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

One or Lots?

Regular plural suffixes -s and -es

Lesson 2 of 17
Year 1 45 min

Objective

Add -s or -es to a singular noun to form a regular plural, choosing -es after s, x, ch, sh and z, and understand that a plural takes no apostrophe.

Board title: Adding s and es  ·  Say it: “Today we're making words mean more than one: most just add s, but words like boxes need an extra beat, so we listen before we spell.”

Curriculum

  • Y1: regular plural noun suffixes -s and -es (e.g. dog → dogs, wish → wishes)
  • Y1: the effect of those suffixes on the meaning of the noun
  • Terminology: singular · plural · suffix
  • Forward link: apostrophes for possession (Lesson 39, APOSD), the no-apostrophe habit starts here

Success criteria

  • add s to most words to mean more than one
  • add es after s, x, ch, sh and z
  • hear the extra sound that es makes
  • write a plural with no apostrophe in it

Key vocabulary

one · lots · singular · plural · ending · suffix

Run of the lesson

4 min
Starter: hold up one biscuit, then a plate of them. One cup, two cups; one box, two boxes. Ask why the second one grew an extra letter. Don't resolve it yet.
8 min
Say-it-then-spell-it drill with the café: cakes, buns, plums, just s. Then dishes, buses, peaches, say each aloud and hear the extra beat, box-iz. Chant the five letters that call for es: s, x, ch, sh, z.
7 min
More, Please! on the whiteboard, Mild band. Class says the plural aloud before you tap. Mild is entirely just-add-s; if they are flying, dip into Medium level 1 for peaches, dishes, benches.
5 min
The trap: Fresh cake's, the greengrocer's apostrophe in embryo, name it now and Lesson 39 gets easier. Then the four vote pairs, a child says WHY before each reveal (answers: a-right, b-left, c-right, d-left).
18 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Task 3: the middle line, a plural that adds es, is where cupes and bunes appear, make them say the word aloud, if the mouth needs no extra beat the word needs no e.
3 min
Plenary: two children read a Task 3 sentence, class calls s or es. Then the class quiz: what is wrong with Polpetta's window, Fresh cake's and hot drink's?
On screenSPAGhetti → More, Please! → Mild. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. Read the bank first: the Mild band is entirely just-add-s, the -es words sit in the next band up. Take the -es practice from the worksheet, or dip into Medium level 1 (peaches, dishes, benches) if they are flying.
SPAGhetti · Spelling sequence · Lesson 2 of 17  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils One or Lots? · side 2

On the day

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

Misconceptions to watch for

The greengrocer's apostrophe. Fresh cake's. It begins here, years before they meet possession, because they have seen it on real shop signs. Say it once, plainly: a plural never takes an apostrophe. Then say it again every time you see one.

The root word gets rebuilt. dishies, busses, boxses. The ending is added on the end; nothing inside the word changes. Cover the ending with a finger and check the word still reads right.

-es on everything. Straight after the lesson you get cupes, bunes, plumes. They have over-applied the new rule. Test by ear: if your mouth does not need an extra beat, you do not need the e.

Words that refuse the rule. They will offer sheeps, fishes, childrens, mouses. Do not teach the whole family yet. Name it as a special word, praise the thinking, and move on, it is a later lesson.

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: objects on the table. Move one, then a handful, and say the word each time.
  • SEN: gentle mode on; read Task 2 aloud before they edit.
  • Stretch: Task 3 extension, two plurals in one sentence, one s and one es.
  • EAL: many first languages do not mark plurals on the noun. Model the ending with your voice, not just your pen.

Play it

Lesson code PLURA 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 2 of 17  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora