Spelling the 'ay' sound with 'ei' or 'ea'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can spell words with the ‘ay’ sound using ‘ei' or 'ea'.
Key learning points
- Common spellings for the 'ay' phoneme are 'ay', 'a-e' and 'ai'.
- Alternative and rarer spellings for the 'ay' phoneme are 'ei', 'eigh', 'ea', 'a' and 'ey'.
- When exploring words including the same phoneme, you often find homophones.
- Using the strategy 'big letters' is a useful practice strategy.
- Words in word families often have similar spellings.
Keywords
Phoneme - the smallest unit of sound
Grapheme - the letter or group of letters that represent a sound
Rare - rare spellings are spellings which appear less frequently
Homophone - words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings
Common misconception
Children may forget the most common spellings and use the most recently learnt spellings.
Always emphasise prior learning. Show examples of words including incorrect and correct spellings to discuss (e.g. train and trean).
Teacher tip
Some children may not know the meaning of the some of the words required to spell. Supplement with images and sentences to provide meaning.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the common 'ay' spelling to the word.
clay
plate
fail
Q2.Match the rare 'ay' spelling to the word.
apron
sleigh
they
Q3.Correct the spelling in bold in this sentence. I was layt to school.
Q4.Correct the spelling in bold in this sentence. I way the ingredients for my recipe.
Q5.What is the correct spelling for the word in bold in this sentence? The bird swooped to catch its pray.
Q6.Correct the spelling in this sentence. I wore an aypron to protect my clothes.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the rare spellings of the 'ay' phoneme to the word.
vein
break
apricot
Q2.Which word is a homophone for the word 'grate'?
Q3.Which word is a homophone for the word 'break'?
Q4.Correct the spelling in bold in this sentence. Queen Elizabeth's rain lasted a long time.
Q5.Which of these spellings for the 'ay' phoneme like to be in the middle of words?
Q6.Correct the spelling in bold in this sentence. My vain in my arm pumps the blood around my body.
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Spelling the 'ay' sound with 'ei' or 'ea', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Spelling the 'ay' sound with 'ei' or 'ea', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Prefixes, homonyms and homophones unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.