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      Practise and apply spelling words with the silent letters "b", "w", "k" and "g"

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can spell words with silent letters ‘b’, ‘w’, ‘k’ and ‘g’.

      Key learning points

      1. The spelling of words with 'silent letters' often reflects old pronunciation.
      2. How to spell words using 'mb', 'wr', 'kn' and 'gn'.
      3. How to spell the curriculum word: sentence.
      4. Using the strategy 'naughty letters' is a useful practice strategy.

      Keywords

      • Silent letter - a letter in a word that is not pronounced when the word is spoken

      • Phoneme - the smallest unit of sound that can change its meaning

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

      • Pronounciation - the way in which a word is spoken

      Common misconception

      When practising spellings, children can practise wrong by copying out incorrectly.

      Ensure to place emphasis on carefully looking and checking the spellings when practising. This can be done individually or in pairs.

      Teacher tip

      Use images to help support the understanding of homophones and differentiate between them.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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 words to the spellings of the 'n' sound.

      Correct Answer:funny,nn
      Correct Answer:not,n
      Correct Answer:knew,kn
      Correct Answer:gnaw,gn

      Q2.
      Match the words to the spellings of the 'm' sound.

      Correct Answer:humming,mm
      Correct Answer:mop,m
      Correct Answer:bomb,mb

      Q3.
      Match the words to the spellings of the 'r' sound.

      Correct Answer:hurry,rr
      Correct Answer:crab,r
      Correct Answer:wrong,wr

      Q4.
      Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I hurt my thum.'

      fum
      fumb
      thum
      Correct answer: thumb

      Q5.
      Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I nyoo how to find the shop.'

      new
      Correct answer: knew
      nyoo
      nyew

      Q6.
      Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Please read the sine.'

      sighn
      Correct answer: sign
      sine

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words to the spellings of the 'n' sound.

      Correct Answer:knight,kn
      Correct Answer:sunny,nn
      Correct Answer:fun,n
      Correct Answer:sign,gn

      Q2.
      Match the words to the spellings of the 'm' sound.

      Correct Answer:swimming,mm
      Correct Answer:Monday,m
      Correct Answer:lamb,mb

      Q3.
      Match the words to the spellings of the 'r' sound.

      Correct Answer:hurried,rr
      Correct Answer:rock,r
      Correct Answer:wrong,wr

      Q4.
      Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'A baby sheep is a lam.'

      lamm
      lam
      Correct answer: lamb
      labm

      Q5.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'A sentins needs a capital letter and a full stop.'

      Correct Answer: sentence

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'She rigeld out of her coat.'

      Correct Answer: wriggled

      To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Practise and apply spelling words with the silent letters "b", "w", "k" and "g", download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...