Commonly Misspelt Words in English for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 6
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: English Language
Curriculum Theme: Grammatical Accuracy
Focal competence: Spelling words correctly
Key competencies/values: Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies; Digital Competencies; Collaboration; Information Literacy; Respect
Skills:

• identify words that are commonly misspelt

Previous Lesson: Social-media registers and use in context
Topic: Commonly Misspelt Words
Subject Matter: Commonly misspelt words

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• identify words that are commonly misspelt;
• spell the words correctly.

Affective Domain

• appreciate the importance of correct spelling in communication;
• show willingness to improve their spelling accuracy.

Psychomotor Domain

• write the commonly misspelt words without errors;
• participate actively in a spelling bee exercise.

Social Domain

• collaborate effectively in team-based spelling activities.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• New Oxford Secondary English Course for SS 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work For The New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Standard English dictionary
• Whiteboard and markers
• Flashcards with commonly misspelt words

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because accurate spelling is fundamental for effective written communication. Mastering commonly misspelt words helps students avoid errors that can hinder clarity and impact their academic performance. It also builds confidence in writing and contributes to overall language proficiency.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of English spelling rules and a general vocabulary appropriate for their age and class level.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Commonly Misspelt Words

Many words in the English language are frequently misspelt due to silent letters, similar-sounding letters, or tricky letter combinations. Learning these words specifically can significantly improve writing accuracy.

List of Commonly Misspelt Words

Here is a list of words that are often misspelt, along with notes on common errors:

1. Accommodation

   Common error: Often misspelt with one ‘c’ or one ‘m’.

   Correct spelling: Two ‘c’s and two ‘m’s.

2. Embarrassment

   Common error: Often misspelt with one ‘r’ or one ‘s’.

   Correct spelling: Two ‘r’s and two ‘s’s.

3. Bureaucracy

   Common error: The ‘eau’ and ‘cra’ parts are often mixed up or simplified.

   Correct spelling: B-U-R-E-A-U-C-R-A-C-Y.

4. Receive

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘recieve’. This is a common ‘i before e’ exception.

   Correct spelling: ‘ei’ after ‘c’.

5. Conceive

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘concieve’. Another ‘i before e’ exception.

   Correct spelling: ‘ei’ after ‘c’.

6. Deceive

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘decieve’. Yet another ‘i before e’ exception.

   Correct spelling: ‘ei’ after ‘c’.

7. Thief

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘theif’. This follows the ‘i before e, except after c’ rule.

   Correct spelling: ‘ie’ when not after ‘c’.

8. Chief

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘cheif’. This also follows the ‘i before e, except after c’ rule.

   Correct spelling: ‘ie’ when not after ‘c’.

9. Mischief

   Common error: Often misspelt as ‘mischeif’. Follows the ‘i before e, except after c’ rule.

   Correct spelling: ‘ie’ when not after ‘c’.

10. Grateful

    Common error: Often misspelt as ‘greatful’. The word comes from ‘gratitude’, not ‘great’.

    Correct spelling: ‘grat’ root.

11. Dining

    Common error: Often misspelt as ‘dinnning’ or ‘dinnig’. The silent ‘e’ in ‘dine’ is dropped before adding ‘-ing’.

    Correct spelling: Single ‘n’, drop ‘e’.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Spelling Bee, Team Work

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them if they sometimes find certain English words difficult to spell. The teacher writes a few commonly misspelt words (e.g., ‘recieve’, ‘accomodation’) on the board and asks students to identify the errors.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greetings, share their experiences with difficult words, and attempt to identify errors in the words written on the board.

Learning Point: Awareness of spelling challenges

Step 2: Introduction of Commonly Misspelt Words

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Presentation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the topic “Commonly Misspelt Words” and explains that certain words are frequently misspelt due to specific letter combinations or rules. The teacher then presents the first few words from the content scope (e.g., accommodation, embarrassment, bureaucracy) using flashcards or by writing them clearly on the board, highlighting the tricky parts.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively, observe the words, and note down the correct spellings as presented by the teacher.

Learning Point: New misspelt words introduced

Step 3: Explanation of Spelling Patterns

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Rule-setting

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher focuses on the ‘ie’/’ei’ rule by presenting words like ‘receive’, ‘conceive’, ‘deceive’ (ei after c) and ‘thief’, ‘chief’, ‘mischief’ (ie not after c). The teacher explains the rule “i before e, except after c” and its exceptions, guiding students to understand why these words are often misspelt.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, identify the pattern, and practice saying the words to internalize the correct spelling.

Learning Point: ‘ie’/’ei’ spelling rule

Step 4: Presentation of Remaining Words

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Presentation/Drilling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents the remaining words from the content scope: ‘grateful’ and ‘dining’. For each word, the teacher highlights the common error and the correct spelling, providing a brief explanation (e.g., ‘grateful’ from ‘gratitude’, ‘dining’ from ‘dine’).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the words, listen to the explanations, and repeat the correct spellings after the teacher.

Learning Point: Additional misspelt words

Step 5: Guided Practice and Reinforcement

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Correction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes all the commonly misspelt words on the board, some correctly and some incorrectly. Students are asked to identify the correctly spelt words and correct the errors in the misspelt ones. The teacher provides immediate feedback and clarification.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils actively participate by identifying and correcting the words, asking questions for clarification.

Learning Point: Correcting spelling errors

Step 6: Spelling Bee Exercise

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activity Facilitation/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides the students into teams for a spelling bee exercise. The teacher calls out the commonly misspelt words, and students from each team take turns spelling them orally or in writing. The teacher keeps score and encourages fair play.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate enthusiastically in the spelling bee, working collaboratively in their teams to spell the words correctly.

Learning Point: Practical spelling application

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. Spell the word “accommodation”.
2. Which word is correctly spelt: “recieve” or “receive”?
3. Spell the word “embarrassment”.
4. Explain the ‘i before e’ rule with an example.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Assessment of spelling accuracy

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes, including the list of commonly misspelt words and their correct spellings, into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording correct spellings

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarizing/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher concludes the lesson by reiterating the importance of correct spelling for clear communication. The teacher encourages students to pay attention to these tricky words in their daily writing and to use a dictionary whenever in doubt.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and commit to improving their spelling.

Learning Point: Reinforcement of correct spelling

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Write ten sentences, each correctly using one of the commonly misspelt words learned in class today. Underline the commonly misspelt word in each sentence.

1. Accommodation
2. Embarrassment
3. Bureaucracy
4. Receive
5. Conceive
6. Deceive
7. Thief
8. Chief
9. Mischief
10. Grateful

Lesson Keywords

• Accommodation – a place to live or stay
• Embarrassment – a feeling of shame or awkwardness
• Bureaucracy – a system of government or organization with many rules and officials
• Receive – to get or be given something
• Conceive – to form a plan or idea in the mind
• Deceive – to make someone believe something that is not true
• Thief – a person who steals
• Chief – a leader or head of a group
• Mischief – playful misbehavior or trouble-making
• Grateful – feeling or showing thanks
• Dining – the act of eating a meal

Differentiation

For struggling learners, the teacher can provide flashcards with the correct spelling on one side and the common misspelling on the other for self-practice. Advanced learners can be challenged to find other words that follow or break the ‘i before e’ rule, or to use the learned words in more complex sentences.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, students can search for “Commonly Misspelt Words English SS1” on YouTube.