New
New
Year 2
Silent letters: the 'gn' spelling
I can spell words with 'gn' representing the 'n' phoneme.
New
New
Year 2
Silent letters: the 'gn' spelling
I can spell words with 'gn' representing the 'n' phoneme.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- 'gn' can be a representation of the 'n' phoneme.
- The representation 'gn' is usually found at the start or end of a word.
- How to spell the common exception word: school.
- Words connected in word families often have similar spellings, such as sign and signal.
Keywords
Phoneme - the smallest unit of sound that make up words
Grapheme - the letter or group of letters that represent a sound
Word families - a group of words common in feature, pattern or meaning
Etymology - the study of the origin of words and the ways their meanings have changed over time
Common misconception
The 'gn' digraph does not always use the 'g' as a silent letter.
Expose children to words with 'gn' where the 'g' is both silent and not silent.
When learning a new representation of a sound, it can help to briefly remind the pupils of what they already know about other representations of this sound (this will depend on the phonics scheme used) and supplement the slides with visuals.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Match each word to the number of phonemes it contains.
4
2
3
Q2.
How many syllables are in the word groaning?
1
5
6
Q3.
Choose two more spellings that can also represent the sound 'n', like in grin.
m
mb
mm
Q4.
Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: I __________ your attention.
knead
nede
Q5.
Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: I tied a __________ with my shoe laces.
not
Q6.
Match the word to its definition.
words that sound the same with different spellings
letters in a word that are not pronounced
the smallest unit of sound in a word
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Choose the correct word and spelling to complete this sentence: I hope you have a good day at...
skool.
scool.
Q2.
Which words contain the 'gn' spelling of the 'n' sound.
signal
running
Q3.
Choose the representation of the 'n' sound that matches the words.
gn
n
kn
nn
Q4.
Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence: The tree was ancient and narled.
Q5.
Where are the two places the 'gn' spelling is usually found in a word?
the middle
Q6.
Choose the correct spelling for the word in bold in the following sentence: What a wonderful desine that is!
Additional material
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