|
In view of the amount of time devoted
to aspects of spelling such as setting spellings for homework, correcting mis-spellings
in the pupils’ work and examining spellings each day it is important to have a
practical whole school policy on spelling. Why is such importance ascribed to
spelling? Good spelling is important because:
- It eases communication and understanding
- It frees a writer to be more expressive
- It prevents writer’s ideas being dismissed quickly as
a result of inaccurate spelling
- It contributes to a child’s self-esteem
There are some fundamental principles on which the
school’s spelling policy is based:
- Correct spelling is crucial in any form of written
work, be it hand written or computer generated
- Spelling is a skill that can be taught and learned
- Spelling failure can occur throughout the ability and
age range
- All pupils can improve their spelling as long as they
are shown how, they are willing to learn, and they have confidence in their
ability to improve
The Primary School Curriculum ( 1999, p. 85) advocates a
multi-dimensional approach to enabling pupils to acquire the conventions of
spelling, and it recommends that the following strategies be used consistently
in each class.
- Accepting approximate spelling as children move through
the developmental process and arrive at correct spelling through trial and
error. The use of approximate spelling allows children to self-correct their
attempts as they move through the different stages
- Linking spelling with the development of phonological
and phonemic awareness. (The Star Spell programme is given in full as part
of this policy document).
- Building up a bank of commonly used words. ( A list of
core words is provided as part of this document)
- Compiling personal dictionaries
- Using dictionaries and thesauruses
- Using strategies to learn spellings
- Becoming familiar with common spelling rules
Top
Stages in Spelling Development
*These stages are provided as guidelines because there
will always be exceptions to generalisations with regard to development
| Stage 1 |
Pre-Communicative :
The child uses a pen /pencil / marker to scribble on page
|
| Stage 2 |
Pre-Phonetic :
Letter formation is very underdeveloped. One letter may be
used to represent a word. During this stage, the child begins to name and form
letters correctly
|
| Stage 3 |
Phonetic:
The child’s awareness of letter – sound correspondence
is developed. The favoured children have the ability to proceed from stage to
stage without specific teacher intervention, but the child who is struggling,
encounters major problems at this stage. This third stage is where children use
their phonic knowledge to invent words they need, but cannot spell. By
continuing to do this, the poor speller will not pass on automatically unaided
to the next stage. With developing phonological awareness comes the need for
intervention in the form of teaching of spelling. This strategy will need to be
consistent, systematic and visually based because spelling is a visual motor
skill. The speller who continues to rely on
sound will not become a competent speller. Children should be trained to
look at words within words and compare letter strings.
|
| Stage 4 |
Transitional (7 – 10 years)
The favoured children move away from a heavy reliance on
phonics, and the child who is struggling needs to be taught to transcend
phonics. Concentrate on words needed in children’s writing (core words).
|
| Stage 5 |
Correct / Competent (10 – 18 years)
Children are aware of phoneme /grapheme relationships, and
recognise if a word looks right or wrong. Results of research show that many
children do not reach this final stage of spelling development, but it is
possible with appropriate intervention to help children become more confident
with regard to spelling.
|
Top
Methods of Teaching Spelling
Children who find spelling
difficult need a strategy if they are going to be successful with regard to the
learning demanded of them. Spelling programmes need to contain step by step
strategies such as the following:
Look at the word. Look at all the letters in the word.
Say the word slowly.
Cover the word.
Write the word without looking at it.
Check the word by looking at it and mark it right or
wrong. When the child has written the word correctly, ask him to write it
again before moving on to the next word. Do not consider the word in question to
be mastered unless the it can be written from memory several days later. If the
child gets the word wrong, he should go through the entire process again.
Use the word in a sentence.
* Descriptions
and analyses of other strategies may be found in Culligan, Improving
Children’s Spelling (1997).
Top
Correcting Spellings
Marking can be one of the most significant strategies by
which spelling can be improved. However a consistent whole school approach is
required which remains flexible with regard to the needs of the individual
child. There is no necessity to mark every spelling mistake in a piece of work,
and it should be emphasised that mistakes are pointed out to enable children to
improve their spelling.
- Ideally, the correction of spellings should be done in
the presence of the child
- Children’s attitudes to spelling change when the
positive aspects of their attempts to spell a word are pointed out, e.g.,
point out the letters which are right in a word
- Spelling mistakes should be underlined and `sp’ put
in the margin
- At the end of a piece of writing, teachers might write
the first three letters of the mis-spelt word, and the pupils then complete
the correction
- If appropriate, the teacher writes down the word for
correction
- If the same mistake is repeated, it is only marked once
- If a common error is discovered, class discussion might
take place on families of words or words associated with a particular topic
- An able child will have most, if not all, mistakes
pointed out
- In the case of a child with spelling difficulties, only
key words will be corrected
- In the early stages of writing, the pupils need time to
read their own pieces of work to the teacher, to notice and to question how
words are spelled and to extend the range of words they can spell
themselves, e.g., commonly used words and words that are important to them.
