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Year 1 Spelling Words: Essential Spelling Words for First Graders

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What are Year 1 Spellings?

Year 1 is a foundation year for spelling, in which students learn fundamental spelling patterns and exceptional words, as well as how to use split digraphs. A few of the techniques will enable the parents/trainers to help their child with Year 1 spelling at home by knowing the curriculum and using practical worksheets and exercises. We have included them in this article.


Let us learn how to implement them and train the children.


Spelling in Year 1 (from Age 5–6)

Your child will learn the alphabet and how to spell a few simple words in Year 1.

Read on to learn about the Year 1 spelling standards from the National Curriculum, as well as how you can help your kid at home.


What will your youngster learn?

Look at the National Curriculum spelling expectations for Year 1 (ages 5–6).

  • Using the 40+ phonemes they've already learned, they'll spell words.

  • Children are taught to read and spell using phonics. There are approximately 44 distinct sounds in English. These sounds are referred to as phonemes. English, like most languages, has a code for recording these sounds. One or more letters can be used to represent each phoneme. Learn more about how phonics works here.

  • Children will learn to spell words that contain these sounds using phonics when they enter elementary school. Because the same sound can be represented in several ways in English writing, they may not always get it properly (for example, 'name' could be spelled 'naim' or 'naym').


Spelling Common Exception Words

The spelling of several English words does not appear to correspond to the phonemes that children have been taught thus far. 'Common exception words' or 'tricky words' are terms used to describe these types of words. In Year 1, students will learn to spell the most often used words in writing. They are as follows:

today, of, said, says, are, were, was, is, I, you, your, they, be, he, me, she, we, no, go, so, by, my, here, there, where, love, come, some, one, once, ask, friend, school, put, push, pull, full, house, our


Spelling the Days of the Week

Children will learn to recite and spell all the days of the week, which are listed below:

  • Monday,

  • Tuesday,

  • Wednesday,

  • Thursday,

  • Friday,

  • Saturday, and

  • Sunday.


Naming the letters of the alphabet

A child will learn to:

  • name the letters of the alphabet in the correct order,

  • comprehend that 'ceiling' and 'sea' use different letters to indicate the same 'ss' sound, utilise letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the same sound (for example, to understand that 'ceiling' and 'sea' use different letters to represent the same 'ss' sound).


Adding Some Prefixes and Suffixes to Words

Suffixes are morphemes (groups of letters that have their own meaning) that are appended to the end of a root or root word to alter its meaning. Prefixes are morphemes that are appended to the beginning of a word. During Year 1, students will learn about some of the most common prefixes and suffixes for changing a word's tense:

  • Using the prefix un- with -ing, -ed, -er, and -est where no change in the spelling of root words is required, adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs.

  • Using the spelling rule for adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs. For instance, helping, assisting, and assisting.


How to Help Your Children at Home?

You may help your Year 1 child with spelling in a variety of ways. Here are some of the best suggestions.


1. Work on phonics

At the outset of primary school, your child will learn to spell primarily through phonics. You can use phonics to help your youngster spell a word by breaking it down into distinct sounds and then connecting those sounds to alphabet letters.


Reminding children to segment the word 'frog' into its four sounds – 'f' 'r' 'o' 'g' – may seem like a simple technique to help them with spelling, but repetition is essential if it is to become second nature.


2. Spelling Homework Help

Some schools send spelling words home for Year 1 students to master, while others rely only on phonics sessions to teach spelling. If your child receives a list of words to study (say for a spelling exam), assisting them in learning them might be really beneficial. If they're having trouble remembering them, you could:

  • Make connections to the phonics they've learned by drawing their attention to any patterns or clusters of letters in the words:


'Which letters make the 'ay' sound in this sentence? Yes, exactly like in 'gain' and 'Spain,' it's the 'ai'. Isn't that distinct from the 'ay' sound in 'play'?'

  • Use a lot of pronunciation. Encourage students to say Wed-nes-day as they write on Wednesday. Many words have sounds that aren't usually clearly articulated (such as words ending in -ed), and over-emphasizing these while writing them out will help your child remember the spelling.

  • Make a list of the terms that your child needs to remember how to spell. The process of writing the words by hand helps children remember the spelling and encourages them to consider the letters that reflect the sounds in the word. It's not as effective to type the words onto a computer or iPad.

  • Ask your child to highlight the problematic parts of a word to draw their attention to them. Show them that stated contains the letter 'ai' in the middle and encourage them to write the word, then highlight or underline this section to assist them remember. For primary-aged students, few resources are more motivating than a highlighter pen!


3. Play spelling games

Playing games can assist children in learning to spell in a fun way. There are some fun and easy games. Watching those can help you to help on 'How can I teach my child with grammar, punctuation, and spelling?'


Some of the examples are given below.


Common exception words for Year 1

Common exception words for Year 1


Traditional games like hangman, as well as online games like Word Worm, can be stimulating. It's also a lot of fun to make up silly sentences. Encourage your child to make up a silly statement using as many words from their spelling list as they can.


For example, your child may be required to learn the phrase "room took hoop foot book." They may make up a funny statement like, "The boy carried his book across the room but fell over a hoop." Why not make drawings to go along with the sentences?


4. Find the right resources

Learning to spell takes time, and understanding English's complicated spelling system takes even longer. Each child is unique; some children learn to spell quickly, while others take longer. There are numerous free spelling activities available to help students of all levels.

FAQs on Year 1 Spelling Words: Essential Spelling Words for First Graders

1. What are Split digraphs?

Split digraphs will also be taught to Year 1 students. As previously stated, a digraph is made up of two letters that produce one sound. When a digraph consists of two vowels, a consonant may appear between them, dividing the digraph in half. The word 'bite,' for example, is made up of the sounds 'b,’ ‘ie,' and 't,' but the 't' in this word splits apart the vowel digraph 'ie,' resulting in the spelling 'bite.'

2. What are exception words?

Children will also be taught 'common exception words,' as they are now known (sometimes called tricky words). These are words that are often found in the English language yet do not follow the previously taught phonic rules. In Year 1, these words include 'were,' 'once,’ ‘school,' and 'home.'