Letters and Sounds
Additional Activities for Phases 5 & 6
Acknowledgements:
This booklet has been compiled from the ideas of Cheshire Eastteachers who
attended phonics and spelling Cluster training.
With special thanks to:
Lizzie Slater (Marton & District CE Primary)
Helen Upton (The Marlborough Primary)
Kathryn Wilson (Lostock Hall Primary)
Alison Worthington (Wallerscote Community School)
Contact information:
Ruth Robson
CLLD Consultant
Cheshire Shared Services
Woodford Lodge Professional Centre
Tel: 01606 274300
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
2
PHASE 5
WHERE IS MY PARTNER?
Review
Teach
 Teach alternative spellings for each phoneme.
 Recap/show children alternative spellings of phonemes.
Practice
 Children to stand in two teams, one team has a picture, the other team has a
word or sentence. The children have to find their matching partner.
Apply
 Teacher reads sentence and reiterates the word containing the phoneme.
Children in pairs write the word.
 E.g. I went the wrong way.
The deer was in the park.
The boy can hear the dog bark.
Resources
 Pictures
 Sentences or words
Differentiation
 Either use sentences or words dependent on the ability of the children.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
3
PHASE 5
WORD TRAIN
Review
Teach
 Practising reading sentences.
 Give out questions from L&S p159 to ten children. Give out the words to the
remaining children.
Practice
 Ask the children to find a space, set a timer. Send the children off around the
room to ask each other what their words/questions are. If they find a
question that their word belongs to, then they join that word train.
Apply
 At the end, each train reads out their sentences and words.
Resources
 Questions on cards
 Words on cards
 Timer
Differentiation
 Less able targeted with easier words.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
4
PHASE 5
BUCKET GAME
Review
Teach
 Teach new grapheme for reading - ‘aw’ (See L&S p151).
 Show the children the ‘aw’ grapheme.
Practice
 Split the children into four teams. The children will need a bucket with
pictures of ‘aw’ words.
 E.g. paw, claw and a flip chart with post-it notes.
 The children will run and get an ‘aw’ picture from the bucket and return to the
team to decide on the word.
Apply
 Once the children have decided on the ‘aw’ word they make the word up with
the post-it notes.
P

AW
And place on flipchart.
Whole class read words.
Resources
 Post-it notes
 Pens
 Pictures of ‘aw’ words
 Bucket
Differentiation
 Words and pictures could be made easier/harder depending on ability.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
5
PHASE 5
CORNERS
Review
Teach
 Teach split digraphs a-e, e-e, i-e, o-e. (L&S p152)
 Show the children the split digraphs in a word and sound them out.
Practice
 In a large space explain to the children that there are four split digraphs, one
in each corner. The teacher reads out a word using one of the split digraphs,
children run to the split digraph they think is in the word.
Apply
 Teacher reads out words and children write on whiteboards.
Resources
 Split digraphs on cards for each corner.
 Whiteboards and pens.
Differentiation
 Higher ability – write the words in a sentence.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
6
PHASE 5
CIRCLE SWAP
Review
Teach
 Teach new graphemes for reading – ea, ay, ou, ie.
 Show the children each grapheme – sounding out.
Practice
 Children to stand in a circle each holding a word card for one of the
graphemes. The teacher shows and reads a sentence containing a specific
grapheme.
 E.g. I like apple pie – with the grapheme highlighted/underlined if necessary.
 When the children have heard or read the grapheme on their card which
matches the teacher’s specific grapheme, they run to the middle, say their
word and rejoin the circle.
Apply
 In two’s children write a sentence including their word.
Resources
 Word cards for each grapheme.
 Sentences with graphemes in.
 Whiteboards and pens.
Differentiation
 The teacher could just read the sentence and the children listen for their
grapheme.
 Lower achievers could look at the sentence and highlighted word to recognise
their grapheme.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
7
PHASE 5/6
PHONICS TENNIS
Put with another activity.
Review
 Children to work in pairs, give them the phoneme from last lesson.
 Children to sit opposite each other playing tennis with words.
 E.g. Phoneme ‘oa’, children say words such as boat, goat, float and coach.
Resources
 Word cards
Differentiation
 Extend tops by adding suffixes, e.g. float + ing.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
8
PHASE 5
STAND UP BINGO
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Introduce three/four phonemes e.g. ‘ay’, ‘ou’, ‘ie’, ‘ea’.
Practice
 Give each child one word containing these phonemes. (Keep a list yourself).
 Read out a word and the child with that word stands up.
 The child holds the card to their chest (with word hidden) and asks the rest of
the class to spell it out loud or write on whiteboards. Child then shows word.
Apply
 Teacher to write each word on the board as they appear and the children to
choose two of the words and write sentences.
Resources
 Word cards
 Teacher list
 Whiteboard and pens
Differentiation
 More able children to choose two words to include in each sentence.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
9
PHASE 5
HOORAY SHAME GAME
Review
Teach
 Phonemes chosen.
Practice
 Sit the children in a semi-circle with initial sounds.
 Choose one child at a time to hold up a vowel digraph.
 Invite two children (from the semi-circle) to come up and try to make a word
(either side of the vowel digraph).
 Rest of the class is to read the word made, if it is a real word shout ‘hooray’, if
not shout ‘shame’.
Apply
 Write words in a sentence on individual boards.
Resources
 Different graphemes for example, ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘th’ and initial sounds, and digraphs,
‘ai’, ‘ay’, ‘a-e’ (on card).
 Whiteboard and pens.
Differentiation

Add suffixes
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
10
PHASE 5
DEAL OR NO DEAL
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Teach words with same phoneme, different grapheme.
Practice
 Give each child a word, child reads out loud and posts in correct box.
Apply
 Teacher takes out each word and discusses.
 Children write their word in a sentence.
Resources
 Three empty boxes same phoneme different grapheme e.g. ‘ur’, ‘er’ and ‘ir’.
 Selection of words to post.
 Whiteboards and pens.
Differentiation
 In pairs children write a sentence including their two words.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
11
PHASE 5
GET THE MOUSE TO THE HOUSE
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Share alternative spellings of phonemes e.g. ‘ou’, ‘ow’ and ‘ough’.
Practice
 Teacher call out word e.g. ‘hour’.
 The children (the mice) go to the correct spelling (displayed) on three house
shapes around the room.
Apply
 Children come and write word on the board.
Resources
 Three houses with three alternative spellings.
 Whiteboards and pens.
Differentiation
 Children make a sentence using a word from the board.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
12
PHASE 5
SNOWBALL SPELLINGS
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Read ‘ow’ as in ‘down’, and ‘ow’ as in ‘low’.
 Generic game teaching alternative pronunciations from L&S p152 – p157.
 Choose two alternatives e.g.
down
low

Stick on two buckets.
Practice
 Give children a couple of scrunched up snowballs to read and throw into the
correct bucket.
Apply
 Write a sentence using one or both of the words.
Resources
 Words on scrap paper.
 Two buckets with ‘down’ and ‘low’ stuck on.
Differentiation
 Children make a list of words containing the same grapheme but alternative
pronunciation.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
13
PHASE 5
PHONEME JUMP
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Teach two alternative phonemes from L&S p151/152.
 For example
and
.
ee
ea

Read the phoneme.
Practice
 Line the children up in the middle of the hall/playground.
 Read a sentence containing a word like ‘beach’. Hold up the word ‘beech’ on one
side and ‘beach’ on the other.
 Ask children to jump to the correct side for the spelling of that word
(indicated by the large phoneme cards).
Apply
 Children to think of a sentence, talking in pairs that use both the spellings, for
example beach and beech or sea and see.
Resources
 Hall/outdoor space
 Whiteboards
 Phonemes on large card
Differentiation
 Children make lists of alternative phonemes.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
14
PHASE 5
ALTERNATIVE WORD RELAY (generic application)
Review
 Previously taught phoneme.
Teach
 The alternative spellings ‘ay’, ‘ai’ and ‘a-e’.
Practice
 Put children in three groups.
 Give one red/green/blue pen per group, line groups up – relay.
