English lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 30 minutes
US and UK spelling
Spelling
CCSS L.5.2.EEngland: Y5/6 SpellingEngland: KS2 SATs (UK spelling)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: US and UK spelling.
- 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: the next skill in this area.
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: fun + y. Type the new word. → funnyPrompt: 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 late + est? (lateest / latest / lateeest) → latestPrompt: Look at the last letters of the root word.
- Which spelling is correct for hope + ing? (hopeing / hopeeing / hoping) → hopingPrompt: 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: US and UK spelling. 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 is the British (UK) spelling of the word that means "100 centimetres"?
- Step 1: US: meter. UK: metre. Both are correct in their own country.
- Step 2: So the answer is: metre
- Answer: metre
- 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 is the American (US) spelling of the word that means "a person who lives next door"? (neighbor / neighbour) → neighborPrompt: UK spelling often keeps -our, -re, -ise and double l.
- Which of these words is spelled the American (US) way? defense, centre, apologise, fibre (defense / centre / apologise / fibre) → defensePrompt: Look at the endings: -our/-or, -re/-er, -ise/-ize, -ll/-l.
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 is the British (UK) spelling of the word that means "protection from attack"? (defense / defence) → defencePrompt: UK spelling often keeps -our, -re, -ise and double l.
- Which of these words is spelled the British (UK) way? fiber, colour, recognize, meter (fiber / colour / recognize / meter) → colourPrompt: Look at the endings: -our/-or, -re/-er, -ise/-ize, -ll/-l.
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
- 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-5.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder