Today is rung 4 of 11 on this topic
Spelling by pattern, not by memory
Can do: Spells word families (-at, -ight, -ing) and common irregular words correctly.
Why it matters
Spelling word by word doesn't scale. Spelling by pattern means one lesson unlocks fifty words instead of one.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Passes the Friday test and misspells the same words in Monday's writing — memorised, not learned.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Dictate: night, light, bright. Then: said, come, they.
Solid looks like: The -ight family all correct together, and two of the three irregulars.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Family Ladders
- 1Write the pattern at the top — -ight — and build a ladder of words under it.
- 2They change only the front letter each time: light, might, right, sight, tight.
- 3Say the pattern aloud each time so the ear learns it as well as the eye.
- 4For irregular words, use look–cover–write–check three times, then use each one in a sentence.
- 5Hunt the same pattern in tonight's reading book to prove it's real.
If it's too hard
Three words per family, all short.
If it's too easy
Two families in one session and sort a mixed pile of words into the right ladder.
Say this
"You already know night. Bright is the same ending — only the front changes."