 Write ‘ay’, ‘ai’ and ‘a-e’ on sheet in columns.
 Children take turns to write a word in the correct column with correct spelling
– to achieve one point.
 Teacher to set up time limit.
Apply
 Plenary – like discussion of misconceptions/wrongly placed spellings.
Resources
 One sheet with ‘ay’, ‘ai’ and ‘a-e’ in columns (blue tack).
 One red/green/blue pen.
 Timer
Differentiation
 Children write sentences containing three of the words using the alternative
spellings.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 5
COWBOY PHONICS
Review
 Teach previously taught phonemes.
Teach
 Teacher shows children any phoneme, e.g. ‘ue’ as in ‘clue’.
Practice
 Sit children in pairs, back to back.
 Teacher shows phoneme.
 Children write word on the whiteboard.
 Stand up, turn around and say ‘yahoo’ then read each other’s word.
Apply
 Ask the children to orally use their own word in a sentence.
Resources
 Whiteboards/pens
 Any phoneme L&S p151/152.
Differentiation
 Children to write their own word in a sentence.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
16
PHASE 5
HOOP – LA! (generic activity)
Review
 Previously taught phonemes.
Teach
 Any grapheme alternative pronunciation.
Practice
 Line up class (either indoor or outdoor) and put pre-made labelled hoops on the
ground.
 Teacher says word and child goes to correct spelling pattern hoop.
Apply
 Children write up their own word on class whiteboard. Class read words
together.
Resources
 Words from L&S p152-156.
 Hoops – two alternative pronunciations phoneme i.e. ‘teacher’ and ‘adventure’.
 Whiteboard/pens.
Differentiation
 Use words in sentences, on individual whiteboards.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
17
PHASE 5
BLOCKBUSTER (generic activity for teaching phonemes.)
Review
 Teach previously taught phonemes.
 HF words/tricky words.
Teach
 Alternative spellings for each phoneme:ee
ea
ey
ie
e-e
y
Practice
 Groups of four – give each group ‘ee’, ‘ea’, ‘ey’, ‘ie’, ‘ee’, ‘g’, and consonants
‘b,d,f,s,m,n,r,h’.
 Find words from the letters and place on laminated Blockbuster grid. Could be
a timed activity.
Apply
 Write words on board, read them.
Resources
 L&S p151/152.
 Laminated Blockbuster hexagon sheets.
 Timer
Differentiation
 Make silly/sensible sentences with them.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
BINGO
Review
 Teach alternative ways of writing phonemes e.g. ‘ie’, ‘igh’, ‘i-e’, ‘I’ and ‘y’.
 Teach an action to correspond to each phoneme.
 Teacher says a word and the children perform the action that they think is
correct e.g. ‘ie’ – turn around, ‘igh’ – clap hands.
 Give words – pie – children to do the matching action.
Teach
 Introduction and teaching of the past and present tense.
 On a flip chart give the children some present words (about ten) and ask the
children to say the word in the past.
Practice
 Children to record on their whiteboards six verbs.
 The teacher will say a word either in the past or present tense and the child
has to mark off the other.
 E.g. teacher says ‘shout’ child marks off shouted.
 BINGO! When the children’s words are all marked off.

Apply
 Children choose one of their words and write a sentence containing it.
Resources
 Flip chart
 Whiteboard/pens
Differentiation
 Less able children could work in pairs with more able children to support.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
ALIEN APOSTROPHES
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Give examples of shortened words: - don’t, wouldn’t etc.
 When shortening, some letters disappear and what takes their place? Discuss,
giving examples.
Practice
 Talking in partners, find as many shortened words as they can.
 Give out letter cards (five children) D O N O T.
 Give another child alien apostrophe. Enact alien arriving and ‘zapping’/capturing
letter not needed and standing in its place.
Apply
 On whiteboards repeat with other examples. Shortening in the same way
‘cannot’ – ‘can’t’, ‘would not’ – ‘wouldn’t’.
Resources
 Letters making up words.
 Alien apostrophe cards.
