EnglishPhonics & Word ReadingAges 6–12

Alternative Spellings for Known Sounds

Recognise alternative grapheme-phoneme correspondences for known phonemes (e.g., /dʒ/ as ge/dge/g, /s/ as c, /n/ as kn/gn, /r/ as wr, /ʒ/ as s), reading words with less common spellings for familiar sounds

Lesson

Set out your lesson

Try alternative spellings for familiar sounds while decoding new words.

Before teaching

Activity

Follow this model in an accessible mode before attempting independent work. Graph ordering is not learner mastery; revisit prerequisites if the guided task still needs full modeling.

Policy

Check readiness rather than assuming source graph order establishes attainment.

Printer, credit, and teaching notes

Show only stage word cards. Adult must not read target words first if assessing decoding. Accept accent variation. Open Show (S), then Guided (G), then Try (T). Hide earlier work and keys before Try. Use only the supplied stage material; do not invent additional cards. Pause or split the session if needed.

Materials are ready in each step. Use them on screen or print just the current step. Put teaching examples aside before the learner tries.

Next: Show

Adult extras

What this lesson covers and its limits

These are bounded opportunities, not learner attainment. Partial and blocked source requirements remain so.

partial: Recognise alternative grapheme-phoneme correspondences for known phonemes (e.g., /dʒ/ as ge/dge/g, /s/ as c, /n/ as kn/gn, /r/ as wr, /ʒ/ as s), reading words with less common spellings for familiar sounds
Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.
partial: Read words with less common spellings for familiar sounds: 'badge', 'giraffe', 'city', 'knock', 'gnaw', 'write', 'treasure'
Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.
partial: Identify that the same phoneme can be represented by different graphemes (e.g., /dʒ/ spelled g, ge, dge)
Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.
partial: Select the correct alternative GPC to decode an unfamiliar word in context
Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.
partial: Does {{name}} know that the /j/ sound can be spelled different ways — like in 'jump', 'cage', and 'bridge' — and can they read words with these less common spellings?
Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.

Small fresh decoding sample; no claim of general fluency or independent spelling.

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Try alternative spellings for familiar sounds while decoding new words.

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Learning resources

Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.

UF Literacy Institute · Practice link — not the full lesson

Lessons 84–88 Resources

Open practice(new tab)

Before you open · source notes

Free UFLI Foundations toolbox materials for long vowel teams as alternative spellings for known long-vowel sounds. Not every silent-e pattern.

Free university page, no sign-in for these materials. An adult chooses the activity.

Before you open

Ask the learner to match one long-vowel sound to a vowel-team spelling from an adult-chosen activity.

Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.

Source, access and review notes

Public UF Literacy Institute Foundations toolbox page for Lessons 84–88 (Long Vowel Teams). An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this page. Printable and slide links on the page were not downloaded in this check. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. The paid UFLI Foundations manual is separate from these free toolbox materials.

UF Literacy Institute. “Lessons 84–88 Resources.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.

Unknown — link only

Check understanding

Read words with less common spellings for familiar sounds: 'badge', 'giraffe', 'city', 'knock', 'gnaw', 'write', 'treasure'
Identify that the same phoneme can be represented by different graphemes (e.g., /dʒ/ spelled g, ge, dge)
Select the correct alternative GPC to decode an unfamiliar word in context

“Does your child know that the /j/ sound can be spelled different ways — like in 'jump', 'cage', and 'bridge' — and can they read words with these less common spellings?”

Curriculum record

Type: Procedural
Subject: English
Domain: Phonics & Word Reading
Age range: Ages 6–12

Standards

acara-v9:AC9E1LY12acara-v9:AC9E2LY10acara-v9:AC9E3LY09acara-v9:AC9E5LY08acara-v9:AC9E6LY08ccss-ela:RF.1.2.accss-ela:RF.1.3ccss-ela:RF.1.3.accss-ela:RF.1.3.bccss-ela:RF.1.3.cccss-ela:RF.2.3ccss-ela:RF.2.3.accss-ela:RF.2.3.bccss-ela:RF.2.3.ethe-ontario-curriculum-language-2023:ON-LANG-2023-G1-B2.5the-ontario-curriculum-language-2023:ON-LANG-2023-G2-B2.2the-ontario-curriculum-language-2023:ON-LANG-2023-G3-B2.2uk-nc-2013:Eng/KS1/Y2/WR/1uk-nc-2013:Eng/KS1/Y2/WR/2uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_01uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_02uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_03uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_04uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_05uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_06uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_07uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_08uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_09uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_14uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_15uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_16uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_17uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_18uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_19uk-nc-2013:Eng_App1_Y2_20

Curriculum