Reading Common Exception Words (Phase 2/3)Activities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works because exception words require repeated exposure and instant recognition, not just decoding. Games and hunts give children the repetition they need while making practice feel purposeful and fun. This builds confidence to read these words automatically in real texts.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the 'tricky' letter or letters in common exception words such as 'the', 'said', and 'was'.
- 2Compare the grapheme (written form) of an exception word with its phoneme (sound) to identify discrepancies.
- 3Explain how reading common exception words by sight improves reading fluency in early texts.
- 4Read aloud a list of 10 common exception words from Phase 2/3 with 90% accuracy.
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Bingo: Tricky Word Bingo
Create bingo cards with Phase 2/3 exception words. Call words or read sentences containing them. Students mark matches and call 'bingo' for a full line. End with pairs sharing one tricky part from their card.
Prepare & details
Predict which part of an exception word might be 'tricky'.
Facilitation Tip: During Tricky Word Bingo, mark each played word clearly so students can see progress and errors immediately.
Setup: Standard seating for creation, open space for trading
Materials: Blank trading card template, Colored pencils/markers, Reference materials, Trading rules sheet
Partner Hunt: Book Scavenger Hunt
Give pairs a list of five exception words and decodable books. They hunt for words, underline tricky parts, and read sentences aloud. Pairs report findings to the class on a shared chart.
Prepare & details
Compare the spelling of an exception word to its sound.
Facilitation Tip: During Book Scavenger Hunt, give each pair a highlighter to mark found words directly in their book for easy review.
Setup: Standard seating for creation, open space for trading
Materials: Blank trading card template, Colored pencils/markers, Reference materials, Trading rules sheet
Memory Match: Word-Picture Pairs
Prepare cards with exception words on one set and matching pictures or sentences on another. Students play in small groups to flip and match pairs. Discuss tricky spellings after each game round.
Prepare & details
Justify why memorizing these words helps with reading fluency.
Facilitation Tip: During Word-Picture Pairs, have students take turns reading the word aloud before matching it to the picture to reinforce oral reading.
Setup: Standard seating for creation, open space for trading
Materials: Blank trading card template, Colored pencils/markers, Reference materials, Trading rules sheet
Snap Game: Quick Recognition Snap
Use cards with exception words. Deal to pairs who take turns flipping two cards at a time. Shout 'snap' for matches and read the word, noting the tricky part. First to finish wins.
Prepare & details
Predict which part of an exception word might be 'tricky'.
Facilitation Tip: During Quick Recognition Snap, pause after each match to ask students to say the word aloud together to strengthen instant recall.
Setup: Standard seating for creation, open space for trading
Materials: Blank trading card template, Colored pencils/markers, Reference materials, Trading rules sheet
Teaching This Topic
Teach exception words in context, not isolation. Use games to create urgency and repetition, which research shows strengthens sight word recognition. Avoid over-explaining phonic rules for these words—focus instead on pattern spotting and frequent exposure. Model instant recognition during shared reading to show how these words speed up reading fluency.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like children reading exception words instantly without sounding out, spotting the 'tricky' part quickly, and using these words correctly in sentences. They should explain why some parts don’t match phonic rules without hesitation.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Tricky Word Bingo, watch for students who assume all words follow phonic rules.
What to Teach Instead
After each round, ask students to identify the 'tricky' part of their bingo words and explain why sounding out won’t work. Have them circle the irregular letters on their cards.
Common MisconceptionDuring Book Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who think the tricky part changes each time they see the word.
What to Teach Instead
After finding words, group them on a board by their tricky parts (e.g., 'ai' in 'said', 'a' in 'was'). Ask students to explain how the spelling stays the same even when the sound changes.
Common MisconceptionDuring Word-Picture Pairs, watch for students who believe memorising exception words is pointless.
What to Teach Instead
After matching, count how many exception words appear on the cards versus regular words. Ask students to discuss why recognising these words quickly helps them read faster.
Assessment Ideas
After Tricky Word Bingo, hold a quick flashcard check using words from the game. Note whether students read them instantly or attempted to sound out incorrectly.
During Book Scavenger Hunt, ask pairs to share one exception word they found and explain why it was tricky. Listen for accurate descriptions of the irregular spelling.
After Word-Picture Pairs, give each student a slip to write one exception word they matched today and circle the tricky part. Collect these to check for accuracy before the next lesson.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to find three exception words in a new book and write a sentence using each one.
- Scaffolding: Provide word cards with the tricky part underlined or highlighted to draw attention to the irregular spelling.
- Deeper: Have students create their own version of Tricky Word Bingo with new exception words not yet covered in class.
Key Vocabulary
| Common Exception Word | A word that does not follow the usual phonetic rules for reading and spelling. These words must be memorized. |
| Phoneme | The smallest unit of sound in a spoken word. For example, the word 'cat' has three phonemes: /c/, /a/, /t/. |
| Grapheme | The written representation of a phoneme. It can be one letter (like 'c' in 'cat') or a group of letters (like 'sh' in 'shop'). |
| Sight Word | A word that a reader recognizes instantly without having to decode it using phonics. Many common exception words are also sight words. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for English
More in The Magic of Phonics and Word Building
Introduction to Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence
Students will identify and match initial sounds to their corresponding letters, focusing on single letter GPCs.
2 methodologies
Blending CVC Words
Students will practice blending three individual sounds (consonant-vowel-consonant) to read simple words.
2 methodologies
Digraphs and Trigraphs Introduction
Students will be introduced to common digraphs (e.g., 'sh', 'ch', 'th') and trigraphs (e.g., 'igh', 'air') and practice blending them.
2 methodologies
Practicing Letter Formation
Students will practice correct letter formation for lower-case and capital letters, focusing on legibility.
2 methodologies
Segmenting CVC Words for Spelling
Students will practice breaking down CVC words into individual sounds to spell them accurately.
2 methodologies
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