Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Second Term
Week: 7
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Topic: USING ‘A’ AND ‘AN’: VOWELS, CONSONANTS AND PICTURE MATCHING
Subject Matter: THE USE OF: ‘a’ and ‘an’. SIGHT WORDS: There Live Four. Weekly focus: Using ‘a’ and ‘an’: Vowels, Consonants and Picture Matching.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

Identify the five vowel letters (A, E, I, O, U).
Identify consonant letters.
State when to use ‘a’ before a word.
State when to use ‘an’ before a word.

Affective Domain

Participate actively in identifying vowels and consonants.
Show enthusiasm in matching ‘a’ and ‘an’ to pictures.

Psychomotor Domain

Point to pictures that start with ‘a’ and ‘an’.
Match ‘a’ and ‘an’ to correct pictures or words.

Take turns in identifying words and using ‘a’ or ‘an’.

Reference Materials

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

Instructional Materials

Chart showing ‘a’ and ‘an’ with examples (e.g., ‘an apple’, ‘an orange’, ‘a boy’, ‘a cat’)
Flashcards with pictures of objects starting with vowel and consonant sounds (e.g., apple, egg, igloo, orange, umbrella, ball, car, dog, fish)
Letter cards for vowels (A, E, I, O, U)
Whiteboard and markers
Sight word cards: “There”, “Live”, “Four”

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning to use ‘a’ and ‘an’ correctly is a foundational step in early literacy, helping children understand basic English grammar. This lesson helps pupils identify vowel and consonant sounds, which are crucial for reading and speaking clearly, and prepares them for simple sentence construction.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some letters of the alphabet and can name common objects and pictures.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Using ‘a’ and ‘an’: Vowels, Consonants and Picture Matching

Vowels and Consonants

The English alphabet has 26 letters.

Vowels: These are special letters that make open sounds. There are 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U.
Consonants: All the other letters in the alphabet are consonants. There are 21 consonants (e.g., B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z).

When to Use ‘a’ and ‘an’

We use ‘an’ before words that start with a vowel sound (A, E, I, O, U).
- Examples: an apple, an egg, an igloo, an orange, an umbrella.
We use ‘a’ before words that start with a consonant sound.
- Examples: a boy, a cat, a dog, a fish, a table.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

Display a chart showing the 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) in a different colour or larger font.
Display a chart showing ‘a’ and ‘an’ with clear pictures:
- ‘an apple’ (picture of an apple)
- ‘an orange’ (picture of an orange)
- ‘a boy’ (picture of a boy)
- ‘a cat’ (picture of a cat)
Write simple words on the board and ask pupils to say if they start with a vowel or consonant sound.

‘A’ and ‘An’ Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

A, E, I, O, U,
These are vowels, yes it’s true!
Before their sound, we say “an”,
Like “an apple”, “an orange” man.
All the rest are consonants,
Before their sound, we say “a”, like “a cat”.

Actions: Point to vowel letters when named, then make a circle with hands for ‘an’, then point to consonant letters, then make a flat hand gesture for ‘a’.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme together, encouraging pupils to do the actions and repeat the examples. This helps them remember the rule for ‘a’ and ‘an’.

Watch and Learn: ‘A’ and ‘An’

The teacher will play a short, engaging video to reinforce the concept of using ‘a’ and ‘an’ with pictures and examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0B6k_h_J48

Sight Words

These are words we learn to recognise quickly without sounding them out.

There
Live
Four

The teacher will show flashcards of these words and have pupils say them aloud.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

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

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and starts with a quick alphabet song. The teacher then asks pupils to name some letters they know and shows a few picture cards (e.g., apple, ball) asking pupils to name them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the alphabet song and name letters and pictures as requested.

Learning Point: Pupils recall familiar letters and objects, preparing for the lesson.

Step 2: Introduction to Vowels and Consonants

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Identification

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that some letters are special and are called vowels (A, E, I, O, U). The teacher shows the vowel letter cards and has pupils repeat their names. The teacher then explains that all other letters are consonants and shows a few consonant letter cards.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the names of the vowels, and identify some consonant letters.

