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      Practise and apply spelling compound words

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use a range of strategies to practise spelling compound words.

      Key learning points

      1. Compound words are words made up of two or more pre-existing words.
      2. The spelling of both words remains the same when the words are combined together.
      3. 'Colour blocking' is a useful practice strategy.
      4. How to spell the curriculum word: strange.

      Keywords

      • Root word - the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

      • Syllable - a single sound or beat in a word that contains a vowel sound

      • Polysyllabic - a word that contains more than one sound or beat

      • Compound word - two or more words joined together

      Common misconception

      Some pupils may think words are compound words if they can spot one word within another word.

      Show examples e.g. 'yesterday'. Whilst it has the word 'day' in it, if you were to separate this, the word 'yester' would not make sense.

      Teacher tip

      Use images to support with thinking about what each part of the compound word means.

      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.
      What is the missing word in the following sentence? A __________ is a single sound or beat in a word that contains a vowel sound.

      prefix
      suffix
      Correct answer: syllable
      compound word

      Q2.
      What is the missing word in the following sentence? A __________ is two or more words joined together.

      prefix
      suffix
      syllable
      Correct answer: compound word

      Q3.
      Match the words with the number of syllables they contain.

      Correct Answer:trap,1
      Correct Answer:fiddle,2
      Correct Answer:everybody,4

      Q4.
      Match the words that can be joined to make a new compound word.

      Correct Answer:cow,boy
      Correct Answer:shoe,lace
      Correct Answer:back,bone
      Correct Answer:water,fall

      Q5.
      Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence. She came on stage but didn't say enyfing.

      ennything
      annything
      Correct answer: anything
      enything

      Q6.
      Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence. Andeep left his book sumwear in the hall.

      sumwere
      somwhere
      sumwhere
      Correct answer: somewhere

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Select the compound words.

      Correct answer: handbag
      car park
      eyes
      Correct answer: eyebrow

      Q2.
      Identify the root words within the compound word downstairs.

      own
      Correct answer: down
      air
      Correct answer: stairs

      Q3.
      Match the pairs of words that could be joined together to create compound words.

      Correct Answer:dust,bin
      Correct Answer:no,body
      Correct Answer:in,side
      Correct Answer:green,house

      Q4.
      Choose the correct spelling of the missing compound word to complete the following sentence. He felt shy and nowbodie spoke to him.

      nowbodee
      knowbodi
      no body
      Correct answer: nobody

      Q5.
      Choose the correct spelling of the missing compound word to complete the following sentence. Have a look inside the cubboard.

      cubord
      Correct answer: cupboard
      cupbord
      cuboard

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence. There was a stranj noise coming from the speaker.

      Correct Answer: strange

      To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Practise and apply spelling compound words, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...