Differentiation
 Children write two sentences using the two alternatives, i.e. ‘do not’, ‘don’t’.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
20
PHASE 6
RUNNING GAME
Review
 As appropriate or, put these on the board : do not
don’t
ca’nt
can not
do’nt
can’t Match into correct pairs.
Teach
 How words are changed in the comparative and superlative ‘quick’, ‘quicker’ and
‘quickest’.
Practice
 Give out (x3) superlatives and comparatives for ‘quick’, ‘slow’, ‘happy’, ‘fast’.
 Children arrange themselves in order.
Apply
 Put on the board in order.
 Children choose one set of words and write three sentences.
Resources
 Words on card.
 Whiteboards/pens.
Differentiation
 For less able children the Apply section could be oral.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
VERB PING PONG
Review
Teach
 How to add suffix ‘ing’ to root word.
 Rules – word ends in ‘e’ take off and add ‘ing’.
---> See rule L&S p174.
Practice
 Children work in pairs, facing each other.
 One child reads out root word the other says the root word and suffix e.g.
dance – dancing.
Apply
 Children both write down root word and add suffix, remembering to drop the
‘e’.
Resources
 Root words ending in ‘e’.
 E.g. ‘dance’, ‘skate’, ‘place’ etc.
Differentiation
 Change this and adapt for other suffixes and past tense ‘ed’.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
THINKING THREE’S
Review
Teach
 Introduce past, present and future tense.
Thinking Three’s
 Give the children in 3’s a past hat (top hat), present hat (cap) and a future hat
(space helmet).
Practice
 In the thinking threes, the present child will pick a word from a box. The past
and future children to write words on whiteboards in their correct tense.
 Repeat – swap roles.
Apply
 The children then write their word in a sentence and share with the class.
Resources
 Helmet, cap, top
 Box
 Bank of words
 Whiteboards & Pens
Differentiation
 Children to work in mixed ability groups, working as a team to support each
other.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW
Review
 As appropriate.
Teach
 Revising rules for past tense verbs and how to form future tense, of regular
verbs.
Practice
 Write up verbs in present tense e.g. play, sing, jump, read.
 In two’s children discuss past and future tense of the words. Teacher writes
on board children’s responses (children orally spell word) and discusses any
misconceptions.
Apply
 Tell the children to write three sentences starting with yesterday, then
present and future tenses, e.g. ‘yesterday I played, today I am playing,
tomorrow I will play.’
Resources
 Whiteboard/pens.
Differentiation
 Mixed ability groups to support one another and ensure whole class
involvement.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
24
PHASE 6
‘ED’ ENDING
Review
Teach
 To read and write the ‘ed’ ending in words.
 Show children how to change words into the past tense e.g. play/played.
Practice
 Show the children a card in the present tense and ask the children to say it in
the past tense.
 E.g. jump/jumped
Apply
 Give each child a word card in the present tense.
 The children take their word to laminated sentences on the tables.
 The children must change their word to the past tense and fit it in a sentence
writing it in with a whiteboard pen.
 E.g.
I ………………on the swing.
(played)
Resources
 Word cards.
 Missing sentence cards.
Differentiation
 The complexity of the sentence.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
TENSE EXPERIMENT
Review
 Review what past tense is.
Teach
 To model past tense – verbally.
Practice
 Children work in pairs.
 Give each child a charade to act out.
 Partner verbalises what is being done e.g. ‘He is eating a sandwich.’
 Other partner explains what they were actually doing.
Apply
 Write down two versions of the verb they have used.
 Share with class.
Resources
 Charades (pictures) – on cards.
 Whiteboards/pens.
Differentiation
 Mixed ability groups to support one another and ensure whole class
involvement.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
QUIZ, QUIZ, TRADE
Review
Teach
 Introducing and teaching the past and present tense.
 Explain to the children what the past and present tense is.
 Show the children a word e.g. running and change to the past tense – ran.
Practice
 Children to walk around the room, when they meet another child they read each
others words, and then say them in the past tense, swap cards, then find
another partner.
Apply
 With the card the children have left they find a post-it note off the table
with their past tense word and return to the carpet.
Resources
 Present tense cards.
