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.
16 September 2016
| ‘ough’ words
We have been focusing on learning how to spell (and say) words containing the ‘ough’ letter string. Children should practise spelling these words in preparation for a test on Friday 23 September. On the back page of every child’s homework book there is a sheet full of effective techniques to learn spellings. Children should be using these methods to ensure they learn how to spell these words effectively: for life, not just the test. |
| bought |
| dough |
| nought |
| brought |
| rough |
| borough |
| enough |
| cough |
| although |
| thought |
09 September 2016
In a change to past practice, children will no longer be given a list of words to learn each week before being tested on the Friday. Instead, we will focus on the same spelling rule for two weeks. This will allow children more time to learn, and retain, the spellings. One week, children will be given a task or activity to complete. The next, they will be given a list of words that follow the rule.
This week’s spelling activity is due on THURSDAY 15 September 2016.
Sort these words according to the sound the ‘ough’ letter string makes when you say the word.
For example, when you say ‘enough’, the ‘ough’ letter string makes an ‘uff’ sound.
|
bough |
cough |
dough |
|
enough |
bought |
plough |
|
though |
drought |
sought |
|
thought |
tough |
thorough |
|
rough |
although |
brought |
Have a happy and healthy holiday
It’s the summer holidays at last, so there are no homework or spelling activities. Enjoy the holidays instead!
Does your child spend less time outdoors than prison inmates? A survey suggests three-quarters of children do, as the time spent playing in parks, woods and fields has shrunk dramatically due to lack of green spaces, digital technology and parents’ fears.
Research shows that playing outdoors promotes social skills, improves vision, reduces stress, increases attention span and provides vitamin D.
15 July 2016
Gobblefunk words
To promote the big read and celebrate the work of Roald Dahl, this week’s spellings are all words found in his books.
Children should learn how to spell these words in preparation for their final spelling test on Thursday 21st July.
Although these are made-up words, your child be practising the skill of learning new words – a vital life skill. There are lots of rules in these words which apply to spelling real or made-up words. (‘Squibbling’, for example, is probably a verb, ‘to squibble’, and uses two key rules: ‘drop the e for i n g‘ and the always important ‘double up for short vowel sounds’.)
| hopscotchy |
| squibbling |
| whizzpop |
| crodsquinkled |
| trogglehumper |
| quogwinkle |
| ucky-mucky |
| frothbuggling |
| delemptious |
I wonder if you can figure out what they mean too or even track down some Roald Dahl books that have them in!