Learning Point: Pupils identify the five vowel letters and understand the concept of consonants.

Step 3: Explaining ‘a’ and ‘an’ Rule

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher uses the ‘a’ and ‘an’ chart. The teacher explains that we use ‘an’ before words that start with a vowel sound (e.g., ‘an apple’, ‘an orange’) and ‘a’ before words that start with a consonant sound (e.g., ‘a boy’, ‘a cat’). The teacher points to the pictures and says the words clearly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and repeat the examples after the teacher, pointing to the pictures.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the basic rule for using ‘a’ and ‘an’.

Step 4: Guided Practice with Pictures

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Matching

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher holds up various picture flashcards one by one (e.g., egg, banana, umbrella, table, ant). For each picture, the teacher asks: “Does this word start with a vowel sound or a consonant sound?” Then asks: “Do we say ‘a’ or ‘an’?” The teacher guides pupils to say the correct article (‘a’ or ‘an’) with the word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the starting sound of the word and say “a” or “an” correctly before the word. They may point to the vowel or consonant chart to help.

Learning Point: Pupils practise applying the ‘a’ and ‘an’ rule with different words and pictures.

Step 5: Rhyme and Sight Words Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the ‘A’ and ‘An’ Rhyme with actions. After the rhyme, the teacher introduces the sight words “There”, “Live”, “Four” using flashcards, asking pupils to repeat them several times.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and repeat the sight words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of ‘a’ and ‘an’ through song and learn to recognise new sight words.

Step 6: Application Activity

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Sentence Building

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes simple sentences on the board with a blank space for ‘a’ or ‘an’ (e.g., “This is ___ bag.”, “I see ___ elephant.”). The teacher calls on individual pupils to fill in the blank orally. The teacher also shows the video to reinforce the lesson.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils volunteer to say “a” or “an” to complete the sentences correctly. They watch the video attentively.

Learning Point: Pupils apply the ‘a’ and ‘an’ rule in simple sentence contexts.

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.

“Name the five vowel letters.”
“Show me a picture where we use ‘an’.” (Teacher holds up a mix of pictures)
“Tell me, do we say ‘a’ or ‘an’ before the word ‘cat’?”
“What about the word ‘igloo’?”

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/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and quickly summarises that ‘an’ is for vowel sounds and ‘a’ is for consonant sounds. The teacher reminds them to keep practising.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and say “Thank you, teacher.”

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and feel encouraged.

Lesson Keywords

Vowels – The letters A, E, I, O, U.
Consonants – All other letters in the alphabet.
‘a’ – Used before words starting with a consonant sound.
‘an’ – Used before words starting with a vowel sound.
Sight words – Words we learn to recognise quickly.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils struggling to identify vowels, use larger, brightly coloured letter cards for A, E, I, O, U. Provide more one-on-one repetition and hand-over-hand pointing to the correct pictures. Use fewer choices when matching.
Extension: For quicker pupils, challenge them to think of more words that start with vowel or consonant sounds and say ‘a’ or ‘an’ before them. Ask them to identify the sight words “There”, “Live”, “Four” from a group of other words.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Prepare your ‘a’ and ‘an’ chart and picture flashcards in advance, ensuring they are clear and engaging. The main idea children must grasp is that ‘an’ goes with vowel sounds and ‘a’ with consonant sounds. Emphasise the *sound* a word starts with, not just the letter, although at this level, focusing on the letter is a good start. Repeat the ‘A’ and ‘An’ Rhyme multiple times throughout the lesson to aid memory. When pupils are practising, encourage them to say the full phrase (e.g., “an apple” instead of just “an”). Observe which pupils are confident and which need more support. Understanding will be shown by their ability to correctly say ‘a’ or ‘an’ before a given picture or word, and to point to the correct vowel or consonant letter.