Writing Practice with at, an, am and as for Pre-School Level 2

Class: Pre-School Level 2
Term: Third Term
Week: 5
Age: 3 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Handwriting
Curriculum Theme: Handwriting
Previous Lesson: Pre-writing patterns and simple letter strokes.
Topic: WRITING PRACTICE WITH AT, AN, AM AND AS
Subject Matter: TWO-LETTER WORDS. Writing and Reading the Following Words: At, An, Am, As. Weekly focus: Writing Practice with at, an, am and as.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Recognise the two-letter words “at,” “an,” “am,” and “as.”
• Identify the individual letters within each word.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm for writing practice.
• Listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions.

Psychomotor Domain

• Trace the words “at,” “an,” “am,” and “as” with their fingers.
• Copy the words “at,” “an,” “am,” and “as” in their writing books.

Social Domain

• Participate in group writing activities.
• Share writing materials respectfully.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 2
• Early Childhood Care and Education Handwriting Resources

Instructional Materials

• Writing Book
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard
• Markers/Chalk
• Flashcards with “at,” “an,” “am,” “as”
• Large chart showing the words “at,” “an,” “am,” “as”

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for 3-year-olds as it builds foundational literacy skills by introducing them to simple two-letter words. Practising writing these words helps develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and early recognition of word structures, preparing them for more complex reading and writing tasks.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have had practice with pre-writing strokes, identifying individual letters, and holding a pencil correctly.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

WRITING PRACTICE WITH AT, AN, AM AND AS

Today, we are going to learn to write some small, special words. These words are made of just two letters!

What are Two-Letter Words?

Two-letter words are very short words that have only two letters. They help us start to read and write sentences.

Let’s Write “at”

The word “at” is made of letter ‘a’ and letter ‘t’.

• Start with ‘a’: Make a curve, then a straight line down.
• Then ‘t’: Straight line down, then a line across the middle.

Let’s say it: at, at, at.

Let’s Write “an”

The word “an” is made of letter ‘a’ and letter ‘n’.

• Start with ‘a’: Make a curve, then a straight line down.
• Then ‘n’: Straight line down, then a hump and down.

Let’s say it: an, an, an.

Let’s Write “am”

The word “am” is made of letter ‘a’ and letter ‘m’.

• Start with ‘a’: Make a curve, then a straight line down.
• Then ‘m’: Straight line down, then two humps and down.

Let’s say it: am, am, am.

Let’s Write “as”

The word “as” is made of letter ‘a’ and letter ‘s’.

• Start with ‘a’: Make a curve, then a straight line down.
• Then ‘s’: Start at the top, curve left, then curve right.

Let’s say it: as, as, as.

Writing Practice Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Pencil in my hand so tight,
Making letters, what a sight.
‘A’ and ‘t’ make “at” for me,
‘A’ and ‘n’ make “an” you see.
‘A’ and ‘m’ make “am” so grand,
‘A’ and ‘s’ across the land.

Actions: Pretend to hold a pencil and trace letters in the air as you sing.

Watch and Practise Letter Formation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Fm9b6j8-E

Key Words

• At – A small word used to say where something is, like “at home.”
• An – A small word used before words that start with a vowel sound, like “an apple.”
• Am – A small word used with “I,” like “I am happy.”
• As – A small word used to compare things, like “as big as.”

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Repetition
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk (using flashcards)
• Practical Activity
• Question and Answer

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: Greet pupils. Ask them to show their writing books and pencils. Ask, “Who can show me how to hold a pencil properly?” Remind them about good sitting posture for writing. Introduce the day’s topic: writing some new small words.

Pupils’ Activity: Greet the teacher. Show their writing materials. Demonstrate holding a pencil and sitting correctly. Listen to the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils are prepared for writing and reminded of good posture.

Step 2: Presentation of Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explaining/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: Write “at” on the board clearly. Say “a-t, at” and point to each letter. Repeat three times. Do the same for “an,” “am,” and “as,” using flashcards. Ask pupils to repeat each word after you.

Pupils’ Activity: Watch the teacher write the words. Repeat each word “at,” “an,” “am,” “as” after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and pronounce the two-letter words.

Step 3: Finger Tracing and Air Writing

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: Ask pupils to use their index finger to trace “at” on the flashcard. Then ask them to “write” “at” in the air, following your demonstration. Repeat for “an,” “am,” and “as.”

Pupils’ Activity: Finger trace the words on flashcards. Air-write the words as demonstrated by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils develop motor memory for the word shapes.

Step 4: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcing/Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: Lead pupils in singing the “Writing Practice Rhyme” with actions. Play the short video demonstrating letter formation, pausing to highlight ‘a’, ‘t’, ‘n’, ‘m’, ‘s’. Encourage pupils to air-trace the individual letters shown in the video.

Pupils’ Activity: Sing the rhyme and perform actions. Watch the video and air-trace the letters shown.

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

Step 5: Guided Writing Practice

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Supervising/Assisting

Teacher’s Activity: Instruct pupils to open their writing books. Write “at” clearly on the board again, demonstrating the strokes. Guide pupils to copy “at” in their books. Move around to provide individual assistance and correct pencil grip or strokes. Repeat for “an,” “am,” and “as.”

Pupils’ Activity: Open their writing books. Carefully copy the words “at,” “an,” “am,” and “as” into their books, following the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils practise writing the words with teacher support.

Step 6: Independent Practice

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Encouraging/Observing

Teacher’s Activity: Encourage pupils to try writing each word one more time on their own. Observe their efforts and offer praise for good attempts.

Pupils’ Activity: Attempt to write the words “at,” “an,” “am,” and “as” independently in their books.

Learning Point: Pupils gain confidence in independent writing.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. Show me the word “at” on your flashcard/in your book.
2. What two letters make the word “an”?
3. Can you try to write “am” on your book/in the air?
4. Say the word “as” for me.

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

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Closing

Teacher’s Activity: Praise pupils for their hard work and effort in writing the new words. Remind them to keep practising. Collect their writing books for review.

Pupils’ Activity: Put away their pencils and books. Listen to the teacher.

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

Lesson Keywords

• Write – To make letters and words using a pencil or pen.
• Practice – To do something repeatedly to get better at it.
• Letters – The symbols we use to make words, like ‘a’, ‘t’, ‘n’, ‘m’, ‘s’.
• Words – Groups of letters that have meaning.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling with pencil grip or letter formation, provide hand-over-hand guidance. Use larger print for tracing. Allow them to focus on just two words first, like “at” and “an,” before moving to others. Provide extra oral repetition of the words.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the writing, encourage them to write each word multiple times. Ask them to say a simple sentence using one of the words, e.g., “I am happy.” They can also try to identify these words in a simple picture book.