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Common exception words

EnglishYear 1LiteracyFree

Read familiar words carefully in short, teacher-read sentences.

What it is about

Recognise taught Year 1 common exception words in short meaningful sentences.

Year 1 · 5–6 years · 30 challenges

Before you begin

  • Oral vocabulary, listening to stories and early sound awareness.

What the class will do

  1. Choose and explain · 30 challenges

    Common exception words

    Recognise taught Year 1 common exception words in short meaningful sentences.

Using it in class

Teacher reads prompts and sentences. Preteach the target exception words in this bank through your school phonics programme; compare their usual and unusual sound spellings. Explain other vocabulary orally. Listen to pupils reading; the game cannot assess pronunciation.

Give everyone time to think and discuss before one pupil acts at the board. The class explains and confirms together; hints and explanations stay until you move on.

Use an up-to-date browser on a computer connected to a whiteboard or shared display. Touch, mouse and keyboard; optional audio and reduced motion. No pupil accounts or personal devices.

Choose from 5 challenges up to the full activity. Discussion determines the duration: you set the pace.

A look inside the activities

Choose and explain

Teacher: read “The dog is wet.” Find the first word.

  • Then
  • The
  • They
Explanation and discussion

The begins this sentence. Then and They start with the same two letters but have extra letters and different sounds.

Use the word the in a spoken sentence about the dog.

Choose and explain

Teacher: read “Go to the mat.” Which word gives the instruction to move?

  • No
  • Go
  • Do
Explanation and discussion

Go is the movement instruction. No would stop the action, and Do is a different word.

Follow the words with a finger as you read.

Choose and explain

Teacher: read “We were at the pond.” Which word follows We?

  • were
  • where
  • we
Explanation and discussion

Were follows We and tells us about the past. Where adds h and asks about a place; we is the first word.

Read we were smoothly, keeping both words.