English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Endings: -tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian
Spelling
CCSS L.4.2.DEngland: Y3/4 Spelling (-tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Endings: -tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Suffix rules: doubling, drop the e, y to i
Leads to: ie or ei?; Endings: -cious/-tious, -cial/-tial
Materials: Word cards, Look-say-cover-write-check sheets, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Suffix rules: doubling, drop the e, y to i). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Join the word and the suffix: help + ed. Type the new word. → helpedPrompt: Look at the end of the root word: is it a single consonant after a short vowel, an e, or a y?
- Which spelling is correct for drop + ed? (dropped / droped) → droppedPrompt: Look at the last letters of the root word.
- Which spelling is correct for sit + ing? (sitting / siting) → sittingPrompt: Look at the last letters of the root word.
Hook · 3 min
- Show a word spelled two ways and ask which looks right, then why.
- Share the objective: Endings: -tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which ending completes the word? confu___ (from confuse)
- Step 1: The ending depends on the last letters of the root word.
- Step 2: The root ends in d, de or se, so we use -sion.
- Step 3: The word is "confusion".
- Step 4: So the answer is: sion
- Answer: sion
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which ending completes the word? celebra___ (from celebrate) (tion / cian / sion / ssion) → tionPrompt: Look at the root word in brackets. How does it end?
- Which ending completes the word? direc___ (from direct) (ssion / tion / sion / cian) → tionPrompt: Look at the root word in brackets. How does it end?
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which ending completes the word? musi___ (from music) (cian / ssion / sion / tion) → cianPrompt: Look at the root word in brackets. How does it end?
- Which ending completes the word? educa___ (from educate) (ssion / sion / cian / tion) → tionPrompt: Look at the root word in brackets. How does it end?
Watch out for
- Spelling every word exactly as it sounds.
- Learning a list for a test but not using the words in writing.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Suffix rules: doubling, drop the e, y to i.
- Use concrete materials: word cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: ie or ei?; Endings: -cious/-tious, -cial/-tial.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder