Supporting Children with Fun Rules for Tricky Spellings: An Illustrated Workbook

This illustrated workbook has been created to support learners who, after acquiring the basics of reading and writing, have struggled to organically grasp the rules that govern spelling in the English language. It should be used alongside the storybook, Who Put the Spell into Spelling? Each photocopiable worksheet is designed to support a key spelling rule, explored in the colourful storybook.

Key features include:

• Twenty-two activity worksheets designed to help learners understand and practise key spelling rules
• Activities designed to support skills in reading, spelling and writing
• Quirky illustrations designed to make the rules come to life

Developed with feedback from teachers and students, this is an invaluable resource for teachers and parents looking to support learners who find spelling a challenge, or who are learning English as an additional language.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Worksheet 1

Worksheet 2 – Rule 1 – Magic E

Worksheet 3 – Rule 2 – V before E

Worksheet 4 – Rule 3 – Y takes the place of I and says its name

Worksheet 5 – Rule 4 – Y can sound like E’s name at the end of words

Worksheet 6 – Rule 5 – Doubling L, Z, F and S

Worksheet 7 – Rule 6 – C comes before K

Worksheet 8 – Rule 7 – T, C and H can go together after a single, short vowel sound at the end of a syllable

Worksheet 9 – Rule 8 – S comes before H, making one sound /sh/ after a short vowel sound at the end of a syllable

Worksheet 10 – Rule 9 – S is added to the end of most words to make plural nouns and to help verbs agree with subjects

Worksheet 11 – Rule 10 – E and S are added to the end of ‘hissing’ words to make plural nouns and to help verbs agree with subjects

Worksheet 12 – Rule 11 – V, E and S replace F when making plural nouns

Worksheet 13 – Rule 12 – I, E and S replace Y when making plural nouns and to help verbs agree with subjects

Worksheet 14 – Rule 13 – The letter name for O can end some words

Worksheet 15 – Rules 14 and 15 – the determiners: A comes before an consonant and ‘an’ comes before a vowel sound

Worksheet 16 – Rule 16 – I is a word on its own

Worksheet 17 – Rule 17 – I comes before E except after C and makes an /ee/ sound

Worksheet 18 – Rule 18 – Where there is a Q, it is always followed by U

Worksheet 19 – Rule 19 – W can change the vowel sounds that follow

Worksheet 20 – Rule 20 – T can change irregular verbs to put them in the past tense

Worksheet 21 – Rule 21 – Copycat C can be soft like S or hard like K

Worksheet 22 – Rule 22 – The sound for /y/ can only be heard at the beginning of words

Glossary