Top
Useful hints for spelling
- All spelling activity must be a written one
- Oral spelling is of very limited short term value
- Encourage children to write from memory
- Spelling should not be a
copying exercise
- Priority must be given to “everyday” words
- Avoid words that the children cannot read
- Help pupils to generalise from letter strings, e.g,
uncle, clever
- Auditory syllabification (“sound it out, bit by
bit”) is potentially disastrous to successful spelling because each
syllable presents a new set of alternatives. Learn the sequence of the word
as a whole
- Children’s own writing gives clues to their spelling
problems
- Do not focus on words in isolation. Use context
- Set up a class word bank based on common letter strings
- Writing out spellings a number of times is a totally
inefficient procedure
- Getting a list of spellings correct is not a real
indication of progress. Improvement will only be seen in “free” writing
- Teaching a lot of spelling rules does not help the weak
speller because there are too many exceptions to most rules
Top
Handwriting and Spelling
Research has indicated that the quality of handwriting is
highly correlated with spelling attainment. Good spelling and good handwriting
go together, and it is logical therefore to teach them together. In the
Infant Classes, children should not be asked to write too much until they
have learned to form their letters correctly.
Correct letter formation
- All round letters are anti-clockwise
- All straight letters begin at the top
A strong case can be made for teaching “joined-up”
writing as soon as possible in the child’s school career. At present, our
pupils commence “joined-up” writing in Third Class. Available research
indicates that this is too late. The advantages to teaching “joined – up”
writing earlier are as follows:
- There is no change from print to joined–up writing
- The concept of a `word’ is acquired from the time the
child begins to write
- Correct letter formation is ensured from the beginning
- Spelling is helped since letter strings are necessarily
connected – “ame, “ough”, “per” etc
- It assists left to right movement
- The joining stroke makes a natural space between the
two letters
- It helps to prevent the interspersing of capital
letters among lower case letters
- It improves the fluency and speed of a child’s
writing
Top
Assessment of Spelling
With the possible exception of tables, no other area of
learning is tested as much as spelling. Spelling should be seen as part of
writing development, as an integral aspect of the curriculum which frees the
child to be able to write confidently and freely. Our aim should not be that
children do well in weekly spelling tests, but to improve the children’s
ability in free writing. The “five a night and test for Friday” procedure
does not improve the performance of the child who is weak at spelling because
there is a tendency to assume that
once the errors have been corrected, the child knows those words. The reason for
teaching spelling is to enable children to use the knowledge acquired in
writing, and there is no guarantee that there will be transfer of training from
the Friday test to their writing, unless opportunities are given to practise the
words which have been learned. As a variation on this approach, the pupils might
be given the week’s words on Monday in the form of a pre-test (formative
assessment) and then assessed again on Friday (summative assessment) so that the
words which the child already knows and the
words the child needs to learn may be ascertained.
The most valuable means of assessing spelling is to use
diagnostic procedures. These are very time-consuming, but not every child’s
spelling needs to be analysed. Examine what the student is writing, and then a
decision can be made with regard to how to intervene.
This year, the pupils in classes from 2nd to 4th (inclusive) have been
examined using the Daniels and Diack list. This test provides a spelling age for
each pupil which of itself is not very beneficial, but the pupils’ scripts
provide the basis on which their spelling may be assessed. In addition, every
pupil in Senior Infants and First Class will be assessed on the Jackson test for
initial and final consonants.
A valuable resource of analysing spellings is the Spelling
Error Analysis Grid (H. A. Sayles) because this gives a clear picture of the
child’s strengths and weaknesses.
| |
Analysis |
Spelling |
Misspelling |
| 1. |
Whole word reversal |
no |
on |
| 2. |
Letter reversal |
bad |
dad |
| 3. |
Letter inversion |
mat |
wat |
| 4. |
Letter transposition |
form |
from |
| 5. |
Letter insertion |
ruling |
ruleing |
| 6. |
Perseveration |
bring |
bringing |
| 7. |
Letter omission |
what |
wat |
| 8. |
Syllable omission |
forgetting |
foring |
| 9. |
Prefix difficulty |
dislike |
deslike |
| 10. |
Suffix difficulty |
careful |
carefull |
| 11. |
Visual substitution |
held |
hell |
| 12. |
Semantic substitution |
house |
home |
| 13. |
Homonyms |
their |
there |
| 14. |
Phonic alternatives |
scar |
skar |
| 15. |
Vowel mismatch |
sit |
set |
| 16. |
Consonant mismatch |
giant |
jiant |
| 17. |
Consonant blend difficulty |
flame |
fame |
| 18. |
Bizarre |
headache |
hafflat |
Proof Reading
Pupils are encouraged to identify a small number of
mistakes in their own work and correct them. The word processing exercises are
particularly helpful in this regard.
