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      Spelling the 'e' phoneme with 'ea' and the 'ch' phoneme using 'tch'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can spell words like head, bread, catch and pitch.

      Key learning points

      1. 'ea' can be used to represent the 'e' phoneme.
      2. 'tch' is the representation of 'ch' usually used after a short vowel.
      3. Exceptions to the 'tch' principle include the words: rich, which, much and such.
      4. How to spell the common exception words: any and many.

      Keywords

      • Short vowel - a vowel sound that sounds short when spoken like "a" in "cat" or the "o" sound in "hot"

      • Long vowel - sounds where a vowel makes the same sound as the way it's name is pronounced

      • Digraph - two letters that represent one sound

      • Trigraph - three letters that represent one sound

      Common misconception

      'ea' can be pronounced in a number of different ways (/ee/, /ay/, /e/)

      Explicitly teach the most common spellings of the 'ea' spelling for the 'e' sound. Give time to practising both reading and writing them.

      Teacher tip

      Ensure children know the meaning of all the words you encounter within the lesson in order to help them to contextualise the spellings.

      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.
      Choose the correct spelling to complete this sentence: I would like to try __________ flavours before deciding.

      ova
      Correct answer: other
      uva
      utha

      Q2.
      Which words contain the 'ch' sound, like in 'search'?

      Correct answer: catch
      Correct answer: rich
      push
      Correct answer: lunch
      kick

      Q3.
      Which two words contain the 'e' sound, like in 'best'?

      Correct answer: nest
      break
      Correct answer: bed
      feet
      made

      Q4.
      Match the words to their correct definitions.

      Correct Answer:short vowel sound,a vowel sound that sounds short when spoken

      a vowel sound that sounds short when spoken

      Correct Answer:long vowel sound,a vowel sound spoken for longer than its short version

      a vowel sound spoken for longer than its short version

      Q5.
      Match the words to their correct definitions.

      Correct Answer:trigraph,three letters that represent one sound

      three letters that represent one sound

      Correct Answer:digraph,two letters that represent one sound

      two letters that represent one sound

      Q6.
      Spell the word in bold correctly: Make sure you wotch me.

      Correct Answer: watch

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Choose the correct spelling to complete this sentence: How __________ children are here?

      Correct answer: many
      meny
      manee
      meni

      Q2.
      Which of these words contain the short vowel 'e' sound?

      Correct answer: bread
      meet
      Correct answer: bed
      Correct answer: head
      beat

      Q3.
      Which of these words contain the 'ch' sound?

      Correct answer: match
      school
      Correct answer: patch
      Correct answer: such
      sack

      Q4.
      Choose the correct spelling to complete this sentence: How __________ money does it cost?

      mutch
      Correct answer: much
      moch
      muhch

      Q5.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: I hurt my hed.

      Correct Answer: head

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: The cricketer tried to cach the ball.

      Correct Answer: catch

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Spelling the 'e' phoneme with 'ea' and the 'ch' phoneme using 'tch', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...