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Revising spelling patterns linked to sounds

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can spell words containing the same and different sounds.

Key learning points

  1. Some sounds can be represented by a number of different spellings e.g. the /ee/ sound.
  2. The same spellings can represent more than one sound e.g. 'ie', 'ei', 'ough' and 'ou'.
  3. How to spell the curriculum words: shoulder and committee.

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)

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

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

Common misconception

Some children may think a letter string can only represent one sound.

Remind pupils of the key phonics principles: a sound can be represented by more than one letter, one sound can be represented by more than one spelling and one spelling can represent more than one sound. It is why the English language is so hard!

Teacher tip

Take time to discuss the words in this lesson as there may be unfamiliar vocabulary. Pupils need to understand the meaning of words if they are expected to be able to spell them.

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 each 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 following words to their adherence to the 'i before e, except after c' rule.

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 ay sound.

Correct answer: eighty
park
Correct answer: veins
chief
please

Q4.
Identify the spellings that contain the 'ou' sound.

show
Correct answer: cloud
Correct answer: drought
bowl
Correct answer: cow

Q5.
Match the following words to the 'or' sound spellings they contain.

Correct Answer:door,oor

oor

Correct Answer:morning,or

or

Correct Answer:jigsaw,aw

aw

Correct Answer:pause,au

au

Correct Answer:thought,ough

ough

Q6.
Identify the spellings that contain the 'ough' spelling.

fort
Correct answer: thought
naughty
Correct answer: plough
flight

6 Questions

Q1.
Select the correct spelling of the word below.

recievd
recieved
Correct answer: received
receivd

Q2.
Match the following words to the sound the letters 'ie' make in it.

Correct Answer:applies,‘ie’ makes the sound ‘igh’

‘ie’ makes the sound ‘igh’

Correct Answer:parties,‘ie’ makes the sound ‘ee’

‘ie’ makes the sound ‘ee’

Correct Answer:friend,‘ie’ makes a different sound

‘ie’ makes a different sound

Q3.
Match the following words to the sound that the ‘ough’ letter string is making.

Correct Answer:brought,or

or

Correct Answer:through,oo

oo

Correct Answer:dough,oa

oa

Q4.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'You need to crawl thru the tunnel.'

throo
threw
thruogh
Correct answer: through

Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'A dayity is a god or goddess.'

Correct Answer: deity

Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I hope you are wearing enuff layers.'

Correct Answer: enough

To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Revising spelling patterns linked to sounds, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...