Video: Spelling -un words: Bun and Sun
In this video, a Foundation-Year 1 teacher is teaching the -un pattern in spelling, using familiar vocabulary from the science topic of the needs of living things as a launching point. The lesson follows on from many previous lessons where students have talked, read, and jointly constructed texts about the needs of living things. They have made class notes to which they refer often.
In this lesson, the class is in three groups, divided according to their spelling levels. One group is constructing a class text (see the videos Shared Pen: Group 1 and Shared Pen: Group 2). One group is doing some sort of matching activity with a school support assistant, and this group is doing spelling. After 15 minutes, the groups rotate. (See the video Spelling: flowers.)
The students in this group already know /s/, /u/ and /n/. A separate spelling lesson will follow to consolidate and extend words with the /-un/ pattern.
Key Messages
- Notice how the teachers begins by making a link with the science learning. This word didn’t appear out of the ether.
- Notice how the teacher breaks the word up first into onset /s/ and rime /-un/ before shifting to phonemes, using both sounds and letter names.
- Notice how the teacher switches from focusing on sounds and letter names to using language to support letter formation.