New
New
Year 5

Spelling polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels

I can spell polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels.

New
New
Year 5

Spelling polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels

I can spell polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In polysyllabic words, some vowels can be unstressed and hard to hear and spell.
  2. Saying the word how it is spelt can help to learn the spelling.
  3. Thinking of the root word and identifying prefixes and suffixes can help to learn the spelling.
  4. How to spell the curriculum words: variety, various, imagine and definite.

Common misconception

Children may use the wrong vowel letter when spelling words with unstressed vowels.

Stretching the word and saying it slowly, how it is spelt, can help pupils to remember the correct spelling.

Keywords

  • Polysyllabic - describes a word that has more than one syllable

  • Vowel letters - the letters ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’ (and sometimes ‘y’) that represent vowel sounds

  • Unstressed - an unstressed sound is not emphasised or pronounced with much force

Give children a large selection of polysyllabic words and ask them to identify those with unstressed vowels. Ask them to come up with their own ideas of how to best remember the spellings. They could do this in groups.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a syllable?
the base word from which other words are often formed
Correct answer: a single sound or beat in a word that contains a vowel sound
a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning
Q2.
What does polysllabic mean?
Correct answer: describes a word that has more than one syllable
describes a loud sound
describes a word with repeated letters
Q3.
Match the word to the correct spelling of its ending.
Correct Answer:factory,-ory

-ory

Correct Answer:primary,-ary

-ary

Correct Answer:scenery,-ery

-ery

Q4.
Match these words to their root word.
Correct Answer:prime,primary

primary

Correct Answer:marvel,marvellous

marvellous

Correct Answer:refer,reference

reference

Correct Answer:pot,potter

potter

Q5.
Select all the words with the root word 'interest'.
Correct answer: interested
Correct answer: disinterested
terrestial
rested
Correct answer: interestingly
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. My sister goes to secundree school.
Correct Answer: secondary

6 Questions

Q1.
Which vowel letter is unstressed in the word 'library'?
i
Correct answer: a
y
r
Q2.
Which vowel letter is unstressed in the word 'voluntary'?
o
u
Correct answer: a
y
r
Q3.
Select the correct spelling of the word.
intrest
intirest
Correct answer: interest
intressed
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. He was feeling mizrable.
Correct Answer: miserable
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. She was a jenrous friend.
Correct Answer: generous
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Are you definit about this?
Correct Answer: definite

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