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

Squash Two Words

Apostrophes for contracted forms

Lesson 4 of 14
Year 2 45 min

Objective

Use an apostrophe to mark omitted letters in contracted forms, placing it precisely where the letters were removed.

Board title: Apostrophes for missing letters  ·  Say it: “Today we're squashing two words into one short word, and putting the apostrophe exactly where the missing letters used to sit.”

Curriculum

  • Y2: apostrophes to mark where letters are missing in spelling
  • Y2: contracted forms, can't, didn't, hasn't, couldn't, it's, I'll
  • Terminology: apostrophe, contraction
  • STA domain: G5.4

Success criteria

  • squash two words into one shorter word
  • put the apostrophe where the letters were
  • say which letters have gone missing
  • write my own sentences using short words

Key vocabulary

apostrophe · contraction · missing letters · short form · long form

Run of the lesson

5 min
Starter: write do not and don't side by side and count the letters with the class, six then five. Ask where the o went. Take answers about the missing letter, then move on without confirming. If someone asks about Polpetta's hat: same mark, different job, later.
8 min
Model the routine three times, always with the physical crossing-out: write do not big, cross out the o, drop the apostrophe into the hole. Then I will → I'll: show of hands on whether two missing letters need two marks, then show them one. Finish by writing ca'nt and naming the error aloud, the mark has gone to the join, not the hole.
9 min
Mind the Apostrophe on the whiteboard, Mild band (contractions only, possession sits in the higher bands, so leave the band alone today). Class votes before you tap; say the two long words aloud every round and have a child point at the hole the letters left.
5 min
The four vote pairs: a child says WHY before each reveal (answers: a-right, b-left, c-left, d-right). Listen for 'the mark goes where the words join', that is do'nt thinking, and send it back to the crossing-out routine.
15 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Tasks 2 and 3: the trap in Task 2 is Ill bring you some bread, a real word doing the wrong job, so it hides. Make every writer read their Task 3 sentences back saying the two long words behind each short one, the missing mark becomes audible.
3 min
Plenary: two children read a Task 3 sentence and the class calls out the two long words hiding inside. Then the class quiz: which letter left in Polpetta's door sign, Sorry, we are'nt open today, and where does the mark really belong?
On screenSPAGhetti → Mind the Apostrophe → Mild. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. Mild is contractions only, the possession levels sit in Medium and Spicy, so leave the band alone today. ~8 items in 10 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Punctuation sequence · Lesson 4 of 14  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils Squash Two Words · 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 SHRKB (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 apostrophe at the join. do'nt, is'nt, ca'nt. They put the mark where the two words met rather than where the letters left. The cure is procedural: write the long form, cross out, drop the mark in the hole.

can not / cannot / can't. Three forms, one meaning, and children meet all three. Cannot is one word in modern writing; can't puts the mark where no was. Teach can't, accept cannot, and redirect can not.

No apostrophe at all. dont, wont, hasnt. Very common once writing speeds up. Ask them to read it back and say the two long words, the missing mark becomes audible.

Apostrophes sprinkled on plural s. two cake's. The habit spreads within a week of this lesson, because the mark is new and interesting. Nothing is missing from a plural. Belonging is a different job and it is taught in Lesson 5.

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 2 with the long forms written above each short word. Game on Mild.
  • SEN: gentle mode on; letter cards to physically remove, with a counter placed in the gap.
  • Stretch: Task 3 extension, won't from will not, where the vowel changes as well as the letters leaving.
  • EAL: pre-teach that the short form is speech written down, not a different word. Say both aloud together.

Play it

Lesson code SHRKB 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 · Punctuation sequence · Lesson 4 of 14  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora