English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes
Tricky word pairs (affect/effect, advice/advise…)
Spelling
CCSS L.6.2.BCCSS L.7.1England: Y5/6 Spelling (homophones)England: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Tricky word pairs (affect/effect, advice/advise…).
- 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: Homophones and near-homophones
Leads to: their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, whose/who's
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 · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Homophones and near-homophones). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Choose the correct homophone. The butcher sells ___. (meat / meet) → meatPrompt: Both words sound the same. Think about what each one means.
- Choose the correct homophone. That was a ___ idea! (grate / great) → greatPrompt: Both words sound the same. Think about what each one means.
- Choose the correct homophone. We ___ a deer in the forest. (saw / sore) → sawPrompt: Both words sound the same. Think about what each one means.
Hook · 5 min
- Show a word spelled two ways and ask which looks right, then why.
- Share the objective: Tricky word pairs (affect/effect, advice/advise…). Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Choose the correct word. Yesterday the guide ___ us up the hill.
- Step 1: These words are often confused because they look or sound alike.
- Step 2: 'led' is the past tense of 'lead' (to guide).
- Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "Yesterday the guide led us up the hill."
- Step 4: So the answer is: led
- Answer: led
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Choose the correct word. My teacher paid me a ___ on my neat writing. (compliment / complement) → complimentPrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
- Choose the correct word. We ___ the old mill on our walk. (passed / past) → passedPrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Choose the correct word. Walk down the ___ to find the rice in the supermarket. (aisle / isle) → aislePrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
- Choose the correct word. Telling the truth is an important ___. (principle / principal) → principlePrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
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: Homophones and near-homophones.
- 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: their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, whose/who's.
- 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-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder