Phonics and Spelling Rules Activities Phase 3 – Structured Literacy Activities

Description

Your search for New Zealand curriculum-aligned spelling activities ends here! Explore our comprehensive collection of activity sheets meticulously designed to enhance the teaching of 13 spelling rules at the Phase Three (Year 7-8) level. See the full list of included spelling rules below.

The resource is organised by spelling rules and phonics concepts, so you can match these activities to your school’s current spelling scope and sequence. Alternatively, following our provided sequence will give your students a robust spelling program. This resource covers spelling rules from Phase Three of the NZ English curriculum.

For each of the 13 spelling rules, there is a resource sheet that has been divided into five sections:

1. Spelling Rule and Description

This grey box at the top of each page includes the spelling rule/focus and a short description you can use with students to build their spelling knowledge.

2. Word List

We provide a list of up to 10 words that follow this spelling rule/focus. You can teach the words as a whole class or in a small group, and students can cut them out and place them in a spelling notebook for further support and practice.

3. Segment and Spell the Words

In this section, three words that follow the spelling rule/focus are provided and segmented. Students then segment these words into phonemes, write the letters, and spell each word. With teacher modelling and support, this activity helps students connect the example words to the spelling focus, supporting deeper learning and retention.

4. Spelling Activity

In this section, students put the spelling rule/focus into context by completing a short activity. These activities cover a range of skills, including matching, drawing, colouring, writing, segmenting, creating, finding, and more; each varies by spelling focus.

5. Copy the Sentence and Illustrate

This section provides a simple sentence that includes 2-3 words from the spelling focus word list. These sentences are designed to be read aloud, copied onto the lines below, and illustrated with a picture that matches the meaning.

Please note: As a teacher, you may give students the whole sheet at once and help them complete the activities, or you may give each activity over a week as the spelling rule is revisited and reinforced. This resource is flexible and can be adapted to best meet your class’s needs and timetable.

ALSO INCLUDED:

• A set of double-sided flashcards for most spelling patterns. To use these, simply print, fold in half and laminate. You can use these flashcards in whole-class or small-group settings to support your teaching of the spelling focus.
• Eight fun and colourful spelling activities. These activities can be used, if required, to support independent learning during your spelling or literacy sessions.

Spelling Rules Year 7-8:

• ‘a’ representing /o/ following ‘w’ or ‘qu’
• ‘ch’ representing /sh/ and /k/
• Chameleon prefixes
• Consonant and vowel changes when adding suffixes
• ‘ei’ as long /a/ and long /e/
• ‘gh’ representing /f/
• ‘or’ representing /er/
• ‘ou’ as short /u/
• Spelling words with less common silent letters (’gn’ as /n/, ‘gh’ as /g/)
• Spelling words with suffixes ‘able’, ‘ible’, ‘ure’