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Year 5 - English

Other sounds represented by the letter string 'ei'

Noun suffixes, letter strings and homophones

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn spelling and grammar conventions associated with more noun suffixes like -ant, -ance, -ancy, -ent, -ence and -ency, reviewing how the addition of a suffix can affect the grammar of a word, for example its word class. Pupils investigate letter strings and homophones.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to spell a range of words using the letter string 'ei'.

Key Notes

  • There are many ways to spell the 'ee' sound, including 'ee', 'ea', 'e-e', 'e', 'y', 'ey', 'ie' and 'ei'.
  • The rule 'i before e except after c' can help choose between 'ie' and 'ei' when spelling 'ee'.
  • The letter string 'ei' can represent a range of different sounds, including 'ay'.
  • How to spell the curriculum words: height, eighth and foreign.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • phoneme: the smallest unit of sound that can change a word's meaning
  • grapheme: the letter or group of letters that represent a sound (the spelling)
  • exception: a case or situation that does not follow the usual or expected rule or pattern
  • letter string: a group of letters that are written together in a word

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may think that the 'ei' spelling only represents the 'ee' phoneme.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

There are many ways to spell the 'ee' sound, including 'ee', 'ea', 'e-e', 'e', 'y', 'ey', 'ie' and 'ei'. The rule 'i before e except after c' can help choose between 'ie' and 'ei' when spelling 'ee'.

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

the smallest unit of sound that can change a word's meaning.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may think that the 'ei' spelling only represents the 'ee' phoneme. Correction: Show a range of words with 'ei' representing different sounds. You can stretch and sound button to show the direct phoneme - grapheme correspondence.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 5 English guide library.