Effective Practices
- Provide a list of common everyday words
- Pupils should make up their own dictionaries
- Key words for each topic can be displayed in the class
- Use any opportunities which may arise to teach
spelling, e.g., point out letter patterns in their names or in the names of
family members
- Look for words hidden within another word
- Spelling games such as “Hangman”, word sleuths,
word chains, word families
- Use of PC software such as Wordshark, Speaking
Starspell
Top
Notes on Using Starspell
- Teach the consonants before starting on Starspell
- Early practice lists – onset and rime
- Beginnings
- Endings
- Single letter sounds
-Short vowels, final consonant blends, initial consonant blends and y
as vowel
- Compound letter sounds - `ch’, `sh’ `fr’
- Compound vowel sounds - `wh’, `ph’, `thr’ `sh’
- Single letter sounds modified by other letters - `magic
e’, `soft c’, `soft g’, `all’, `old’, `kind’ and `wild’, `w’
influences
- Silent letters
- Changes with endings
- Other spelling patters – double consonant blends
- Prefixes and suffixes
Words used in Starspell
Senior Infants
1a Beginnings
| B |
bag, bed, bin, bun, bat |
| C |
cat, cot, cut, cup, can |
| D |
dog, den, did, dad, dig |
| F |
fox, fat, fit, fun, fan |
| G |
gun, get, got, gap, gum |
| H |
hat, hen, hot, him, hit |
| J |
jam, jet, job, jab |
| M |
man, mat, met, mad, mud |
| N |
nut, not, nod, nip, nap |
| P |
pig, pit, pot, pen, pat |
| R |
rat, red, rod, rug, rub |
| S |
six, sad, sun, sit, sat |
| T |
tin, tip, top, ten, tap |
| W |
web, wet, wag, wig, win |
1b Endings
| ad |
dad, sad, lad, mad, had |
| ag |
bag, rag, wag |
| am |
jam, ham, ram |
| an |
can, pan, ran, ban, man |
| ap |
tap, cap, map, lap, gap |
| at |
cat, rat, fat, hat, mat |
| ed |
red, bed, fed, wed |
| eg |
leg, beg, peg |
| en |
hen, pen, ten, den |
| et |
net, bet, set, met, pet |
| id |
lid, hid, bid, did |
| ig |
pig, big, dig, wig |
| im |
rim, dim, him |
| in |
bin, din, pin, tin, win |
| ip |
lip, rip, tip, sip, pip |
| it |
bit, hit, sit, pit, wit |
| ob |
job, rob, mob, sob |
| od |
cod, rod, god |
| og |
dog, log, fog, bog |
| ot |
dot, cot, lot, not, pot |
| ud |
bud, mud, dud |
| um |
sum, gum, mum |
| un |
sun, fun, gun, bun, run |
Simple sound symbols
2a Short Vowels
| a |
cat, jam, man, can, bag, hat, had,
ran, fat, had |
| h |
hen, leg, peg, get, pen, red, net,
yes, set, bed |
| i |
pig, his, big, six, hit, him, lip,
hid, win, lid |
| o |
box, fox, top, lot, hot, job, not,
dog, pop, rod |
| u |
cup, bus, fun, but, mum, gun, cut,
gum, sun, sum |
| Plurals |
rats, beds, pans, nets, legs,
ribs, pins, dots, jugs, cubs |
First and Second Classes
2b Final Consonant Blends
| ll |
doll, pill, fill, bell, tell,
sell, will, bill, hill, fell |
| ss |
kiss, miss, less, fuss, loss,
boss, mess, hiss |
| ck |
duck, sack, back, tick, pick,
sick, lick, luck, lock, pack |
| ft |
tuft, left, lift, soft, loft |
| lk |
milk, silk, bulk, sulk, hulk |
| lt |
belt, felt, pelt, melt, kilt, silt |
| mp |
lamp, damp, limp, camp, bump,
lump, jump, pump, mumps |
| nd |
hand, land, sand, send, bend,
pond, and, end, lend, bend, bond |
| ng |
ring, sing, rang, song, long, lungs, king, wing, bang, hang |
| ing |
sulking, jumping, bending, costing, resting, sinking, singing |
| nk |
tank, pink, bunk, sink, wink, sunk, bank, link, honk, hank |
| nt |
ant, bent, went, tent, sent, hunt, dent, pant |
| sk |
desk, risk, rusk, tusk, dusk, husk |
| st |
nest, test, cost, west, best, rest, just, must, list |
2c Initial Consonant Blends
| bl |
black, block, blink, blot, blob, blend, bless, blank, blond |
| cl |
clock, clap, club, cliff, clang, clump, cling, clog, clamp |
| fl |
flag, flat, flap, flick, fling, fluff, flan, flex, flint |
| gl |
glad, glen, gland, gloss, glint, glum |
| pl |
plum, plank, plus, plan, plot, plump, planet, plastic, plug, pluck |
| sl |
slug, slip, slot, sling, slept, slam, slit, slack, slap |
| br |
brick, bring, brag, brim, brink, brisk, brand, bran |
