Lesson video

Hello, everybody.

It's Miss Chamberlain-Webber.

This is the second spelling lesson in this unit.

In the first spelling lesson, we talked about the rules for hard and soft C sounds.

And in this lesson, we're going to apply and practise those rules and talk about spellings strategy we can use to help us remember.

So if you haven't yet watched lesson two in this unit about the hard and soft C spellings, then please watch that now because I give you 10 spellings at the end of the lesson that we're going to work on in this lesson.

We will have a spelling test at the end.

Good luck.

The lesson will start with a review of key vocabulary.

Then we're going to look at the rules, of these spellings one more time, and we're going to think about a new strategy.

Finally, we've got the test.

So you're going to need a pen and paper as usual, and your brains need to be ready for your learning.

If you haven't got a pen and paper, go and get it now.

Key vocabulary.

What is a vowel letter, and what is a vowel sound? They're very slightly different.

Read the definitions below and decide for yourself.

Is option A or option B a vowel letter or vowel sound? Pause the video here for more time to think.

So what is a vowel letter? A vowel letter are the letters A, E, I, O, U, and Y.

These are the letters as we say them, or as we write them.

Whereas a vowel sound is option A, a speech sound made with an open mouth.

So there can be many of those letter sounds that you've learned in phonics previously.

For example, A and I together make the A sound, and we have many different types of spellings that can make a vowel sound.

Today, we're going to be focusing on vowel letters.

Can you tell me what they are one more time? Reviewing rules.

What is the rule for our hard and soft C? Let's have a look at these words to remind ourselves.

My turn.

Calendar.

Complete.

Current.

What do these words have in common? Remembering our colour coding to help us.

They are the hard C sound, and that's because if the vowels A, O, U for the C, then it's pronounced as a hard C.

Remember A, O, U is hard like a rock, a hard C sound.

Let's have a look at the next rule.

City.

Ceiling.

Cylinder.

What is different about these? Can you remember? The vowels I, E, and Y follow the C.

Then it is pronounced as a soft C.

A soft C, remember, sounds very like which other letter in the alphabet? An S.

City, ceilings, cylinder.

They sound as if they've got an S at the beginning.

But in fact, it's a soft C, a soft C just like this pillow pictured on our screen.

That always helps me remember.

Putting a picture to something in my mind.

Hard or soft C.

Let's have a look at these words, and I want you to point to the hard rock or the soft pillow, depending on what sound is in the word.

My turn.

Decimal.

Cupboard.

Cereal.

Castle.

Okay, which of those words have a soft C? Can you shout them to me? Good.

Decimal and cereal.

Which ones have a hard C then? Cupboard and castle.

Perhaps you can tell me some more words with a hard C.

Maybe since the last lesson you've been practising these words.

I'd love to know how you've been practising them.

Perhaps you've grouped them into hard and soft C.

Perhaps you've thought about colour coding them.

In fact, that's what I decided to do to try and help me with my memory of all 10 words.

For example, how would you colour code these different sounds? Have a go on one or two of your words.

I decided to keep the colours that I had before.

My words with a hard C in pink, and my words with a soft C in blue.

Did you notice something interesting about number nine and 10? We're going to explore that a bit further.

Let's learn a new strategy.

First of all, I'm sure you've heard of this one before.

It's a very, very popular spelling strategy used in schools, look, cover, write, and check.

My class loved this one.

So using consider, first of all, we must look at the word carefully.

Then we must cover up the word to try and memorise it.

So we can't see it.

Write the word and then check it's correct.

Let's do this step by step.

But before we do, why is this a great strategy? We can interact with the word.

This means we can spot patterns.

Shape of the word.

If we're covering the word, we have to think about what it might look like in our mind.

It slows us down so that we can really use our mind and our memory to think about these connections that we've been talking about in the spelling.

And most importantly, it means that we're self-correcting as we go.

A slow approach is a steady approach.

So, let's start with the word decimal.

I want you to do this with me.

First step, look very carefully at the word.

What might I find difficult about this word? What am I going to make sure I remember about this word? Decimal.

Well, I can't hear the AL very well.

To me, it just sounds like there's an L at the end.

So I really need to remember it as an AL at the end.

And of course, most importantly, is it to hard or a soft C sound? Soft.

Great.

Now I'm going to completely the cover the word.

Cover it with your hands or with another book, whatever's most convenient to you.

Next step.

I'm going to make sure I write it down from memory, remembering those things I talked about before, my D, my E, my C, my I, my M, my A.