 Post-it notes.
Differentiation
 Teacher to support lower ability children.
PHASE 6
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
27
PLURALS OF NOUNS ENDING IN ‘Y’
Review
 Rules for plural spelling of nouns.
Teach
 When a noun ends in a vowel then ‘y’ add ‘s’.
 When a noun ends in a consonant ‘y’ then change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’, e.g. baby –
babies, monkey – monkeys.
 Give each child a ‘ys’ and ‘ies’ card to use as a ‘show me’ activity when teacher
gives them a singular form word.
Practice
 Give out words (in singular form) to each child.
 Get them to place in ‘ys’ or ‘ies’ box.
Apply
 Teacher and class discussing accuracy when words are removed from boxes.
 Write two sentences with one example of each – e.g. monkeys and babies.
Resources
 Bank of word cards in singular form.
 Word cards with ‘ys’ and ‘ies’ endings.
 Whiteboards and pens.
 Two boxes.
Differentiation
 Mixed ability groups to support one another and ensure whole class
involvement.
PHASE 6
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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JUMP IN THE HOOP
Review
Teach
 Reinforce and apply ‘s’ and ‘es’.
 Recap on spelling rule.
 Words ending in ‘y’ – add ‘s’ if the final letter is preceded by a vowel. If not
change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.
Practice
 Change a few words to the plural.
 E.g. day – days
boy – boys
army – armies
jelly - jellies
Apply
 Place two hoops in the middle of a class circle.
 One hoop to have an ies card and the other to have an s card.
 Give each child a word and jump in the right circle ~ the rest of the class to
give thumbs up or down.
Resources
 Word cards for each class member.
 Two hoops
 ies & s cards.
Differentiation
 Words used.
PHASE 6
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
29
TAP THE BOARD/PRESS THE BUZZER
Review
Teach
 Adding suffixes to words.
 Making plurals of words ending in ‘y’.
 Discuss the rule:
Words ending in ‘y’ add ‘s’, if the final letter is preceded by a vowel, if not,
change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.
Practice
 Class split into two teams.
 Select two children to come to the board.
 Teacher calls out a word e.g. monkey.
 The winner is the first child to tap the correct plural ending on the flip chart.
(Or press the buzzer!). Repeat with different words until all children have had
a turn.
Apply
 For a bonus, a child will put the word in a sentence (orally).
Resources
 ITW or flip chart.
 Words on cards.
Differentiation
 Less able children targeted with easier words and matched to children of the
same ability.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
WITCHES BREW
Review
Teach
 Adding suffixes to words – ‘es/s’.
 Teach the spelling rule for adding ‘es/s’.
Practice
 Sit children in a circle with a large pot of words in the middle.
 One child is a witch stirring the words.
 The witch will pick out a word; all the children write on their boards the word
adding the suffix. Teacher writes word on board and adds suffix.
Apply
 In two’s children choose two words from the board and orally rehearse two
sentences before writing on whiteboards.
Resources
 Witches hat.
 Large pot for the cauldron with words (L&S p191).
 Wooden spoon.
 Whiteboards and pens.
Differentiation
 Whole class to participate and less able supported by TA or higher achievers.
Additional Activities/L&S Phases 5&6/April 2009
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PHASE 6
TAKE MY PLACE
Review
Teach
 To use the apostrophe to spell shortened forms of words.
 Introduce words, e.g. do not/don’t, can not/can’t, you are/you’re, have
not/haven’t.
Practice
 Split the class into teams and give each team cards with the letters of the
alphabet on.
 One child to take an apostrophe on a card and stand outside the door.
 Children to create a given word such as do not.
 Apostrophe’s come back and says ‘shoo’ to the children with which they are
going to replace.
 The team which finishes first gets a point.
 Swap apostrophe to another member of the team and repeat activity using
different examples of words that can be contracted until each team member
has had a turn.
Apply
 Teacher gives class a contraction, e.g. can’t, and children orally put it into a
sentence.
Resources
 Large alphabet cards.
 Large apostrophe cards.
Differentiation
 Larger/smaller teams to support each other.
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