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      Applying the spellings 'oo', 'ew' and 'u-e' in familiar words

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can spell words containing three representations of the ‘oo’ phoneme: 'oo', 'ew' and 'u-e'.

      Key learning points

      1. ‘ew’ is a representation of the 'oo' phoneme that often comes at the end of a word.
      2. The 'oo' phoneme can be pronounced in two ways: 'oo' and 'yoo'.
      3. How to spell the common exception words: put and Christmas.

      Keywords

      • Diagraph - two letters that represent one sound

      • Split digraph - has a letter that comes between the two letters in a digraph like in "make" where the "k" separates the digraph "ae"

      • Proper noun - : A proper noun is a specific name given to a particular person, place, or thing, such as "John," "London," or "Eiffel Tower."

      • Exception - spellings or words that do not follow usual spelling patterns

      Common misconception

      Pupils may struggle to spell 'put' and 'Christmas'.

      Point out the naughty letter 'u' in put and 't' in Christmas. The root word 'Christ' is in Christmas, but it's pronounced differently. In some accents, the 'u' in 'put' may not be an exception.

      Teacher tip

      Ensure to quickly gloss any unfamiliar vocabulary (or show an image), such as shrewd or chute. You can adapt or add other 'oo', 'ew' and 'u-e' words to the lists that you want to focus on for spelling.

      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.
      How many syllables are in the word chewing?

      1
      Correct answer: 2
      3
      4

      Q2.
      Choose two words that contain the root word hoot.

      Correct answer: hooted
      Correct answer: hooting
      boot
      huge

      Q3.
      Match the word to the spelling it uses for the 'oo' sound.

      Correct Answer:pool,oo
      Correct Answer:news,ew
      Correct Answer:tube,u-e

      Q4.
      Choose the three common spellings of the oo sound.

      Correct answer: oo
      Correct answer: u-e
      ir
      Correct answer: ew
      ee

      Q5.
      Pick the spelling that matches the sentence: I __________ help others.

      shud
      Correct answer: should
      shuld
      shood

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: I squeezed my toothpaste out of its tyoob.

      Correct Answer: tube

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Select the correct spelling to match the sentence: __________ that down!

      poot
      puit
      putt
      Correct answer: put

      Q2.
      Select the correct spelling to match the sentence: I can't wait for the __________ holiday.

      Correct answer: Christmas
      christmas
      Cristmas
      Chrismas

      Q3.
      Choose the 'oo' spellings that match the words.

      Correct Answer:shrewd,ew
      Correct Answer:mute,u-e
      Correct Answer:gloom,oo

      Q4.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: The bird floo across the field.

      Correct Answer: flew

      Q5.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: I used a brume to sweep the floor.

      Correct Answer: broom

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling in bold in the following sentence: The skyscraper was a hyoog building.

      Correct Answer: huge

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Applying the spellings 'oo', 'ew' and 'u-e' in familiar words, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...