Follow up No.1 – KS2 Writing Module
Writing at simple word level
In the initial Writing session you will have seen two different ways of supporting Year 3 children as
they write simple words. Here are some further ideas for you to try.
1.
Word Patterns
In this activity children decipher the pattern and then write the correct word. The pattern will
reinforce the spelling of the word.
There are different patterns that you could try. Decipher these patterns and write the correct
words from this list (taken from the TDA Scheme of Work for French, Unit 2 - Chansons et Jeux):
le fermier
le chien
le chat
la souris
le fromage
le pré
la femme
l’enfant
la nourrice
a. Word shapes
In these patterns, the different shaped blocks show the size of the letters in the words.
Patterns like this are easy to make using the Shapes function in MS PowerPoint or MS
Word.
b. CVC patterns
Primary children are used to looking at patterns of vowels and consonants in words. CVC
patterns oblige them to think carefully about the spelling of the word as well as which
letters are vowels and which are consonants.
CV CVVCCVCV
CV CCVVC
c. Colour patterns
The CVC words could also be depicted using colours rather than letters. Here is an
example, where the green circles are the consonants and the yellow circles are the vowels:
d. Gender patterns
To reinforce the difference between masculine and feminine, use two different colours for
the two genders (or three for German). Children will then have to look carefully at the
gender of the words as well as the number of letters.
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2.
Can you think of any other patterns that you could use?
Calligrams
Children are introduced to calligrams in Year 3 Literacy, where they often use them to express the
meaning of adjectives, such as this one:
A calligram can be a poem, a phrase, or a simple word in which the typeface, the calligraphy or the
handwriting is an important part of the focus. Thus, with the above example, the word hot is
written and embellished in such a way that it looks hot. Its appearance reflects its meaning.
There are many ways in which calligrams can be used to support Year 3 children as they write
simple words in another language. They could write the word in the shape of the item that it
spells out, such as:
However if they use a simple colouring-in picture of the same object, they can create the shape of
the object by writing the words inside the outline many times:
This is a very effective way of embedding the spelling and will help the children to memorise the
words. We can also use stencils to create a similar effect. Place the stencil on the paper, paperclip it to stop it moving, and fill the spaces with words in the new language. This angel is filled with
Spanish Christmas words:
Children enjoy being artistically creative in tandem with using their language creatively.

3.
Choose a unit from your class’s scheme of work for Languages. Outline how you would use
calligrams to support children as they write new words from the unit.
Common spelling errors
There are certain words in French, Spanish and German that children commonly mis-spell. The
following list is the result of a crowd-source of language teachers on Twitter:
FRENCH:
nerf
beucoup / beacoup
familie
blue
souer
jamie
interestant
compains
chevaux
fréré
collage
je mapple / jem’appele etc.
trios
mecredi
jabeet
vancances
neuf
beaucoup
famille
bleu
soeur
j’aime
intéressant
copains
cheveux
frère
collège
je m’appelle
trois
mercredi
j’habite
vacances
ENGLISH:
nine
many / a lot
family
blue
sister
I like
interesting
friends
hair
brother
school
I am called
three
Wednesday
I live
holiday(s)
SPANISH:
abburido
me enchanta
aburrido
me encanta
boring
I love
anos
viente
mardre
años
veinte
madre
years
twenty
mother
GERMAN:
Ich speile
Wochende
Fruende
Ich spiele
Wochenende
Freunde
I play
Weekend
friend
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Why do you think there are more French words on the list than Spanish or German?
Can you explain why some of these errors have been made?
What steps could you take, as the teacher, to ensure that more of these words are spelt
correctly?