| cr |
crab, crop, crust, cramp, crisp, cricket, cross, crack, crest,
cress |
| dr |
drum, drop, drag, dress, drink, dragon, drift, drug, drill, drip |
| fr |
frog, from, frost, fret, frill, frock, frump
|
| gr |
grub, grin, grip, grit, grunt, gruff, grab, grid, grand, grill
|
| pr |
pram, press, prison, present, problem, prod, prop, print, prong
|
| tr |
truck, trip, trick, tramp, traffic, trim, trunk, trend, track, trot
|
| sc |
scab, scan, scum, scamp, scoff, scalp
|
| sk |
skull, skin, skill, skip, skimp, skid, skunk
|
| sm |
smock, smack, smell, smut, smug
|
| sn |
snail, snack, snap, sniff, snag, snub
|
| sp |
spots, spell, span, speck, spin, spank, spill, spit, spend
|
| st |
stick, stand, stop, step, stamp, stiff, sting, still, stunt
|
| sw |
swing, swim, swam, swank, swell, swift, swept, swill, swig
|
| scr |
scrap. scrub, scruff, scrimp, script, scrum
|
| spl |
splash, split, splat, splosh, splint
|
| spr |
spring, sprat, sprig, sprint, sprung
|
| str |
string, strong, strip, strap, struck, strict, strand, stress, strum
|
| qu |
quilt, quick, quack, quiz, quill, quell, quest
|
2d Y as a vowel
| y as in happy |
holly, lucky, hobby, silly, twenty, scruffy
|
| y as in fly |
cry, sky, fry, try, by, sly
|
3a Compound Symbols
| ch |
cherry, chips, chicken, chin, such, much, rich, check, chat
|
| sh |
ship, shop, shell, wish, cash, crash, flash, brash, crush, fish
|
| th |
thing, thump, think, thank, thin, tenth, maths, theft, thick
|
| th |
this, that, then, them, with
|
| nch |
bench, pinch, bunch, munch, lunch, crunch, French, finch
|
| tch |
witch, catch, match, patch, hutch, switch, kitchen, scratch,
stretch
|
3b Doubled Vowels
| ee |
tree, need, feet, speed, feel, sweet, green, sleep, sheep, screen
|
| oo as in moon |
moon, food, cool, smooth, food, pool, spoon, soon, proof
|
| oo as in book |
book, look, wooden, cook, took, hook, good, foot, hood
|
Third and Fourth Classes
3c Paired Vowels
| ai |
snail, paint, train, nail, wait, pain, raid, aim, rain
|
| au |
haunt, August, launch, taunt, flaunt, laundry, gaunt
|
| ea as in meat |
break, meal, team, beach, reason, stream, heat, easy, east
|
| ea as in head |
head, heaven, bread, dead, deaf, sweat, instead, health, breath,
wealth
|
| ie |
shield, field, thief, chief, brief, grief, priest, shriek
|
| oa |
coat, boat, road, soap, coal,
float, coach, loaf, foam
|
| oi |
oil, boil, soil, point, poison,
toilet, coin, moist, joint, noisy
|
| ou |
cloud, round, count, out, loud,
sound, ground, mouth, thousand, south
|
3d Vowels with r
| ar |
star, dark, park, market, garden,
march, hard, farm, spark, start
|
| er |
fern, term, person, stern, kerb,
perch, perfect, perhaps, lantern, serpent
|
| ir |
skirt, girl, birth, first, stir,
bird, shirt, dirty, thirsty, third
|
| or |
fork, morning, sport, short, sort,
north, platform, story, corn
|
| ur |
church, burn, turn, hurt, burst, turban, sunburn,
disturb, curly, turnip
|
| air |
chair, fair, fairy, hair, stairs,
upstairs, fairy, unfair, air, pair
|
| ear as in beard |
beard, fear, clear, nearly, rear,
ear, appear, gear, weary, spear
|
| ear as in pearl |
pearl, early, learn, earth,
search, beard, learning, earn
|
| ear as in bear |
bear, pear, wear, tear, swear
|
| eer |
beer, steer, cheer, jeer, peer
|
| oar |
boar, roar, soar, blackboard,
hoard
|
| our as in flour |
flour, hour, sour, scour, our
|
| our as in four |
four, your, court, pour,
fourteen
|
| are |
square, care, scare, rare, dare,
share, compare, beware, software
|
| ire |
fire, hire, wire, fireman,
bonfire, admire, retire
|
| ore |
score, shore, snore, more, wore,
store, swore, before, sore
|
3e Vowels with w
| aw |
claw, raw, crawl, lawn, jaw, law,
draw, paw, straw, thaw
|
| ew as in newt |
newt, few, stew, dew
|
| ew as in screw |
screw, chew, flew, grew, drew,
threw
|
| ow as in clown |
clown, brown, crowd, now, prowl,
vowel, downstairs, allow, rowdy
|
| ow as in snowman |
snowman, show, throw, show,
window, yellow, follow, arrow, growth
