New
New
Year 5

Spelling more polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels

I can spell a range of polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels.

New
New
Year 5

Spelling more polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels

I can spell a range of polysyllabic words with unstressed vowels.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In polysyllabic words, some vowels can be unstressed and hard to hear and spell.
  2. Saying the word how it is spelt can help to learn the spelling.
  3. Spotting a word inside another word can help to learn the spelling.
  4. How to spell the curriculum words: favourite, persuade and queue.

Keywords

  • Polysyllabic - describes a word that has more than one syllable

  • Vowel letters - the letters ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’ (and sometimes ‘y’) that represent vowel sounds

  • Unstressed - an unstressed sound is not emphasised or pronounced with much force

Common misconception

Children can confuse the homophones 'stationary' and 'stationery'.

Use the mnemonic 'the stationer sells stationery' to help remember.

Pupils may pronounce some words differently, depending on accents and articulation. The focus on pronunciation is in relation to how it supports with spelling choices. You could use silly voices when 'saying the word how it is spelt' in order to make it more memorable.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Match these words to their root word.
Correct Answer:deaf,deafening

deafening

Correct Answer:poison,poisonous

poisonous

Correct Answer:busy,business

business

Q2.
Which vowel letter is unstressed in the word 'lottery'?
l
o
t
Correct answer: e
y
Q3.
Select the correct spelling of the word.
intrestingly
intrestinly
Correct answer: interestingly
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Do you have a refrance?
Correct Answer: reference
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Can you imajin a city with no cars?
Correct Answer: imagine
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. I would like varyus colours for my painting.
Correct Answer: various

6 Questions

Q1.
Which vowel letters are unstressed in the word 'generally'?
g
Correct answer: e
r
Correct answer: a
y
Q2.
Select the correct spelling of the word.
flatry
flattry
Correct answer: flattery
Q3.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. The noise from the motorbike was defning.
Correct Answer: deafening
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. That film was very fritning.
Correct Answer: frightening
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. What is your favrit colour?
Correct Answer: favourite
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Please stand in the 'quoo'.
Correct Answer: queue

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