Authors: Mary Oluyemisi Aina & Hafsah Temi Aminu (Nigeria) | Published on 1 August 2022
Read what a teacher says about this activity:
Teaching and learning letter ‘A / a’ can be problematic because of the lack of correspondence between its single form and its different forms of pronunciation: it can be pronounced as /æ/, /ɪ/, /eɪ/, /ͻ:/, /e/ and /a:/.
Stage 1: Prepare
Sing the song of the letters of the alphabet with the pupils. You can find the song on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7EDs4_BXsE&authuser=0
Note: You can download the song on your phone and play it for the pupils to listen to/watch and sing along.
The letters of the alphabet song:
A a B b Cc D d // E e F f G g
H h I I J j K k // L l M m N n O o P p
Q q R r S s // T t U u V v
W w X x // Y y Z z
Stage 2: Model
Display the letter in both upper and lower cases using cards held up by two pupils.
Stage 3: Naming of Objects Displayed in the Pictures
Teacher: Put the pupils in pairs. Ask one of them to touch a picture while their partner says the name of the object. This game goes on till every child has mastered all the names of the objects in the pictures and their pronunciation.
Note: Combining the written words and the corresponding pictures will make a more permanent impression in the pupils’ minds.
Get pupils to sing the song each time they hear the correct name of an object in a picture.
LETTER Aa
| Letter | Sound | Picture | Spelling / Word |
| Aa | /æ/ | use picture of an apple | Apple |
| Aa | /eɪ/ | use picture of an ape | Ape |
| Aa | /eɪ/ | use picture of an apron | Apron |
| Aa | /ͻ:/ | use picture of a person on the phone | Call |
| Aa | /ͻ:/ | use picture of a ball | Ball |
| Aa | /a:/ | use picture of an arm | Arm |
| Aa | /e/ | use picture of coins | Many coins |
| Aa | /ɒ/ | use picture of a yacht | Yacht |
| Aa | /eə/ | use picture of an aeroplane | Aeroplane |
| Aa | /ɪ/ | use picture of an orange | Orange |
Make sure that the words are written each time pupils identify them and point out the letter and how it is pronounced.
Stage 4: Using Songs/Nursery Rhymes
Teacher: Ask the pupils in turns to point to a picture and sing a song that they know. As the song is sung, the teacher points to the pictures on the chart that represent the letter.
Stage 5: Teacher uses songs and nursery rhymes as shown below to teach the letter ‘Aa’
SONGS AND RHYMES
LETTER ‘A’:
Let me have your a-a
Let me have your p-p
Let me have your p again- p
Let me have your l-l
Let me have your e-e
A-P-P-L-E
[Call them together]- APPLE
APRON
My mother has an apron
She wears it in her kitchen
Apron, apron, apron
It keeps my mother clean
a-p-r-o-n! apron
ORANGE
Orange, orange, orange
Soft and pulpy orange
Sweet orange
Sour orange
Sweet and pulpy orange.
NOTE: You can click on this link for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPtcV9-KltQ