Year 1 English Phonics Check Practice: check-up and quiz

Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.

Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.

1. Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.
   th - i - n
2. Put the letters for each sound in a box. Two or three letters that make one sound share one box: th.
   th | i | n
3. Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.
   3 sounds
4. Write the answer.
   th, i, n

Check. Push the boxes together again: th + i + n makes thin. ✓

Watch out. Keep the letters of th together in one box. Do not split them into separate letters.

Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.

Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to read the word.

1. Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.
   b
2. Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.
   b - u - s
3. Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.
   bus
4. Write the answer.
   bus

Check. Split the word back into sounds: b, u, s. ✓

Watch out. Say each letter as its own sound.

Method. Look at the last two letters of fizz.

1. Split fizz into sound boxes. The end box has two letters.
   f | i | zz
2. Find the last box. zz is one box, one sound.
   zz
3. Write the answer.
   zz

Check. Read the boxes: f | i | zz. ✓

Watch out. Write both z letters together.

Method. Look at mug and gup.

1. Look at mug. mug has a meaning: a cup with a handle.
   mug: real
2. Look at gup. gup has no meaning, so it is made up.
   gup: alien
3. Write the answer.
   gup

Check. mug is real. gup is alien. ✓

Watch out. Look for the word with no meaning.

Method. Look for the two vowel letters that make the sound in rain.

1. Look at rain. The vowel sound is written with a and i.
   r | ai | n
2. Check the letters together. Together, a and i make one vowel sound.
   ai
3. Write the answer.
   ai

Check. Read the boxes: r | ai | n. ✓

Watch out. ai is two letters, one sound. Keep them together.

Method. Look at the vowel letters in coin.

1. Split coin into sound boxes. The vowel box has two letters.
   c | oi | n
2. Find the vowel box. oi is one box, one sound.
   oi
3. Write the answer.
   oi

Check. Read the boxes: c | oi | n. ✓

Watch out. oi is two letters, one sound, as in coin and point.

Key words. A long word can be two small words put together.

Method. Look for two small words inside the long word.

1. Say the long word slowly. Listen for where it breaks into two small words.
   seaside
2. Read each small word on its own. Each small word can be read by itself.
   sea and side
3. Write the two small words.
   sea, side

Check. Put the two small words together again: sea + side makes seaside. ✓

Watch out. Read the small words first, then read the whole long word again.

Method. Find the word with the ea spelling, which makes the sound in tree.

1. Look at sea. sea has ea, which makes the long e sound, as in tree.
   sea: ea
2. Look at sun and sit. Neither has ea.
   sun, sit: no ea
3. Write the answer.
   sea

Check. sea has ea, like the ee in tree. ✓

Watch out. ea is another way to write the long e sound.

Method. Check the rule for f at the end of a word after a short vowel.

1. Look at the end of vuf. The end sound is f after a short vowel u.
   vuf: u then f
2. Check the rule. After a short vowel, the end f is usually written ff.
   should be ff
3. Write the answer. So vuf does not follow the rule. vuff does.
   No. It should be vuff.

Check. Compare puff (ff) with vuf: puff follows the rule. ✓

Watch out. Check the double letters at the end of short words.

Method. Count the parts, then add them together.

1. Count each part. Write down each part as you count it.
   alien words
2. Add the parts together. Add them to find the total.
   10
3. Write the answer.
   10

Check. Count the parts again. You get 10 again. ✓

Watch out. Check that you have counted every word once.

Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.

Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to read the word.

1. Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.
   sh
2. Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.
   sh - e - ll
3. Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.
   shell
4. Write the answer.
   shell

Check. Split the word back into sounds: sh, e, ll. ✓

Watch out. Say sh as one sound, not as two separate letters.

Method. Look at the last letters of puff.

1. Split puff into sound boxes. The end box has two letters.
   p | u | ff
2. Find the end box. ff is one sound at the end.
   ff
3. Write the answer.
   ff

Check. Read the boxes: p | u | ff. ✓

Watch out. Write both f letters together.

Method. Look for the word that starts with ch.

1. Look at chip. chip starts with ch.
   chip: ch
2. Look at shut and thin. shut starts with sh. thin starts with th.
   shut: sh, thin: th
3. Write the answer.
   chip

Check. chip: ch | i | p. ✓

Watch out. ch, sh and th look alike. Read the first two letters slowly.

Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.

Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.

1. Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.
   p - o - nk - i - b
2. Put the letters for each sound in a box. Two or three letters that make one sound share one box: nk.
   p | o | nk | i | b
3. Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.
   5 sounds
4. Write the answer.
   p, o, nk, i, b

Check. Push the boxes together again: p + o + nk + i + b makes ponkib. ✓

Watch out. Keep the letters of nk together in one box. Do not split them into separate letters.

Method. Look at each word and decide if it has a meaning.

1. Look at jam and tap. jam is a sweet spread. tap is a thing water comes out of.
   jam, tap: real
2. Look at juk and pex. juk and pex have no meaning, so they are made up.
   juk, pex: alien
3. Write the two lists.
   Real: jam, tap. Alien: juk, pex.

Check. Jam and tap have meanings. Juk and pex do not. ✓

Watch out. Think about the meaning. Do not sort by length.

Method. Count the parts, then add them together.

1. Count each part. Write down each part as you count it.
   real words
2. Add the parts together. Add them to find the total.
   10
3. Write the answer.
   10

Check. Count the parts again. You get 10 again. ✓

Watch out. Check that you have counted every word once.

Method. Look at the pattern in bike.

1. Look at bike. bike has i, one consonant k, then e at the end.
   bike: i-e
2. Think about the e. In a split digraph, the first vowel says its name.
   i says its name
3. Write the answer. Mia is right.
   Yes. The i says its name, because of the e at the end.

Check. bike: b | i-e | k. The i says its name. ✓

Watch out. The e at the end is quiet, but it changes the first vowel.

Method. Look at chess, one sound at a time.

1. Split chess into sound boxes. ch is one box, e is one box, and ss is one box.
   ch | e | ss
2. Count the boxes. There are three boxes, so three sounds.
   3 sounds
3. Write the answer. Sam missed the e.
   No. Chess has three sounds: ch, e and ss.

Check. Push the boxes together: ch - e - ss makes chess. ✓

Watch out. Every vowel makes a sound. Do not miss the e.

Method. Find two words with ou and oy, and check the sound of each.

1. Pick a word with ou. out has ou, which makes the ow sound in cow.
   out: ou
2. Pick a word with oy. boy has oy, which makes the oi sound in coin.
   boy: oy
3. Compare the sounds. ou and oy are different spellings of different sounds.
   out and boy

Check. out: ou | t. boy: b | oy. The sounds are different. ✓

Watch out. Different spellings can make different sounds.