|
3f Vowels with y
| ay |
tray, say, play, way, crayon, stay, spray, away, holiday, Sunday
|
| oy |
toy, boy, enjoy, annoy, royal, employ, ploy, convoy, loyal, tomboy
|
3g Vowels with gh
| igh |
eight, right, fright, bright, high, sigh, might, tight, fight,
thigh
|
| eigh |
eight, weigh, neigh, sleigh, weight, eighty, freight
|
| augh |
daughter, naughty, caught, taught, fraught
|
3h Consonant digraphs
| wh |
wheel, whip, whack, wheat, whisper, whisker
|
| wh |
when, where, which, why, whether
|
| ph |
elephant, dolphin, graph, phantom, alphabet, orphan, nephew, photo
|
| thr |
thread, threat, thrash, three, throat, throb, throng, thrill
|
| shr |
shrimp, shred, shrapnel, shrew, shrink, shrub, shrug, shrill,
shrivel
|
4. Letters which alter sounds
4a
Final e (Magic e)
| a-e |
cake, late, name, flame, scale, mistake, same, scrape, game, made
|
| i-e |
kite, bike, wide, size, mile, quite, line, slide, prize, made
|
| o-e |
rose, hope, note, home, telescope, stone, woke, hole, joke, stroke
|
| u-e as in cube |
cube, use, tune, duke, fuse, compute
|
| u-e as in flute |
flute, rude, June, plume, rule, crude, brute
|
| e + vowel |
tie, pie, die, toe, foe, hoe, glue, true, blue, clue
|
4b
Soft c
| ce |
mice, twice, service, cell, audience, surface, space, dance, race,
force
|
| ci |
cigarette, city cinema, circus, acid, citrus, civic, cinder,
citizen, civil
|
| cei |
ceiling, receive, deceive, deceit,
conceited, receive, perceive
|
| cy |
juicy, fancy, mercy, spicy, saucy
|
4c
Soft g
| ge |
angel, general, cage, stage,
strange, orange, hinge, garage, huge, geography
|
| giant |
giant, gin, ginger, magic, rigid,
origin, original
|
| gy |
gym, energy, stingy, emergency
|
| dge |
bridge, hedgehog, edge, badge,
judge, fudge, fidget, midget, sledge, badger
|
4d
Vowels changed by final ll, ld, nd
| all |
ball, all, call, fall, hall, tall,
wall, small, stall, snowball
|
| ild |
child, wild, mild
|
| ind |
find, kind, mind, rind, blind,
rind
|
| old |
old, bold, cold, fold, gold, hold,
sold, told
|
4e
Vowels changed by w, qu
| a |
swan, was, want, swamp, swallow,
wander, wash, watch, wad
|
| ar |
war warm, warn, warning, warden,
warp, warmth, wart
|
| or |
worm, world, worse, worth, word
work fireworks worship
|
| qua |
quarrel, quantity, quality,
squash, squat, squander
|
5 Silent letters
| kn |
knife, knot, knit, knob, knee,
knock, kneel, knew, knight, knowledge
|
| wr |
wreath, wrap, wren, write, wrist,
wrong, wrench, wreck, wring, wretch
|
| mb |
lamb, dumb, thumb, climb, crumb,
limb, bomb, numb, comb, tomb
|
| gn |
gnome, gnat, gnash, gnarl, gnaw,
sign, design, reign
|
| e |
purse, cheese, pause, because,
have, give, house, horse, love, please
|
| u |
guitar, guess, guard, guide,
guest, guilty, build, biscuit, guarantee, disguise
|
| gue |
tongue, league, catalogue, rogue,
vague, plague, intrigue
|
| o |
couple, cousin, country, trouble,
young, courage, nourish
|
| l |
chalk, walk, talk, would, should,
stalk, yolk, folk, could, half, calm, palm
|
| t |
thistle listen listening, glisten,
wrestle, whistle, rustle
|
| c |
scissors, science, scene
|
6
Changes with endings
6a
Double consonant when adding ing
| b-bb |
rob robbing sob sobbing rob
robbing stab stabbing
|
| g-gg |
hug hugging jog jogging dig
digging brag bragging leg leggings
|
| m-mm |
swim swimming strum strumming cram
cramming dim dimming drum drumming
|
| n-nn |
begin beginning run running fan
fanning stun stunning grin grinning
|
| p-pp |
shop shopping drip dripping wrap
wrapping skip skipping hop hopping
|
| t-tt |
knit knitting sit sitting cut
cutting spot spotting get getting
|
6b
Doubling consonant with er, est, ed &y
| d-dd |
nod nodded sad saddest mad madder
hid hidden forbid forbidden
|
| m-mm |
drum drummer swim swimmer slam
slammed glum glummest mum mummy
|
| n-nn |
sun sunny thin thinnest ten tenner
span spanner get getting
|
| t-tt |
fat fatter wet wettest knit
knitted clot clotted dot dotty
|
6c
es ending after sh, ch, etc.
