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      Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can spell words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei'.

      Key learning points

      1. The 'ee' sound spelt 'ei' generally comes after the letter 'c' (deceive) or at the beginning of a word (either)
      2. Exceptions include: protein, caffeine, seize, weird, foreign as well as either and neither if pronounced as such.
      3. The 'ei' spelling can also make a long 'ay' sound and break other learnt rules.
      4. How to spell the curriculum words: neighbour and soldier.

      Keywords

      • Phoneme - the smallest unit of sound that can change a word's meaning

      • Grapheme - the letter or group of letters that represent a sound (the spelling)

      • Letter string - a group of letters that are written together in a word

      • Exception - a case or situation that does not follow the usual or expected rule or pattern

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think that the 'ei' spelling only represents the 'ee' phoneme.

      Show a range of words with 'ei' representing different sounds. You can stretch and sound button to show the direct phoneme - grapheme correspondence.

      Teacher tip

      It will help to quickly gloss all unfamiliar vocabulary explored in the lesson, as many words with the 'ei' spelling may be less familiar to pupils, such a 'rein', 'beige' or 'forfeit'.

      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.
      Match the word to the representation of the 'ee' sound it contains.

      Correct Answer:meet,ee

      ee

      Correct Answer:meat,ea

      ea

      Correct Answer:even,e-e

      e-e

      Correct Answer:she,e

      e

      Correct Answer:protein,ei

      ei

      Correct Answer:relief,ie

      ie

      Q2.
      Match the words linked to the rule 'i before e, except after c'.

      Correct Answer:retrieval,'i before e' words

      'i before e' words

      Correct Answer:perceived,'except after c' words

      'except after c' words

      Correct Answer:seized,exception to the rule words

      exception to the rule words

      Q3.
      Select the words which contain the long vowel ee sound.

      Correct answer: caffeine
      diet
      Correct answer: happily
      eight
      Correct answer: cheat

      Q4.
      Select the words which contain the long vowel ay sound.

      Correct answer: eighty
      park
      Correct answer: veins
      chief
      please

      Q5.
      Select the homophones.

      Correct answer: eight
      eat
      Correct answer: ate
      tea

      Q6.
      Match each word to the correct meaning.

      Correct Answer:reins,a pair of leather straps used to guide a horse

      a pair of leather straps used to guide a horse

      Correct Answer:beige,a pale, sandy colour

      a pale, sandy colour

      Correct Answer:seismic,relating to earthquakes

      relating to earthquakes

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words linked to the rule 'i before e, except after c'.

      Correct Answer:thieves,'i before e' words

      'i before e' words

      Correct Answer:receipt,'except after c' words

      'except after c' words

      Correct Answer:caffeine,exception to the rule words

      exception to the rule words

      Q2.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      purcieve
      purceive
      percieve
      Correct answer: perceive

      Q3.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      riseept
      reciept
      Correct answer: receipt
      riceipt

      Q4.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      proteen
      protien
      Correct answer: protein

      Q5.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Can you see the vayn in my arm?

      Correct Answer: vein

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. A ‘dayity’ is a god or goddess.

      Correct Answer: deity

      To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...