Year 4 · Spelling patterns

Practice: spotting the right homophone every time

Spell homophones and near-homophones correctly

20 minutes4 checks6 exit questionsNational curriculum objective

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Spell homophones and near-homophones correctly

Key learning points

• there, their, they're
• to, too, two
• which and witch, weather and whether
• Proof-reading your own work for these

This lesson at a glance

20 minutes
19 parts to scroll through
4 quick checks
No marked quiz yet
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

homophonesnear-homophonescorrectlyweatherwhether

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 19

Watch first

Practice: spotting the right homophone every time

Add a little piece to the front of a word and watch its meaning change.

In a nutshell

Spell homophones and near-homophones correctly

What you already know

Part 2 of 19

Before we start

What you already know

You know that homophones sound the same but mean different things.

Key words

Part 3 of 19

Key words

Words you'll need today

homophone: A word that sounds like another but is spelt differently.
contraction: A shortened form with an apostrophe, like they're for they are.
possessive: Showing something belongs to someone, like their bags.

Learning cycle

Part 4 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 — The checks

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 19

Learn

there, their, they're

There is a place — it has 'here' inside it. Their shows belonging — it has 'heir' inside it, and an heir owns things. They're is short for they are, so try saying 'they are' in the sentence and see if it still makes sense.

Explore the idea

Part 6 of 19

Learn

to, too, two

Two is the number. Too means also or more than enough — it has an extra o, like extra. To does everything else: to the shop, to run. If you can swap in 'also' or 'excessively', you need too.

Quick check

Part 7 of 19

Quick check

Choose the right word: 'Put it over ___.'

Quick check

Part 8 of 19

Quick check

'___ coats are wet.'

Reset break

Part 9 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Learning cycle

Part 10 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 — Using them in writing

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 19

Learn

which and witch, weather and whether

A witch has a hat; which asks a question or joins a clause. Weather is rain and sun — it has 'eat' in it, like eating your lunch outside. Whether means if, offering two choices.

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 19

Learn

Proof-reading your own work for these

When you check a piece of writing, do one pass hunting only for these words. Reading for one thing at a time catches far more than reading for everything at once — and these are the errors that annoy examiners most.

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

'It is ___ cold to play out.'

Quick check

Part 14 of 19

Quick check

'I do not know ___ to go.'

Common mix-ups

Part 15 of 19

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

Using their for a place instead of there.
Writing to when the sentence means also.
Assuming a spellchecker will catch homophones — it will not, because both spellings are real words.

Challenge round

Part 16 of 19

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ is rain and sun — it has 'eat' in it, like eating your lunch outside.

____ means if, offering two choices.

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

No quiz for this one

This lesson has no marked quiz attached yet.

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

The last bus

The bus shelter smelled of wet coats. Mira pressed her timetable flat against the glass, as though staring at the numbers might make the 9:42 appear. Rain tapped the roof in small, impatient fingers. Somewhere behind her, a shop shutter came down with a sound like a full stop.

She had been brave all day. She had been brave in the corridor, brave at lunch, brave when the register reached her name and nobody looked up. Being brave, she decided, was mostly a matter of keeping your face still.

Headlights swung around the corner and lit the puddles gold. Mira picked up her bag. Tomorrow she would say something. Tonight she would simply go home.

Original extract written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

Find two words or phrases that show how Mira is feeling, and explain what each one suggests.
How does the writer use the weather and the sounds to build the mood? Use a short quotation.
Write the next paragraph in the same style, keeping the writer's short sentences at the moments that matter.

Reading response
Reading
Read the extract again, then write about how the writer makes you feel that way. Use a short quotation and explain your choice of words.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
Writing
Write your piece in full, then redraft the opening so it hooks the reader.
250–350 words
Reading log
Reading
Note the book, the pages you read and one thing you noticed about the writing.
20 minutes' reading

Write your answer, notes or working here

Saved as you type.

Photos of paper work, diagrams or working outHow many minutes did the written work take?

Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover

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