We have a new and fun way to practise your spelling! Spelling Shed is a great way to practise your spellings and have fun by earning honey pots for rewards within the game. Earn points for our class and try to get on the school leader board...
You can log in with your own username and password here: https://play.edshed.co/login
You should be using Spelling Shed here to be practising your Year 5 and Year 6 words now. I have set you all some 'Assignments' which include the Year 5 and Year 6 words - they are split into separate lists (list 4, 5 and 6). Try to complete each list 3 times - if you get the spellings wrong then you know that you need to focus on those words.
You can also be practising the spelling rules we have already learned this year.
If you know you have problems with any of the Year 2 words or words that you learned in Year 3 or Year 4 then you should also be working on learning those too. The Spelling SAT will include words from Years 3 to 6 but the focus will be on words from Years 5 and 6.
What are we learning this week?
We are practising our problem words and Y3/4 and Y5/6 words.
We have been thinking about proofreading our own work and thinking about strategies to spell words we are unsure of.
- Syllables - breaking words down into syllables can help us to spell.
- Phonemes - thinking about how syllables sound can help us to spell them.
What will we be testing next week?
We will be testing a variety of words from the statutory rules we have already learned (see below), along with some of our 'problem' words. Our focus will increasingly be on the Y5/6 list too.
Homophones
'homo' means 'same'.
'phone' means 'sound'.
So 'homophone' means words that sound the same but have different meanings.
There are many, many homophones in the English language - the list below records lots of the KS2 homophones that are covered in school! Don't forget these common ones too:
- your / you're
- to / too / two
- there / their / they're
Prefixes
uni- (one) |
extra- (one) |
trans- (across) |
pro- (for, forwards) |
bi- (two) |
super- (bigger or better) |
tele- (far, far off) |
anti- (against, opposite) |
tri- (three) |
auto- (self) |
circum- (around) |
aero- (air, flight) |
semi- (half or part) |
aqua- (water) |
Prefixes are used to build words or alter the meaning of words. Here are some examples of how this week's prefixes can be used in words but there are lots, lots more:
uni- unicycle university universe unite
bi- bicycle biped binoculars
tri- tricycle triangle triathlon
semi- semicircle semifinal semiconscious
extra- extraordinary extravagant extraterrestrial
super- supermarket superior supersonic superhuman
auto- automatic automobile autograph autobiography
trans- transfer transplant translate translucent transparent
tele- telephone television teleport telescope
circum- circuit circumference circumnavigate
pro- proceed progress prolong probable
anti- antiseptic antibiotic antibacterial antidote antisocial
aero- aeroplane aerobics aerosol aerial
aqua- aquarium aquamarine aqualung aquatic
-cial and -tial
- cial is more common after vowels (and the root words often end with -ce) e.g. race / racial
- tial is more common after consonants (and the root words often end with -t) e.g. part/ partial
There are several exceptions to these rules (e.g. financial, provincial, initial and others)
Example -cial words
official commercial glacial
special facial social
artificial racial financial
provincial beneficial crucial
Example -tial words
partial confidential essential
influential substantial torrential
preferential residential quintessential
initial potential
-ough
This is a tricky rule because the one spelling pattern -ough can make six or seven different phonemes (sounds).
Here are some examples - see if you can spot the different phonemes (sounds):
bough
dough though although
drought plough
sought thought ought brought bought nought fought
tough rough enough
thorough
cough
The children also need to be able to extend these words using affixes (prefixes and suffixes correctly). Here are some examples for a variety of phonemes - you can probably think of lots more:
boughs
ploughing
thoughtless
toughen
thoroughly
coughed
-cious or -tious.
Lots of the -cious words have related root words that end with -ice. Here are some examples:
malicious (malice)
vicious (vice)
precious
delicious
Lots of the -tious words have related root words that end with -tion. Here are some examples:
cautious (caution)
ambitious (ambition)
nutritious (nutrition)
fictitious (fiction)
There are also some words that don't fit the above rules:
suspicious (suspicion)
conscious
anxious
Homophones and near homophones
We have starting learning some homophones (homo=same, phones=sounds) - words that sound the same but have different meanings. The children need to know what each word means, which word class it is from and which word is the right one to use in different contexts. We don't know which words will be tested at the end of Y6 in our spelling SAT but we will be concentrating on the following words for now:
Noun Verb
-fer words
We have learned how different suffixes change the ending for -fer words. Sometimes -fer stays as it is and sometimes we need to use -ferr.
Example words might include:
-able -ible -ably -ibly
We have learned a range of words ending with the statutory rules for -able and -ible, -ably and -ibly.
Year 3/4 statutory words
We will also be testing a selection of words from the Y3/4 statutory spelling list - this is available at the bottom of this page. The words below, and others, will definitely be tested as they are problem words for lots of us. We have made a start with testing these already!
appear | believe | build | decide |
disappear | different | difficult | describe |
enough | February | important | interest |
How can school and families support the children with their spelling?
At home, please practise your spellings for five to ten minutes every night - try to make this fun by playing games, using art materials, getting messy, setting up competitions with each other or by using the internet! I have put together a document outlining 20 ideas for learning and practising spelling at home - see above.
At school, children will be practising their spelling regularly in a variety of different ways as we follow the No Nonsense Spelling scheme. They will be encouraged to be independently checking and improving their own spelling and partners will be able to help each other.
I will provide word lists (in spelling books or on this page) to focus on at home. On occasion, I may also produce wordsearches or other games to help to make practice more fun!
Why should children practise their spelling?
As part of the new primary curriculum, the government have placed an increased emphasis on being able to spell well. Spelling must be accurate in all lessons (including in English, Maths and Topic), in the children's independent written work as well as in spelling tests.
How will spelling be assessed?
Spellings will be tested weekly. These tests will be made up of some of the words following the patterns/rules that are currently being practised in class and those that have been studied previously. Some words from the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 spelling lists will also be included along with personal 'problem' words.
Testing will either be formal, when results will be recorded by the teacher, or will take place in pairs, when partners will be helping each other to correct mistakes and highlight misconceptions. The intention of carrying out testing in this way is that children become better spellers and won't just learn words for a test without applying their learning.
What are the expectations for spelling in Y6?
Children are expected to include an increasing number of advanced words in their written school work. By Year 6, it is expected that all Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 words are now being spelled correctly with very few errors - I have collated the National Curriculum rules and word list and it is available below. On this list you can see which are the Year 3/4 or Year 5/6 words.
Children are able to use word mats, dictionaries and classroom resources to support their spelling during class work but not during spelling tests.