Spelling Lesson Plan

Lesson focus information

Lesson focus Spell words with the letter 'o' making the /u/ sound.

Examples cover, brother, nothing, Monday

Extra The /u/ sound is a short vowel sound. In this lesson, we look at words where the /u/ sound is
information made with the letter 'o'. The letter 'o' is often used before the letters 'v', 'n' or 'th'.
Grade levels Year/Grade 2–4
Australia
• ACELA1828 (Year 4) Understand how to use phonic knowledge to read and write
multisyllabic words with more complex letter combinations, including a variety of vowel
sounds and known prefixes and suffixes.
• EN2-5A (NSW Stage 2) Uses a range of strategies, including knowledge of letter–sound
correspondences and common letter patterns, to spell familiar and some unfamiliar words.
• VCELA294 (VIC Level 4) Understand how to use phonic generalisations to identify and write
words with more complex letter combinations.
New Zealand
• (Level 3) Demonstrates good understanding of all basic spelling patterns and sounds in
written English.
South Africa
• (Grade 4) Spelling patterns, spelling rules and conventions, abbreviations, dictionary usage.
Curriculum links United Kingdom
• England (Year 2)
Learning new ways of spelling phonemes for which 1 or more spellings are already known,
and learn some words with each spelling, including a few common homophones.
• Northern Ireland (Key Stage 2)
Spell correctly a range of familiar, important and regularly occurring words.
• Scotland (First Level)
I can spell the most commonly used words, using my knowledge of letter patterns and
spelling rules and use resources to help me spell tricky or unfamiliar words.
• Wales (Key Stage 2)
Use strategies including knowledge of word families, roots, morphology, derivations and
graphic knowledge to spell words, e.g. words with more complex patterns.
USA (Common Core)
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2.D (Grade 2) Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing
words.

Lesson focus information

In this lesson, whole class and mixed-ability group activities provide a shared focus inclusive of
all levels. These activities allow all students to read, verbalise, manipulate and explore a wide
Whole class and
range of content, regardless of their independent spelling achievement level. This shared focus
group activities
allows for opportunities to make meaningful connections to spelling in other lessons, subjects
and contexts.
Spelling Lesson Plan

Lesson focus information

Finding a starting point
Using previous data, pre-testing or teacher judgement, determine the current ability of each
student in this particular spelling skill.
In Readiwriter Spelling, teachers can administer online pre-tests and post-tests with instant
Independent results and growth tracking.
activities Zone of Proximal Development
For independent practice, provide levelled word lists to target the zone of proximal
development for each student or group — not too easy, not too boring.
In Readiwriter Spelling, all word lists are presented in 3 levels to assist teachers in providing
the right level for independent practice.

Recommended word lists (available in Readiwriter Spelling)

Entry level Core level Exit level Extra word pool

o making the /u/ sound o making the /u/ sound o making the /u/ sound
o making the /u/ sound (extra)
(entry) (core) (exit)
come month brotherly others
done shove someone does
love colour /color somebody loved
mother wonder somewhere coming
other another uncover gloves
brother dozen somehow loves
none won amongst worrying
some front wondrous months
son monkey recover doesn’t
nothing sometimes company something
money recovery monthly
shovel wonderful
honey compass
cover worry
above sometimes

Motivate

Learning intention
Providing a learning intention statement is a helpful
tool in focusing students before the lesson.
• Read or display the learning intention, examples and
extra information.

Revise prior learning

• Revise the short and long vowel sounds in a way that
is meaningful to your students such as this video.
• Focus on the short /u/ sound but explain that the
words we are looking at in this lesson are unusual
because they use the letter ‘o’ to make the /u/ sound.
Spelling Lesson Plan

Motivate
Word hunt
Hunt for the words in the lesson within the context of paragraphs to show how spelling is closely linked to read-
ing and writing. Explore word hunts with students to restore this important link between spelling, reading and
writing..
• Display or distribute the text and read aloud to the class.
In the middle month of winter, my brother puts on his gloves, takes a shovel and tries to uncover the path out
the front of our house. It is covered in snow.
When he comes inside, my mother gives him a cake from the hot oven, and he sits down to recover. “You are
such a wonderful son,” she says to my brother.
He does this every year and always on a Sunday. By Monday, it is covered again and there is nothing he can do
about it except to put on his boots, grab his shovel and get ready for another cake!
• Have students listen to the text and identify all of the words that have the /u/ sound.
• Now focus on those words and find the ones that use the letter ‘o’ to make the /u/ sound.
• Provide students access to a classroom library, books, magazines, newspapers or simply the environmental
print in the classroom. Give them time to search for other words that use the letter ‘o’ to make the /u/ sound.
• As students discover new words, record them on a whiteboard, chalkboard or on sticky notes.
• As an extension of this task, set additional parameters for more successful students. The word must have a
prefix; the word must have 3 syllables, etc.
• Continue to encourage students to add to this list as they read and write throughout the duration of the unit of
work.

