Word Work Week

Overview

This five-day Year 1 literacy sequence develops word knowledge through explicit teaching, oral rehearsal, reading, sorting and short writing. Students build understanding before writing, work towards a clear writing goal, and revisit learning across the week. Each session is 30 minutes for 18 students, using whole-class teaching, partner talk and supported independent practice.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify and read compound words.
• WALT hear, read and build two-syllable words.
• WALT notice and use -ed to show that an action happened in the past.
• WALT apply our word-learning strategies when reading and writing.
• WALT write a simple sentence for a chosen audience and purpose.

Success criteria

• I can explain that a compound word is made from two smaller words.
• I can clap and count the two parts in a two-syllable word.
• I can read and use a word ending in -ed to talk about the past.
• I can use a word from our learning in a sentence and check that it makes sense.

Curriculum links

• English — Writing Processes: Planning: identifying and working towards a specific writing goal.
• English — Writing Processes: Planning: suggesting an audience and purpose for teacher writing.
• English — Teaching Considerations: Planning and drafting: building knowledge through reading, discussion and relevant learning experiences.
• English — Teaching Considerations: Planning and drafting: supporting students to build the understanding needed for meaningful writing.

Lesson structure (150 minutes: five 30-minute sessions)

Monday — Compound words

1. 0–5 min · Hook. Display a picture of a rainbow and ask, “What two little words can you hear in this word?” Use the compound-word hook slide to introduce the week’s word work. Students say, clap and identify rain + bow.
2. 5–12 min · Direct teach. Model joining two known words to make sunshine, football, bedroom and toothbrush, saying each part before blending the whole word. Students repeat the words and explain the two parts to a partner.
3. 12–22 min · Guided practice. Show picture-and-word examples from the compound-word examples and sorting instructions. Students work in groups of three to match or draw two smaller words and read the compound word aloud.
4. 22–28 min · Writing goal. Model planning a sentence for a family audience: “I played football.” Students choose one compound word and orally rehearse a sentence before writing it on the weekly word-work practice sheet.
5. 28–30 min · Review. Students share one compound word and show its two parts using fingers.

Tuesday — Two-syllable words

1. 0–5 min · Revisit. Re-read Monday’s words and ask students to identify which words have two parts. Students practise blending one compound word with a partner.
2. 5–12 min · Direct teach. Use the syllable clapping slides to model clapping and counting syllables in rabbit, picnic, sunset and napkin. Explain that a syllable is a beat in a word.
3. 12–20 min · Guided practice. Say familiar words aloud, including cat, apple, window, pencil, banana and dog. Students clap, count and hold up one or two fingers, then repeat the word slowly and normally.
4. 20–27 min · Apply. Students complete the two-syllable section of the weekly word-work practice sheet, drawing a line between the two beats and choosing one word for a sentence.
5. 27–30 min · Plenary. Students tell a partner a two-syllable word and clap it together.

Wednesday — Adding -ed

1. 0–5 min · Oral warm-up. Act out jump, play and wash, then repeat each action as if it happened yesterday. Students say jumped, played and washed.
2. 5–13 min · Direct teach. Use the past-tense action slides to explain that -ed often tells us an action happened in the past. Model reading and comparing look/looked, help/helped and paint/painted.
3. 13–21 min · Guided reading and speaking. Students read short teacher-modelled sentences such as “I jump.” and “I jumped.” Partners identify which action happened yesterday and explain how they know.
4. 21–28 min · Apply. Students complete the -ed section of the weekly word-work practice sheet, adding -ed to familiar action words and writing one past-tense sentence. Accept oral rehearsal before writing.
5. 28–30 min · Check. Students complete the sentence, “Yesterday I ______,” using a word ending in -ed.

Thursday — Using -ed in sentences

1. 0–5 min · Revisit. Re-read Wednesday’s -ed words. Students sort spoken sentences into “happening now” or “already happened”.
2. 5–12 min · Direct teach. Use the sentence-building and editing slides to model I kick the ball becoming I kicked the ball. Think aloud about meaning, word order, capital letters and full stops.
3. 12–20 min · Shared practice. Students help build three sentences from familiar action words: played, jumped and helped. Partners read each sentence and explain what happened in the past.
4. 20–27 min · Independent application. Students write two short sentences on the weekly word-work practice sheet, using two -ed words. They draw a small picture to show meaning, then reread to a partner.
5. 27–30 min · Plenary. Invite several students to read a sentence. The class gives one specific response: “I heard -ed because…”

Friday — Revision and transfer

1. 0–5 min · Recall. Use the revision game opening for a quick class challenge. Students decide whether shown words are compound words, two-syllable words, or past-tense -ed words.
2. 5–13 min · Review teaching. Revisit the three strategies: split compound words, clap syllables, and look for -ed to show past action. Students explain one strategy to a partner.
3. 13–22 min · Team word work. In six groups of three, students classify teacher-prepared word cards under the three headings, read each word and justify one choice. Teacher listens for accurate explanations and supports groups as needed.
4. 22–28 min · Writing transfer. Students choose one word from each category and write a short three-sentence recount for a family audience on the weekly word-work practice sheet. Model orally first: “At lunchtime I played football. My bedroom was tidy. I packed my…”
5. 28–30 min · Exit review. Students tell the teacher or a partner one compound word, one two-syllable word and one -ed word. Revisit the week’s WALT using the final reflection slide.

Resources

• the five-day word-work slide deck
• the weekly word-work practice sheet
• Teacher-prepared word and picture cards
• Three category headings: Compound words, Two syllables, Past tense -ed
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils, crayons and highlighters
• Familiar picture books for optional word examples

Assessment

• Listen during partner talk and group sorting for accurate blending, syllable counting and identification of past-tense -ed.
• Check worksheet responses and writing for appropriate word choice, readable attempts, sentence meaning, capital letters and full stops.
• On Friday, record whether each student can identify one example from each word category and explain one strategy.

Differentiation

• Support learners with picture cues, counters for each word part, finger tapping, repeated oral rehearsal and sentence frames such as “I see a ___” and “Yesterday I ___.”
• Provide a small guided group for students who need additional modelling. Use a clear sans-serif font, larger print, generous spacing and minimal copying for dyslexic learners; allow coloured overlays, listening to words and oral responses.
• For EAL learners, explicitly demonstrate actions, use gestures and connect words to familiar experiences. Pair students thoughtfully and accept home-language discussion before English rehearsal.
• Extend advanced learners by asking them to generate new examples, explain exceptions or meaning changes, and write a connected recount using all three word types.