Teacher notes for this lesson. Two sides of A4, not for pupils.Mild sheetMedium sheetSpicy sheetAnswers
Teacher notes · not for pupils Spelling sequence

Change the Root

Suffixes where the root changes

Lesson 13 of 17
Year 5 45 min

Objective

Spell words where adding a suffix changes the root: y becomes i, the silent e drops, and -ation nouns are built from verbs, and know when the root does not change.

Board title: When the root changes  ·  Say it: “Today we're adding suffixes that make the root word change, swapping y for i and dropping the silent e, and spotting the roots that don't change at all.”

Curriculum

  • Y5: revising suffix rules where the root word changes
  • Y3/4: -ation added to verbs (revisited)
  • Terminology: root word, suffix, vowel letter
  • STA domain: spelling paper, suffix rules

Success criteria

  • swap the y for an i before -ness and -ful
  • drop the silent e before -ing
  • build an -ation noun from its verb
  • spot a root that does not change at all

Key vocabulary

root word · suffix · vowel · consonant · swap · drop

Run of the lesson

5 min
Starter: recap root + suffix with helpful on the board, then the puzzle: hope + ful keeps the e but hope + ing loses it. Ask why; don't resolve it yet.
8 min
Model the two changes in the same spoken order every time, say the root, check its last letter, then add: happy → happiness, the y swaps; hope → hoping, the e drops. Contrast hoping with hopeful so they hear the e stay before a consonant.
6 min
Whiteboard drill: call silly + ness, make + ing, celebrate + ion, plenty + ful; they write, then call the change back, y to i, or e gone. Then the four votes with a WHY each (answers: a-left, b-right, c-right, d-left).
8 min
Plant the Herbs, Spicy band. The class says the root and calls the change aloud before you tap the chip, about one root a minute with discussion.
15 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Task 3: the trap is a perfectly-added suffix on an unchecked root (happyness), so make each writer say their root aloud and point at its last letter before you read the word.
3 min
Plenary: two children read a Task 3 word and the class calls the change, y to i, e gone, or no change. Then the class quiz: what is wrong with Polpetta's Basil brings much happyness?
On screenSPAGhetti → Plant the Herbs → Spicy. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. ~10 roots in 10 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Spelling sequence · Lesson 13 of 17  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils Change the Root · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game entirely. Task 1 is the same content on paper, read the pairs aloud and vote with thumbs. The lesson still works.
If they're on devicesLesson code CHNGE (on the worksheet footer) opens the right game, locks the café until 10 roots are planted, then unlocks it as the reward.

Misconceptions to watch for

Keeping the y. happyness, happyly. The suffix goes on before the root is checked. Say the root aloud, point at its last letter, swap y for i, then add.

Doubling where nothing doubles. They learn run → running and produce hopping for hoping or cookking. Only a short vowel plus one final consonant doubles; long-vowel roots drop the e instead.

Keeping the e. hopeing, makeing. The silent e drops before a vowel suffix. Contrast hoping with hopeful, before a consonant the e stays.

Every noun takes -ation. inventation, prepareation. Some verbs take -ion (invention), some -ation (information), and roots ending in e drop it first. The suffix belongs to the word, not to a guess.

The three sheets

Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.

Mild

Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.

Medium

The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.

Spicy

Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.

Adaptive teaching

  • Support: Task 1, then Task 3 orally with a scribe. Game on Mild.
  • SEN: gentle mode on; read Task 2 aloud before they edit.
  • Stretch: Task 3 extension, one sentence that uses all three changes.
  • EAL: pre-teach root and suffix; say each root aloud together before anything is added.

Play it

Lesson code CHNGE at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.

SPAGhetti · Spelling sequence · Lesson 13 of 17  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora