ate ending - Level 4 These words are quite long, so it can help to chunk them into their syllables. As always, note the underlined parts of the words particularly, as they indicate tricky parts that cause a stumbling block to many. Help the pupil to chunk words where necessary. Say the word and listen for the natural breaks. They often come after the vowel sound. Remember - each chunk of a word must contain a vowel - or a vowel sound (in the case for example of words with 'y' making a vowel sound.)
separate (sep a rate) This word causes many spelling errors as it sounds as if should be seperate, which is how many spell it. Note the 'a', and make a thing of saying sep a rate to remind you!
Dictation:
In his spare time, Paul likes to do some gardening. He is fond of growing his own crops. He has his own mini-greenhouse. On the evening in question, he went to the greenhouse immediately after his evening meal. He desired to see if the seeds he planted last week had germinated or not. He desperately wanted them to grow successfully, as he hoped to enter them in a competition. When he reached the greenhouse, he was sad to see that, unfortunately, the heat from the hot sun that day had evaporated the water and the soil was dry. He could not imagine how he could have been so foolish as not to check the weather forecast. The seedlings had wilted. He quickly gave them some water and hoped they might revive.
Teaching tips: look at the words forecast and revive before doing the dictation. Talk about their meanings. fore-cast ('a' saying 'ar') re-vive (Powerful 'e')