We can't forget that.

And my L.

Now, sometimes I might forget my L or my A or a letter, but that's why we always check at the end.

Check every single letter in detail.

And if you've made mistakes, that's fine.

Add in or discredit anything that's not right and write the correct spelling below it.

This means we'll remember it next time.

Okay.

Time for you to try this strategy for yourself.

Let's take a few words from our spelling list, the numbered spellings from six to 10.

Pause the video here and do your own look, cover, write, and check for these five words.

I hope you find that useful.

Here's a few tips before we move on.

The spellings, certain, when you say the word certain, you can't really hear there's an A in there.

So to make this a bit less tricky, I really try and highlight that A and remind myself every time I'm copying it down.

Number seven.

What's difficult about difficulty? Double consonant, remembering there's two F's.

Number eight, century.

Sometimes when you say this word, it's not that easy to spot there's a U in there.

So as we did with certain, say the word, century, really clearly with a U in as you're spelling it so that you remember it.

Number nine and 10 are similar in one way.

How are they similar? They have both the soft and hard C sound.

So how do you remember how to spell circulate? To circulate is to go around in a circle, which actually is similar to how the letter C looks, reminding me as I write it, that circulate has two C's in it, So does accident.

But this time, there's a double consonant alongside each other.

Let's have a look at the rules, and I have a challenge for you.

Is the rule I'm about to show you true or false? Show me with your thumbs.

If the vowels I, E, Y follow the C, then it is pronounced as a soft C.

Show me your thumbs.

If the vowels A, I, U follow the C, then it is pronounced as a hard C.

Show me your thumbs.

If you want a little bit longer to think about this, pause the video now.

The vowels I, E, Y, following the C is pronounced as a soft C.

How about our second rule here? Thumbs down for that one.

Did you spot the naughty vowel there? I.

Instead of I, can you tell me what vowel following the C makes a hard C sound? That's right.

It's an O.

Time for your test.

Please have a pen and paper ready and hide the practise you've been doing in the lesson or any previous practise.

You're going to write the numbers one to 10 down.

Pause the video now to give yourself some time.

I'm going to read each word one by one, and then I'm going to put it into a sentence.

Please don't write down the whole sentence.

It's just so you understand the meaning of the words, which might help you with the spelling itself.

It's really important you pause the video after each word so that you have enough time to write down the spelling and to check it over before moving on because it might feel like a bit of a rush as I'm going through.

So write down the word, pause the video, and double check the spelling each time.

Good luck.

Number one, consider.

Be sure you consider the spelling rule.

Number two, decimal.

Use a decimal point for your answer.

Number three, cemetery.

The walk through the cemetery was eerie.

Number four, competition.

Good luck in the competition.

Number five, receive.

I'm waiting to receive the message.

Number six, certain.

I only like certain vegetables.

Number seven, difficulty.

Sometimes I have difficulty sitting still.

Number eight, century.

A century is 100 years.

Number nine, circulate.

Air can circulate freely through tunnels.

Number 10, accident.

Oh dear, she had a bad accident.

Pause the video here and really check carefully each spelling.

Correct spellings.

Number one, consider.

Spelled C-O-N-S-I-D-E-R.

Number two, decimal.

D-E-C-I-M-A-L.

Number three, cemetery.

C-E-M E-T-E-R-Y.

Number four, competition.

C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N.

Number five, receive.

R-E-C-E-I-V-E.

Number six, certain.

C-E-R-T-A-I-N.

Number seven, difficulty.

D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T-Y.

Century is number eight.

C-E-N-T-U-R-Y.

Number nine, circulate.

C-I-R-C-U-L-A-T-E.

Number 10, accident.

A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T.

If you made any mistakes, don't worry.

Remember mistakes are how we learn.

I want you to just try and practise that word or words a little bit harder, using some of our strategies you've learned along the way.

So then, time to recap.

Look, cover, write, and check was our strategy we practised today.

It's a very common and very useful one.

So please use it more in your practise.

Why is it so useful? Can you remind me of the three things that make it a great strategy? Good.

Interacting with the word, it really tests your memory, and it slows your process down so that you're less likely to make mistakes.

Congratulations, look what you've managed to achieve in one lesson.

You looked at key vocabulary, reviewed spelling rules, learned or practised a strategy that you'd used before, and finally you did a spelling test.

I hope you're feeling confident about your spelling and how to spot a hard and soft C.

Well done today.