| sh-shes |
brush brushes crush crushes bush
bushes crash crashes vanish vanishes
|
| ss-sses |
dress dresses kiss kisses miss
misses fuss fusses mass masses
|
| tch-tches |
match matches witch witches itch
itches batch batches hutch hutches
|
| ch-ches |
rich riches beach beaches coach
coaches church churches lunch lunches
|
| x-xes |
box boxes fox foxes six sixes wax
waxes tax taxes
|
6d Other changes before endings
| lose e with ing |
come coming write writing hope
hoping care caring move moving
|
| lose
e with er and ed |
lose e with date dated writ writer
dare dared ride rider drive driver
|
| change y to ie with
s |
baby babies lady ladies penny
pennies puppy puppies cry cries
|
| change y to i |
happy happily pretty prettiest
ugly uglier heavy heaviest easy easily
|
| f and fe to ves |
loaf loaves knife knives wife
wives life lives half halves
|
Fifth and Sixth Classes
7 Prefixes and suffixes
7a Prefixes
| a |
along alike again across around
apart above afraid agree abroad
|
| be |
before behind below because beside
between beneath believe beyond beware
|
| con |
control continent conquer concert
continue condemn concern conceal contain
|
| de |
desert defeat delay describe
define defence deserve demand destroy deflate
|
| dis |
district discovery disease
disagree dismay dismiss dislike disappear disgusting disappointed
|
| en |
enable encircle endear enact
enforce enfold enslave entrust engulf enlighten
|
| ex |
extra exact excuse expert exchange
excise export exclaim excluding explain
|
| for |
forgive forget forgotten forbidden
forward forlorn forsake
|
| fore |
foremost forehead forecast foreman
foreground forefather forefinger foresee
foresight forewarn
|
| im |
image imagine immense improve
impossible imitate immediate immerse immune immaculate
|
| in |
inside interest inform instead
industry influence income indoors inflate indeed
|
| per |
perhaps person permit perfect
perfume persuade persist perforate percolate perpetual
|
| pre |
present prefer prevent pretend
prepare predict presume preserve prevail preside
|
| pro as in promise |
promise proper product profit
prosper property
|
| pro as in progress |
protect progress process protest
programme provide
|
| re |
referee reward record religion
relief relative remove replace request review
|
| un |
untrue unfair untidy uncover
unwell uncertain unfriendly unknown unload unearth
|
7b Suffixes 1
| able |
capable portable probable suitable valuable reliable uncomfortable
reasonable vegetable constable
|
| al |
personal animal final hospital natural several annual equal central local
|
| ial |
aerial essential official special artificial memorial radial crucial
material industrial
|
| ance |
importance balance entrance substance distance constant ignorant elegant
vacant assistant servant important instant
|
| ar |
sugar collar cellar beggar similar burglar lunar vinegar regular mortar
|
| ary |
necessary secretary ordinary dictionary temporary library voluntary
January February supplementary
|
| ed
as in shouted |
shouted mended hated haunted delighted comforted crowded
visited wounded
|
| ed
as in asked |
asked jumped picked dressed touched rushed crashed sucked stopped
cracked
|
| el |
towel kennel angel model tunnel parcel level travel quarrel label
|
| ence |
experience intelligence reference sentence convenience difference
commence obedience
|
| ent |
president argument announcement experiment different ingredient
independent innocent development excitement
|
| er |
father discover sweater trainer trousers leather beaker danger consider
container
|
| er (comparative) |
older younger better smaller longer higher taller nicer wider deeper
|
| est (superlative) |
slowest loudest quietest oldest tallest heaviest lightest nearest
quickest easiest
|
| ey |
chimney jersey donkey turkey monkey honey money valley abbey journey
|
| ful |
useful awful powerful careful wonderful faithful beautiful harmful
spoonful truthful
|
| fully |
usefully painfully awfully carefully wonderfully faithfully beautifully
hopefully cheerfully truthfully
|
| ible |
sensible invisible horrible possible impossible terrible edible flexible
responsible incredible
|
| il |
pencil fossil stencil council until utensil civil daffodil lentil
|
| ing |
becoming loving hating moving shopping writing beginning waiting smoking
dancing
|
| ive |
negative positive attractive expensive defective detective fugitive
prospective elusive suggestive
|
7c Suffixes 2
| le |
ankle twinkle circle uncle cycle
|
| ble |
bubble double trouble scribble scramble table stable
|
| dle |
needle candle handle cradle middle saddle idle
|
| ple |
simple example people couple triple
|
| ngle |
angle jungle single mingle bungle
|
| tle |
ittle bottle cattle battle whittle
|
| less |
unless hopeless useless restless endless senseless speechless aimless
harmless headless
|
| ly |
only suddenly quietly loudly lovely bravely poorly lonely silently
|
| ily |
happily easily noisily bodily luckily prettily busily hungrily angrily
merrily
|
| ment |
argument amusement experiment advertisement development government
improvement department instrument movement
|
| ness |
fitness illness goodness sadness kindness wilderness brightness business
darkness happiness
|
| or |
author doctor motor visitor conductor projector protractor terror mirror
sailor
|
| our |
harbour honour colour armour vigour favourite humour labour vapour
behaviour
|
| ous |
famous jealous nervous dangerous enormous humorous marvellous disastrous
generous ridiculous
|
| ious |
envious furious curious obvious serious various anxious victories
previous delirious
|
| cious |
precious delicious suspicious unconscious spacious
|
| sion |
pensioner tension television division collision explosion invasion
occasion
decision excursion
|
| ssion |
permission procession discussion
|
| tion |
collection position question composition invention
section description addition correction fraction
|
| ation |
nation invitation relation imagination separation
situation examination
|
| ture |
capture picture nature future mixture moisture fixture
lecture temperature literature
|
| ure |
sure treasure pressure pleasure measure injure figure
failure
|
8. Further practice
| double consonants |