In Readiwriter Spelling, the Word Hunt is available in digital, interactive format for use on interactive white-
boards and personal devices.

Model
Word sort
A word sort is a word study activity that focuses on a particular feature of a set of words. This may include
sound patterns, letter patterns, meanings, origins and word structures such as prefixes and suffixes.
• Print out the set of word sort cards [see below].
• Display the category titles and explain their meaning. Place the category titles into separate circles or hoops
(can be made with a loop of string) on the floor.
• Have students work in pairs and distribute 2–3 words to each pair (depending on class size).
• Students discuss their words and where they think they should be placed.
• One pair at a time, have students read their words aloud and place them into the appropriate category.
• If students place a word into the ‘does not fit’ category, have them justify their decision.
• Remember, mistakes can be great springboards for discussion. Create a culture of learning by celebrating
mistakes and learning from them.
• This task can be used as a small group or individual activity throughout the unit of work.

In Readiwriter Spelling, the Word Sort is available in digital, interactive format for use on interactive
whiteboards and personal devices.
Spelling Lesson Plan

Model
Word facts
Successful spellers also need to know how to use their spelling knowledge in the context of writing. In order to
do so, they need some additional facts about the words they are studying.
• Print 2–3 ‘word fact cards’ for each student [see template below].
• Provide access to dictionaries, thesauruses or online tools.
• Have students choose 2–3 words from the list that they are not familiar with and then complete the information
on the fact card.
• These cards can be used for a range of activities throughout the unit of work. For example:
o What word am I?
Choose a student to read out facts from their card without saying the actual list word. After each ‘clue’ is
read, students can try to guess the word. There are great discussion opportunities for which facts reveal the
least and most about a word.
o Part of Speech Partners and Syllable Sets (Noise warning!)
Choose either ‘part of speech’ or ‘syllables’. Students choose one of their fact cards and move around the
room saying aloud the answer for that category on their card. When they find someone with the same fact,
they sit down together.

In Readiwriter Spelling, students can access a mini online dictionary with facts about each of the words in
their list.
Spelling Lesson Plan

Master
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check
Once students understand the list words and their meanings, they are ready to complete activities to help them add
these words to their lexical store.
Look, say, cover, write, check is an effective and efficient strategy for memorising spelling.
• Provide students with a LSCWC sheet [below] or show them how to prepare their own LSCWC space in their
workbook.
• For each word, encourage students to complete each step of the process in order to make good connections
between sight, sound and spelling.

In Readiwriter Spelling, Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check can be completed online, guiding each step in the process
and providing additional tools to aid memory.
Spelling Lesson Plan

Magnify
Flexible knowledge and understanding can be demonstrated through activities that require more than simple
repetition. Use these activities to extend thinking and understanding.
Exciting sentences
• Write 5 sentences using 2 or more words each time.
For example, Every Monday I have honey on my toast and so does my brother.
Alphabetical order
Knowledge of alphabetical order is valuable for sorting and locating words.
• Write out the list words in alphabetical order.
Word building
• Provide a list of prefixes and suffixes such as un-, dis-, -s, -es, -ful, -ly.
• Students choose a list word as the base word and see if any of the affixes can be added.
• Record results in a table or word tree.
Finish the sentence
• Write sentences for each of the list words leaving a blank space in place of the target word.
• Students insert their list words into the sentences.

In Readiwriter Spelling, Finish the Sentence can be completed online, saving you time and providing contextual
knowledge of list words.

Meaningful feedback
Gathering data
• Pre-tests and post-tests can be helpful in guiding teaching, tracking progress and informing future steps.
• Monitor student achievement throughout the unit of work and adjust grouping, goals and instruction to meet the
changing needs.

In Readiwriter Spelling, as well as comprehensive results and reporting, pre-tests and post-tests can be completed
online, in a live classroom environment, saving you time and providing valuable, actionable data.
Word sort printable

o making the short /u/ sound

u making the short /u/ sound
does not fit
come done love
mother other none
some son nothing
wonder another dozen
won front monkey
sometimes money shovel
honey cover above
butter cut lucky
such muck tuck
but lungs truck
most bully butcher
put pull sugar
cot rotten socks
Word fact card

Part of speech Definition

Draw it

Syllables

Use the word in a sentence

This word has ___ syllables

Interesting facts
(synonyms, antonyms origins)
 Name:

Words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4