Phonic and Spelling Guidelines

Stage One

The pupils will:
Recognise alliterative words (beginning with same letter)
Recognise letter symbols
Recognise letters in any position in a word
Write letters when given the sound
Write letters when given their name
Identify initial sounds, end sound and medial sound when listening to CVC words
Using blending to sound out words
Use known sounds to attempt to write new words
Word build using onset and rime (use ORT rhyme and Analogy)
-ip -ed -am -ug -ap -en -og -all -un -ill -et -ar -ig -op -ay -ad -it -eg -at -ut -ub -an -in -ab -im -ot -el -id
Word build using analogy (ie when given ‘tin’ can make ‘pin’)
Read 3 letter words(CVC) by segmenting them
Add a missing letter in any position in a 3 letter word
Segment and blend words using the following phonemes/digraphs
oo ee oa ie ai sh ch wh th
Read and write Primary one common words
(Reading Scheme words and tricky words)
s / c / g / j / ee / ie / ar
a / k / o / z / or / sh / er
t / e / u / w / ai / ch / oi
i / h / l / v / oo/oo / th
p / r / f / y / oa / wh
n / m / b / x / ng / ou
d / qu / ue
Word
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Stage Two

The pupils will:
Revise stage 1 phonics and spelling
Use medial vowels to write 3 letter words
Recognise initial consonant blends (shown below)
Write initial consonant blends when given the sound orally
Read initial consonant blends
Word build using onset and rime (use ORT rhyme and Analogy)
-ock -ing -ash ack -ong -ush -ess -ag -ill -um -uck uff -oss -ang -ick -ass -ing -iss -iff -ar -ow -ob -all
Word build using analogy (ie when given ‘bless’ can make ‘dress’)
Recognise final blends
Read and write final blends
Read and write words with the vowel digraphs shown below
Read and write words with ‘y’ as a vowel
Segment and blend words using the phonemes/digraphs shown below [to include blends and vowel digraphs]
Read and write words with ‘magic e’
Recognise and name all capital letters
Can put the alphabet in order
Read and write Primary two common words
Initial blends / Final blends / Vowel digraphs / Phonemes (2)
[Incorporating blends and vowel digraphs]
bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl / -ck / ai/ay / oo ee
-ff –ll –ss zz / ou/ow
br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr / -ng / oi/oy / sh ch th wh
-sh -th / oa/ow / th (as in the)
sc, sk, sp, st, sm, sn / –ch –tch - ch (loch) / ea/ee
-st-sp -sk / Y as a vowel
tw, dw / -nd –nt -nk -mp / Magic e: a_e / i_e / o_e / u_e
-lt –ft -pt / igh
scr, spl. spr, str / -all / ew
-nk / al
er ir ur
au aw
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Stage Three

The pupils will:
Revise stage 2 phonics and spelling
Read and write words with the following vowel digraphs
ow/oe aw/au ew/ue ie/igh ea (head) plus- u (put) wa (was)
Add ‘ing’ to ‘magic e’
Use ‘there’ and ‘their’ correctly
Adding ing/es/ed to words ending in y
Read and write words with soft magic e
Read and write words containing silent letters
b l k w g
Read and write words by segmenting them
Use alphabetical order
Read and write gold spelling words
Vowel Digraphs / Phonemes / Adding ‘ing’ to magic e / Magic e
Including soft sounds
ow/oe / ph / Y + ing / a – e (soft C)
aw/au / Y +ed / a – e (soft g)
ew/ue / Y + es / i – e (soft c)
ie/igh / o – e (as in some)
ea (as in Head)
wa (as in was) / Silent letters
U (as in put) / b, l, k, w, g, h, c
ei
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Notes

Most children will have completed stage three by the end of P4.

Stage Three/Four

Children will learn to spell P4 common words and revise previous common words if necessary.

Children will continue to work through stage 3 spelling patterns then move on to a parallel programme as decided by your school.

Stage Five

Children will learn to spell P5 common words and revise previous common words if necessary.

Children will then move on to a parallel programme as decided by your school.

their / to / there / they / then / course
your / clothes / looked / people / pretty / too
because / thought / and / beautiful / it's / they're
something / named / came / name / tried / different
swimming / first / were / than / two / babies
let's / mother / another / through / some / going
woman / animals / started / that's / would / coming
said / wanted / bear / from / frightened / like
cousin / alright / happened / didn't / always / every
interesting / sometimes / friends / children / an / dropped
until / our / asked / off / through / getting
running / believe / little / things / him / received
went / where / stopped / very / morning / once
here / many / know / with / together / caught
now / decided / friend / money / when / around
its / bought / jumped / school / surprise / before
again / heard / For / February

WORDS THAT PUPILS COMMONLY MISSPELL

This is a list of the words that pupils most commonly misspell, some of which have appeared in the previous lists. In addition to re-visiting P5 words, it is important that by P6 and P7 the pupils are able to spell them.

Spelling – Common words

Below you will find a list of suggested common words to be taught in P1-5. Although you will find that some of your pupils will be able to spell many of the words at an earlier stage, you should aim for all your pupils to be able to spell all of the words at the suggested stage. These words could then be revisited in P6 and P7 if necessary.

Primary One

a and he I in is it of that the to was

Primary Two

all are as at be but can came for had have him his my new no not on one said she so they two we when with you

Primary Three

about an back because been before big by call come could did do down first from get go going has her here if into like little look made make me more much must now off old only or our other out over right see some their them there then this up want well went were what where which who will

Primary Four

after again always am ask another any away baby ball best black blue book boy bring children day dinner don’t door each egg end every farm fast fell find five fly four found girl gave give good green hand head help home house how jump just keep know last left live long many never next once open own play put read room round saw say school should soon stop take tell than these thing think three time too tree under very walk white why wish work woman would year your

Primary Five

above aeroplane afternoon allow although along any April arrive August autumn aunt balloon breakfast beach behind below brother brown centre circle city coming cousin December doctor door eight eleven England evening February fifteen fifty floor forty Friday friend front Grandad Grandpa Grandma Granny grey huge hundred holiday Inverness Ireland January June July kitchen knee later leave lie March May Monday million morning Mr. Mrs. Miss money name near night nine ninety nothing November October often orange phone picture place playground purple rectangle road Saturday Scotland September seven shoe sister small square street Sunday talk teacher team telephone television Thursday thousand time town today triangle Tuesday twelve twenty thirteen thirty tomorrow uncle under walk watch Wednesday white would world yellow yesterday

If teaching/showing some new vocabulary, try to show a supporting strategy to help them remember it e.g.

  • Mnemonic – e.g.because – big elephants can always understand small elephants. Pupils learn them more easily if they are funny or if they make them up themselves.
  • Memory hooks – These are usually personal e.g. Chihuahua– hua ‘hairless underarm animal’ -forming a picture in your head that helps you to remember.
  • breaking it up into syllables orally[often called ‘spell speak’] eg bus-i-ness, Feb-ru-ary
  • Visual clues– have a go- does it look right? Try another way – does that look right?
  • Spelling rules – e.g. ‘i before e except after c’. 90% of words actually follow the rules
  • Word meaning – Words related in meaning are usually related in spellings eg hear and heard.
  • Word derivation – Think about how some longer words are built up of parts that we do know how to spell e.g. mis-under-stand-ing
  • Mix and match – If you know how to spell television and headphone you can probably spell telephone
  • Grammar – A word’s function in a sentence may help with its spelling e.g. practice is the noun and practise is the verb
  • Repetition – Is part of the word repeated? e.g. Chihuahua
  • Words inside words – strategies ‘rate’