using charts and flashcards. The teacher models the blending sound for each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flashcards, listen to the blending sounds, and repeat the words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the VC pattern and begin to pronounce VC words.

Step 3: Guided Practice – VC Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in repeating the VC words. The teacher distributes letter cards (vowels and consonants) and guides pupils to form specific VC words (e.g., “Make ‘up’!”). The teacher also guides pupils to trace or copy the words “an” and “it” on their slates.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the words, use letter cards to form VC words, and practice copying the words on their slates.

Learning Point: Pupils gain confidence in forming and writing VC words.

Step 4: Introducing Consonant-Vowel (CV) Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that other two-letter words start with a consonant and end with a vowel (CV pattern). The teacher shows flashcards for ‘g’ and ‘o’, blends them to form “go,” and provides examples like “to,” “no,” “so,” “be” using charts and flashcards. The teacher models the blending sound for each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flashcards, listen to the blending sounds, and repeat the words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the CV pattern and begin to pronounce CV words.

Step 5: Guided Practice – CV Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in repeating the CV words. The teacher guides pupils to use their letter cards to form specific CV words (e.g., “Make ‘go’!”). The teacher also guides pupils to trace or copy the words “go” and “to” on their slates.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the words, use letter cards to form CV words, and practice copying the words on their slates.

Learning Point: Pupils gain confidence in forming and writing CV words.

Step 6: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Two-Letter Word Song” from the lesson content. The teacher then plays the short educational video about two-letter words, encouraging pupils to repeat the words they hear.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along with the teacher, watch the video, and repeat the words shown in the video.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding and pronunciation of two-letter words through song and visual aids.

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. Show me the word “up” from the flashcards.
2. What two letters make the word “go”?
3. Can you read the word “an” on the chart?
4. Copy the word “no” on your slate.

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: Summarising/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and effort. The teacher reminds them that practising these short words will help them read bigger words later. The teacher encourages them to look for two-letter words in books or signs.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher and respond with appreciation.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to continue practising and applying what they have learned.

Lesson Keywords

• Vowel – A special letter like A, E, I, O, U.
• Consonant – Any letter that is not a vowel.
• Two-letter word – A short word made of two letters.
• Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide larger letter cards and flashcards. Use hand-over-hand guidance for copying words. Offer more one-on-one repetition of blending sounds. Pair them with a slightly stronger peer for word-building activities.
• Extension: For quicker learners, challenge them to identify other two-letter words not covered in the lesson (e.g., “am,” “as,” “by,” “my”). Encourage them to use some of the two-letter words in very short oral sentences (e.g., “I go.”).

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Ensure you have all instructional materials ready before the lesson, especially the letter cards and flashcards, as practical manipulation is key for this age group. When teaching blending, clearly articulate each letter sound before blending them together. For example, for “an,” say /a/ then /n/, then /an/. Encourage pupils to use their fingers to trace the words in the air or on their slates before copying. Observe closely during word-building activities to identify pupils who need more support with sound blending or letter recognition. Repeat the song and word drills frequently to aid memorisation and automatic recognition. Understanding can be observed by pupils correctly pointing to, saying, or forming the two-letter words.