09 December 2016
For our spelling test next week, children will be asked to spell a selection of words that they have previously learnt this year. Children should briefly recap each spelling focus and spend time consolidating their learning around these words. They may choose to focus on the words they spelt incorrectly when they were tested on them previously.
Our spelling test will be on Friday 16 December 2016.
02 December 2016
Hyphens
This week’s spelling activity focuses on the use of hyphens. Children should sort the compound adjectives below in to words that need a hyphen and those that don’t. They need to be careful though – I’ve tried to catch them out.
| Hyphen | No hyphen |
man-eating actionpacked heavy-metal good-luck
hand-picked over-sleep mine-field tip-toed
state-of-the-art under-whelmed re-organise re-do
reignite cooperate coown foot-ball
Next, children should add two more of their own to each column.
25 November 2016
Words I commonly spell incorrectly
This week, we investigated the spelling mistakes children have made so far this year. Children found words they have spelled incorrectly, found out how it should be spelled, made a list of the mistakes they’ve made and identified the spelling patterns/rules they commonly make errors with.
I will not give them a word list this week. Instead, they should practise the words they identified as ones they commonly misspell and learn these. A partner will test them on these words on Friday 02 November.
Children should use this page to show which strategies they used to practise – we’ll look at even more strategies in our spelling lessons this week.
18 November 2016
This week, I will not be giving your child a spelling list. Instead, during our spelling test on Friday 25 November, I will read out ten sentences that contain at least one apostrophe. Your child will need to figure out which words need an apostrophe and use it correctly. For example…
- Some of my book’s pages were torn. (Here, an apostrophe is needed because the book ‘owns’ the pages.)
- I believe they are Mr Jones’ golf clubs. (An apostrophe is needed to show Mr Jones owns the clubs, and in this case it comes after the s because Mr Jones has an s at the end of his name.)
- I can’t believe you lost your book. (There’s a missing letter here, because can not has been contracted.)
To prepare for the test, your child should practise using apostrophes for possession and contraction/omission.
04 November 2016
For this week’s spellings, we recap learning from earlier years as we focus on plurals – more than one of a noun. Children should practise spelling these words in preparation for a test on Friday 11 November.
Children will be tested on 10 of these words (but should know them all).
I have given the singular version. Children should learn the plural version. For example:
- one bus / two buses
- one baby / two babies
| bus |
| cup |
| baby |
| balloon |
| sheep |
| party |
| child |
| lunch |
| worry |
| cactus |
| duck |
| stimulus |
Please remember what we discussed at parents’ evening: “It is much more important that children learn the rules than simply the correct spellings.”
21 October 2016
It’s half-term, so there’s no homework. Enjoy the holiday instead: hunt down a collection of chestnuts on a walk at Roundhay Park, enjoy a cinema trip on a damp day, go further afield and visit somewhere new…
Whatever you do, have a good break.
14 October 2016
| This week’s spellings are all homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings (and are often spelled differently).
Children should practise/practice spelling these words in preparation for a test on Friday 21 October. In this example, it should be practise because it’s a verb (the action that is being done).
|
| isle – aisle – I’ll |
| aloud – allowed |
| affect – effect |
| deaf – death |
| herd – heard |
| led – lead |
| steel – steal |
| altar – alter |
| assent – ascent |
| practise – practice |
07 October 2016
Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. The English language can be very confusing and children often struggle to choose the correct homophone in their/there/they’re writing (it should be their!). For this week’s spelling activity, children should identify homophones they may come across. Then, they should give a definition and think of a way to remember which is which (not witch!). This would be best presented in a table.
e.g.
| homophone | meaning | way to remember |
| stationary
stationery |
Not moving.
Writing and other office materials. |
Envelope has an ‘e’ in it and so does stationery. |
30 September 2016
‘able’ or ‘ible’
We’ve been focusing on learning how to spell words that contain the ‘able’ and ‘ible’ suffix. Children should practise spelling these words in preparation for a test on Friday 07 September.
| identifiable |
| valuable |
| disposable |
| possible |
| legible |
| terrible |
| enviable |
| forgivable |
| edible |
| reversible |
23 September 2016
‘able’ and ‘ible’
This week’s spelling activity focuses on words ending in ‘able’ or ‘ible’ and recognising which suffix to use. This should be completed by Thursday 29 September.
Children should find words that end in either ‘able’ or ‘ible’ and begin to identify any patterns/rules they can see.
Children should present their findings in their homework books. We will discuss this in class and children will be given a word list to learn next week.