Silent letters: the 'wr' spelling
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can spell words with 'wr' representing the 'r' phoneme.
Key learning points
- 'wr' can be a representation of the 'r' phoneme.
- The representation 'wr' is usually found at the start of a word.
- Words connected in word families often have similar spellings, such as write, wrote and written.
- How to spell the common exception words: ask and says.
Keywords
Word families - a group of words common in feature, pattern or meaning
Present tense - present tense refers to a verb form that indicates an action or state happening in the current moment or a general truth, such as "run,"
Past tense - past tense refers to a verb form that indicates an action or state that has already happened or was completed in the past, such as "jumped"
Pronunciation - the way a word or language is spoken, including the sounds, stress and intonation patterns
Silent letter - silent letters are letters in a word that are not pronounced when speaking, like the "k" in "knee" or the "w" in "wrist."
Common misconception
Some children might overemphasise the w in words containing 'wr' e.g. w-right for the word write.
Treat 'wr' as a digraph of the 'r' sound to avoid this confusion and orally segment and blend some words with the 'wr' spelling in.
Teacher tip
Introduce words in sentences or stories that contain 'wr' to demonstrate their use and context. 'Ask' may de decodable depending on accent. Include the spelling practice in the lesson with less focus on looking at the exception.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each word to the number of phonemes it contains.
Q2.How many syllables are in the word carrots?
Q3.Choose one more spelling that can also represent the sound 'r', like in rage.
Q4.Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: I thought the garden __________ was cute.
Q5.Match the word to its definition.
Q6.Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: They said __________ to the offer.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: Did you __________ me a question?
Q2.Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: He __________ it's time to go.
Q3.Which words contain the 'wr' spelling of the 'r' sound.
Q4.Choose the representation of the 'r' sound that matches the words.
Q5.Choose the correct word and spelling for the following sentence: I sprained my __________ playing football.
Q6.Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: I had to right a sentence during my English lesson.
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Silent letters: the 'wr' spelling, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Silent letters: the 'wr' spelling, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 English lessons from the Alternative GPCS for consonants and homophones unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.