rabbit bonnet puffin lesson ribbon cotton bullet sudden
rotten paddock
|
| u as in push |
bull bush push put pull full pudding
|
| a as in father |
father ask fast last class glass bath plant after
|
| long vowels |
acorn paper angel even period spider open oval over
overalls photograph uniform unicorn truth
|
| hard ch |
anchor ache stomach chemist scheme school technical
echo character Christmas
|
| ei as in eight |
reindeer neigh neighbour eight weight sleigh freight
vein
|
| ei
after soft c |
receive perceive ceiling deceive conceited deceit
|
| ery |
stationery machinery jewellery monastery
|
| gh as ff |
trough cough tough enough rough
|
| ough (various) |
bought thought fought brought nought dough though
although enough through plough bough drought thorough borough cough
|
| oor |
door floor poor moor
|
| o
as in dove |
dove glove front mother brother other London money some
come
|
| ci as sh |
special official artificial crucial social efficient
sufficient conscience conscious precious
|
| ch as sh |
chef machine parachute chalet charade chassis chiffon
|
| other
sh sounds |
sure sugar initial ocean national ration action pension
mision
|
| y as in gym |
sympathy mysterious rhythm gym crystal system pyramid
syrup physics syllable
|
| y as in cycle |
cycle nylon plywood style rhyme tyrant python
|
| some silent letters |
dept doubt subtle friend fruit suit psalm pneumatic
Autumn condemn column hymn answer receipt
|
| 1
consonant in middle |
lemon
robin habit visit profit finish body shadow metal triumph
|
| 2
vowels 2 sounds |
violin poem diet duet lion suet soloist triumph
|
9. Special lists
9a 90
Common words
| pronouns 1 |
you he she it we they
|
| pronouns 2 |
him them us me her
|
| possessive
pronouns |
his my her our its your their hers theirs ours
|
| prepositions |
in at on off by with up down from to into about for
over
|
| verbs 1 |
am are is was were be been have has had can could do
did will
|
| verbs 2 |
go went come came said like make made want got get
laugh
|
| demonstratives |
the this that these those here there etc.
|
| conjunctions |
and but as so if or
|
| question words |
what when where why which who how
|
| mixed words |
then not here there yes no all big little whole
|
9b useful words
| cardinal numbers |
one two three four five six seven eight nine ten
|
| ordinal numbers |
first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth
ninth tenth
|
| cardinal tens |
ten twenty thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty
ninth hundred
|
| ordinal tens |
tenth twentieth thirtieth fortieth fiftieth sixtieth
seventieth eightieth ninetieth hundredth
|
| week
days |
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday,
Sunday
|
| months |
January February March April May June July August
September October November December
|
| Europe |
France Germany Netherlands
Belgium Italy Portugal
Spain Denmark Ireland
Greece
|
9c Subject-specific words
| Science |
apparatus conclusion diagram dissolve evaporate
laboratory energy physics chemistry biology measure solution temperature
thermometer
|
| Maths |
angle average length width height area whole percentage, centre circle
straight diameter equal total
|
| English |
communicate language library dictionary discuss illustrate, reference
draft paragraph author poem research literature imagine
|
| History |
century parliament government revolution industrial
Marriage treaty evidence factory protestant battle communist fascism
|
| Geography |
agriculture environment
climate country location irrigation valley survey pollution weather
erosion building expansion
|
| R.E. |
ceremony altar belief believe religion worship symbol
prayer prejudice spirit creator sacrifice ritual holy
|
| Music |
concert composer performance choir rhythm piano
orchestra practice practise score strings percussion symphony musical
|
| Art |
observation composition parallel highlight illustrate, picture collage
colour figures perspective natural dimension surface preparation
|
| Technology
design |
Technology design technology tension
compression adhesive attach, separate
structure suspension materials graphic bridge together through
|
| I.T. |
computer database keyboard search processing monitor loading software
hardware information edit delete insert digital
|
Top
Core Words Approach
Alphabetical list is provided at the end
of this section, but words should not be taught in alphabetical order
First Class
There are 26 letters in the alphabet.
There are 6 `magic’ letters. Every word must have one or more of the 6
`magic’ letters: a, e, i, o, u and y.
-
Use look, say, cover, write and
check method. 200 words in groups of 10.
-
Give list of words to children on
Monday
-
A, and, the, I, to, it, in, he, my,
is
-
Use the 10 words in sentences
-
Words that rhyme with `and’ :
band, hand, land, sand, stand
-
Words that rhyme with `in’: bin,
pin, sin, tin, win
-
Words that rhyme with `it’: bit,
fit, hit, lit, sit
-
Words that rhyme with `my’: by,
cry, dry, try, fly, sky
-
Of, was, they, you, had, on, one,
for, get, be – Use in sentences after they have been learned
-
Words that rhyme with `get’: jet,
pet, let, net, met
-
Words that rhyme with `had’: sad,
Dad, lad, bad, mad
-
Words that start with `th’: this,
that, then, them, there, thank, think
-
Numbers: two, three, four, five, six
-
Said, off, at, all, over, only, can,
have, not, we
-
Words that rhyme with `can’: an,
ran, man, pan, van
-
Words that rhyme with `all’: ball,
fall, call, tall, wall
-
Words that rhyme with `at’: bat,
cat, fat, hat, mat, sat
-
Words that rhyme with `not’: cot,
dot, hot, lot, got, pot
-
But, before, are, with, your, as,
his, when, good, out
-
Words that rhyme with `but’: cut,
hut, nut, put, shut
-
Words that start with `wh’: where,
who, why, which, what
-
`oo’ words: look, book, cook,
took, moon, soon, spoon, room, boot, food, pool, school, tooth, foot, zoo
-
were, came, about, from, down, big,
went, day, will, do
-
Words that rhyme with `big’: dig,
pig, wig, jig, fig
-
Words that rhyme with `down’:
clown, crown, frown, drown, gown
-
Words that rhyme with `came’:
game, name, fame, lame, same, tame
-
Words that rhyme with `will’:
bill, fill, hill, kill, mill, still
Second Class
-
The six magic letters are ?
