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Year 2 - English

The 'ay' spellings, including 'ay', 'ai' and 'a-e'

Alternative GPCs for long vowels

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn new GPCs (grapheme phoneme correspondences) for long vowel sounds.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to read and spell words containing the three most common representations of the 'ay' phoneme: 'ay', 'ai' and 'a-e'.

Key Notes

  • How to spell the common exception words: all, ball and call.
  • 'ai' is a representation of the ay phoneme that often is found in the middle of a word.
  • 'a-e' is a representation of the 'ay' phoneme that is often found 'last but one'.
  • 'ay' is a representation of the ay phoneme that often comes at the end of a word.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • common: common spellings are spellings which appear frequently
  • digraph: two letters that represent one sound
  • split digraph: has a letter that comes between the two letters in a digraph like in "make" where the "k" separates the digraph "ae"
  • phoneme: the smallest unit of sound
  • grapheme: the letter or group of letters that represent a sound

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There are certain spelling exceptions to the general rules taught in this lesson.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

How to spell the common exception words: all, ball and call. 'ai' is a representation of the ay phoneme that often is found in the middle of a word.

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

common spellings are spellings which appear frequently.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: There are certain spelling exceptions to the general rules taught in this lesson. Correction: Explicitly teach some of these exceptions ('crayon') and explain the addition of suffixes to root words ('playing' or 'rained').

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 English guide library.