Read with an adult. Take your time. You can say, point, draw or write your answer.
1 Let's look together
Some very common words have a part that does not use the sound-spelling pattern we might expect. We call them common exception words.
Read be, he and me with your adult. Say the sounds and point to the letters that behave as expected. Your adult points out the surprising part. Read the whole word again instead of guessing from its shape.
behemeshewenogosoby
Look, point and talk with your adult.
2 Watch how I do it
I look at be. I say it, notice the letters with my adult, cover it, write it and uncover it to check every letter. Then I read it in a short sentence.
3 Your turn
Find and read he on the word cards. Which letters must you remember?
Have a go before opening the answer.
Let's check together
Read the printed word he. The adult identifies its expected and unusual sound-spelling parts for the child's phonics programme.
4 Try it away from the page
Choose two words. Read each in a sentence, look closely, cover it, write it from memory and check. Revisit the same words tomorrow before adding two more.
Open your writing and drawing pad
Write, draw or show your working. Use a mouse, pen or finger. This pad is not a submitted answer.
Not saved to your account. Download your drawing as PNG and your typed notes as TXT before leaving or refreshing. They are separate files. Do not enter private information.
Open a picture saved on this device to draw on it again. Opening replaces the drawing, but Undo can restore it. PNG only, up to 4 MB and 4096 × 4096 pixels. The picture stays in this browser; it is not uploaded. Paper lines in a saved picture become part of that picture.
Clear the drawing? Your typed notes will stay. You can undo this action.
Your pad is empty.
Open a UTF-8 TXT file from this device, up to 40 KB and 10,000 characters. It stays in this browser. Opening can be undone until you type again. Downloads keep a new copy; they do not change the file you opened.
Replace the notes on this page with the opened file? Download the current notes first if you want to keep them.
Typed notes are not submitted answers.
Explore and practise freely. Opening this lesson or using the writing pad does not save completion or a score.
Adult notes · prerequisites, safety and coverage
Teach a small group at a time and follow the school's chosen phonics progression. The listed words complete the national-curriculum Year 1 example bank, but schools may teach other exception words. Do not teach whole-word shape guessing.
Read instructions aloud. Word-reading practice must match the child's taught sounds. The phonics pages support, but do not replace, the school's systematic synthetic phonics programme. Shared stories are adult-read unless the child can decode them. Re-read and practise daily.
Read common exception words, noticing unusual spellings.
Spell common exception words and the days of the week.