-
a, e, i, o, u are called vowels
-
All the other letters are called
consonants
-
Y is a special letter. It often acts
as a vowel
-
Remember! Every word has at least
one l vowel.
What is the magic spelling rule ? Look ,
say, cover, write, check
Words will be given in lists of 15.
-
Our, much, me, same, she, up, him,
did, or, other, her, like, has, after, back
-
Words to rhyme with `did’: hid,
kid, lid, rid, skid
-
Words to rhyme with `back’: pack,
sack, rack, lack, jack, hack
-
Could, first, more, just, no, if,
their, been, make, how, people, come, made, very, time
-
Words that rhyme with `could’:
would, should
-
Words with `ee’: seen, green
queen, keep, sheep, sleep, need, speed, feet, street
-
So, end, little, was, yes, if, help,
am, far, play, us, again, left, next, open
-
Words that rhyme with `end’: send,
mend, spend
-
Words that rhyme with `far’: car,
jar, star
-
Words that rhyme with `tt’:
battle, bottle, bottom
-
Birthday, chocolate, Christmas,
elephant, aeroplane, television, yesterday, grandmother, grandfather,
everything, somebody, classroom, lemonade, wonderful, teacher
-
Wild animal words: lion, tiger,
monkey
-
Drink words: water, milk, tea
-
Food words: sweets, ice-cream,
crisps
-
Apple, garden, house, coat, bicycle,
cat, lamp, money, letter, bell, clock, bird, girl, boy, meat
-
House words: kitchen, bedroom,
bathroom
-
Words that go with coat: jumper,
trousers, shoes
-
Words that go with apple: banana,
orange, pear
-
Write, read, talk, drink, eat, walk,
run, push, pull, open, close, colour, give, jump, skip
-
Words to help with write: paper,
pencil, pen, crayon
-
Words to help with colour: red,
blue, yellow, white, black, pink, brown, purple
-
Animal, chair, bread, cold, dance,
dark, face, last, might, morning, table, picture, candle, egg, home
-
`ea’ words: wheat, treat, seat,
beat, clean, clear
-
Words to go with face: head, eyes,
nose, mouth, ears
-
Peanut, teatime, cowboy, football,
seaside, become, supermarket, butterfly, maybe, outside, inside, upset,
myself, puppet, carpet
-
Words beginning with `be’: became,
behave, behind, beyond, beside, belong, began, begin, because, beware,
between, believe
Corewords
Should not be taught in alphabetical order. This list of
everyday words is for reference only.
| a |
able about ace after again air
along also always another any are around asked
ate aunt away |
| b |
baby back
because been before better black boat bring brother buy |
| c |
called came can’t child children
close cold coming could |
| d |
didn’t do doesn’t
don’t door |
| e |
ear eat eight everyg |
| f |
father feel few find fine first
for found friend from |
| g |
garden gave getting girl give glad
goes |
| h |
happy having heard here holiday
hope horse house how |
| j |
jump just |
| k |
keep kept knew know |
| l |
large letter like little looked
lost lots |
| m |
made make many minute more morning
most mother much must |
| n |
near never new nest night nothing
now |
| o |
of off once one only other our
over |
| p |
people please pretty |
| q |
quick quiet |
| r |
rain read round right |
| s |
said saw school seven should sick
sister something stayed stopped sure |
| t |
talking talk teacher than thank
that their then there these they thing think
this those thought through told too tree today |
| u |
uncle until using |
| v |
very |
| w |
wait walked wanted wash watch
water went were what when where which while white who why with won’t
word work would write |
| y |
year yourself |
| |
|
| a |
across afraid afternoon almost
answer anything aren’t aunt autumn |
| b |
beautiful because began behind
between bicycle bird both bread broke brought building busy |
| c |
care catch chance church circus
city clean clothes coat colour country cousin |
| d |
decide die different dinner dishes
done draw during |
| e |
early enough evening everything
eye |
| f |
face family farm field fire fish
flower front |
| g |
gone ground grow great guess |
| h |
hair half happen holiday hour hurt |
| i |
ice interesting I’ve |
| k |
kept killed kind known |
| l |
later learn leave left light lorry
lunch |
| m |
magic making meat minute money
music myself |
| n |
near need nothing |
| o |
open outside ow |
| p |
paint paper party pence picture
piece plant present puppy |
| q |
quick quiet quite |
| r |
rabbit reading ready real riding
river road running |
| s |
second sheep shoe since spring
started stood stopped street such swimming |
| t |
taken thank third those tired
together tomorrow train tried trying turned |
| u |
uncle under used using |
| v |
visit |
| w |
warm wear weather without woman
women won’t working world writing wrote |
| y |
yard yellow yesterday young |
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