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Spelling words with French etymology
I can spell words with French-origin spellings 'ch', 'gue' and 'que'.
Lesson 11 of 16
New
New
- Year 6
Spelling words with French etymology
I can spell words with French-origin spellings 'ch', 'gue' and 'que'.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The 'sh' sound in words of French origin is generally spelt 'ch'.
- The 'g' sound in words of French origin is generally spelt 'gue'.
- The 'k' sound in words of French origin is generally spelt 'que'.
- How to spell the curriculum words: muscle, foreign and restaurant.
Keywords
Etymology - the study of the origin of words and the ways their meanings have changed over time
Origin - the source or beginning of something like the place, time or history of a word or idea
Common misconception
Pupils will be more familiar with 'g' and 'ck' at the end of words so may spell words incorrectly.
The ‘gue’ and ‘que’ sounds nearly always appear at the end of words e.g. vague and antique. The ‘g’ and the ‘k’ sound with the more common spellings, can appear anywhere within a word e.g. eagle, kid and back.
Play a sorting game that involves pupils identifying words of French origin. Example words for the 'sh' sound could include: special, brochure, shop, mission, fish, machine, chat, watch, station, chef. Pupils must identify the French derived spellings.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Select all the words containing the 'sh' sound.
Select all the words containing the 'sh' sound.
cheese
city
Q2.Select all the words containing the 'ch' sound.
Select all the words containing the 'ch' sound.
machine
Q3.What does the origin of a word tell us?
What does the origin of a word tell us?
what the word means
which word class the word belongs to
the number of syllables in the word
Q4.Match the word to the representation of the 'sh' sound it contains.
Match the word to the representation of the 'sh' sound it contains.
Q5.Match the word to the meaning.
Match the word to the meaning.
Q6.Select the correct spelling.
Select the correct spelling.
mashine
macine
mascine
machene
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Words containing the 'ch' spelling of the 'sh' sound come from...
Words containing the 'ch' spelling of the 'sh' sound come from...
Arabic.
Japanese.
English.
Q2.Identify the French derived spellings.
Identify the French derived spellings.
shop
match
church
Q3.Identify the French derived spellings.
Identify the French derived spellings.
slack
jog
talk
Q4.Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence. They had posted a broscure through the letterbox.
Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence. They had posted a broscure through the letterbox.
brosure
brohcure
broshure
Q5.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence. They showed no signs of fateeg.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence. They showed no signs of fateeg.
fatig
fateegue
fateag
Q6.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence. I feel at peace when I enter the mosk.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence. I feel at peace when I enter the mosk.
moskue
mosck
mosgue
