English / Year 6 / Language / Phonics and word knowledge

Curriculum content descriptions

Understand how to use knowledge of known words, word origins including some Latin and Greek roots, base words, prefixes, suffixes, letter patterns and spelling generalisations to spell new words including technical words (ACELA1526)

Elaborations
  • using a dictionary to explore and use knowledge of word origins, including some Greek roots, to spell words. For example, the Greek roots: ‘ath’ meaning ‘contest’ or ‘outstanding skill’, ‘pent’ meaning the number five, and ‘dec’ meaning the number ten, inform the spelling and meaning of the words ‘athlete’, ‘decathlon’ and ‘pentathlon’
  • applying accumulated knowledge of a wide range of letter patterns and spelling generalisations to spell new words, for example ‘vacuum’, ‘yacht’, ‘ratio’ and ‘synthesis’
  • expanding knowledge of prefixes and suffixes and exploring meaning relationships between words for example ‘disappearance’, ‘submarine’, ‘subterranean’, ‘poisonous’ and ‘nervous’
  • applying accumulated knowledge of a wide range of letter patterns and spelling generalisations to spell new words, for example knowing how and why these words are spelt as follows: ‘reliability’, ‘handkerchief’ ‘receive’, ‘lollies’, ‘trolleys’, ‘climbing’, ‘designed’ and ‘emergency’
  • spelling technical words by applying morphemic knowledge, for example ‘metaphorical’, ‘biology’ and ‘biodegradable’
  • learning about words from other languages, for example ‘umbrella’ comes from the Italian word ombrello, and the word for ‘yabby’ is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘yabij’
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
ScOT terms

Language conventions,  Morphemes,  Spelling,  Affixes

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 5 and Year 6 English

This unit of work focuses on the influences that impact on safe behaviours in and around tracks, platforms and trains. Guided activities build students' rail safety vocabulary including grammar and word building. Modelled writing activities support students to shape a research-based inquiry investigating factors that impact ...

Video

Learn 60 new vocabulary words with these imaginative student videos

This resource showcases short videos made by students in which they define a Word of the Day in under 15 seconds. Sixty videos are organized into three compilations by part of speech. Use the videos as inspiration for your students to create their own vocabulary-related video. The resource includes an interactive Vocabulary.com ...

Text

Vocabulary in context

The aim of this resource is to support students to identify and build meaning of words and their affixes. Students will learn to use contextual clues to determine best word choice. The resource includes a list of strategies that may help to build vocabulary. It includes a list organised from most frequently used suffixes ...

Text

Linguistic Roots and Affixes

This webpage provides examples of examples of Latin affixes, Greek affixes, a list of the 20 most frequently used prefixes, and a list of the 20 most frequently used suffixes. It also includes sone interactive activities for students to test their knowledge.

Text

Teaching Morphology to Improve Literacy: A Guide for Teachers

Morphological awareness is a powerful tool for improving many areas of literacy. Find teaching ideas for specifically teaching this skill across a range of year levels.

Text

Every Word Has a Story

The approach taken in this sequence is to introduce students to the history of the English language and to explore the etymology or origin of English words. Students will be introduced to the meaning of Latin and Greek roots and explore how prefixes and suffixes change word meaning and function. This understanding supports ...

Interactive

Aim to sustain: A world of difference

Students explore what is happening at an individual, community and global level and plan actions they will take. These may range from taking a quiz to sharing knowledge about being 'green' at home, through to planning a conference session to deliver to other students. The resource includes videos, SMART notebooks, worksheets ...

Online

Cats, Dogs and Us: Education pack (years 5-6)

This education pack is an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) resource designed to build students' understanding about the special place domestic cats and dogs have in people's lives. The pack consists of a teaching guide, a student magazine and five student worksheets focusing on topics such as the physical characteristics ...

Text

Compound sentences

This guide provides clear grammatical definitions, and unpacks the features of compound sentences and how they function. It includes information about using conjunctions; coordinating conjunctions; using semicolons and common problems with compound sentences. The guide also offers, as a starting point, some strategies for ...

Text

Complex sentences: Creating agility and depth in your writing

Complex sentences are an important step in enabling students to produce more sophisticated writing. Mastering complex sentences allows students to have greater control when communicating. This resource provides information about topics such as Dependent clauses, Nominalisation and Subordinating conjunctions. This guide ...

Text

Punctuation – What’s the point

This practice guide offers an overview of essential punctuation for writing across primary and secondary school. While an effective combination of sentence types adds depth and variety to a piece of writing, correct punctuation is equally vital for clarity and coherence. This guide aims to provide clear examples to support ...

Text

Sentence combining

Sentence combining is an instructional technique used to improve sentence quality, complexity and variety. Students are taught how to combine two or more basic sentences to create more interesting, sophisticated and varied sentences. When sentence combining is taught explicitly and in a sustained way, it becomes one component ...

Text

Independent and Dependent Clauses Worksheet

Find some simple exercises for students to firstly differentiate between independent and dependent clauses, and then to practise joining two related clauses.

Text

ACK! Punctuation!!

What are the different types of punctuation? What different meanings do punctuation marks have? How does understanding punctuation help us to read with expression? This lesson plan explores how to use drama as a vehicle for understanding aspects of punctuation including full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.

Text

Phrases and Clauses

Find information about the difference between phrases and clauses and exercises to support students in working through the difference. The resource includes some simple exercises for students to firstly differentiate between independent and dependent clauses and then to identify subordinating conjunctions. They then practise ...

Text

Nominalisation: cure or crime?

This article about nominalisation provides background support about this topic for teachers. While written for NSW secondary English teachers, it has broader relevance for teaching this skill in Australian classrooms.

Text

Connecting Ideas

Help students to create well-structured sentences by developing their knowledge of compound sentences, compound complex sentences and ways to combine messages by using quoting as a device. This teacher resource will support your understanding of this topic and provide examples to use with students.

Video

A Terrible Shipwreck

This lesson plan was inspired by a painting of a multiple shipwreck on Deal beach in February 1870. Students will explore the factors that influence the readability of a piece of text and create a piece of writing in the style of a local newspaper for a defined audience.

Text

Viewing and Representing

Reading/viewing requires students to construct meaning by interpreting the parts (images, symbols, conventions, context) that are related to the visual message and to understand not only “what” the text is saying but “how” the text works. Find prompts, assessment rubrics and other supporting elements.

Text

Varying openings

Use this worksheet to discuss the directions in which a story might go depending on what the opening sentence is.