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Year 2 - English

Applying the spellings 'or', 'oor', 'au' and 'aw' in familiar words

Alternative GPCS for consonants and homophones

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn to spell homophones, near-homophones and new consonant spellings.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to spell words containing four representations of the 'or' phoneme: 'or', 'oor', 'au' and 'aw'.

Key Notes

  • 'aw' is a representation of the 'or' phoneme that often comes at the end of a word and sometimes in the middle.
  • 'oor' is a representation of the 'or' phoneme that sometimes comes at the end of a word.
  • The proper noun 'August' is spelt using a capital letter.
  • How to spell the common exception words: busy, sure and sugar.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • digraph: two letters that represent one sound
  • trigraph: three letters that represent one sound
  • proper noun: a naming word that does need capitalisation
  • word family: a group of words common in feature, pattern or meaning

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Autumn can also be assumed to have a capital letter, as the name of a season.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

'aw' is a representation of the 'or' phoneme that often comes at the end of a word and sometimes in the middle. 'oor' is a representation of the 'or' phoneme that sometimes comes at the end of a word.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'digraph'

two letters that represent one sound.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Autumn can also be assumed to have a capital letter, as the name of a season. Correction: Explain that convention is generally not to capitalise the names of the seasons.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 English guide library.