20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
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patch
reach
teach
touch
watch
which
attach
branch
breach
chance
change
charge
checks
choice
choose
chosen
church
french
inches
scheme
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains ch (chip). Seeing the same letters in many words helps children spot the pattern and spell new words that follow it. Level 2 adds longer and less frequent words.
Ways to practise
Read the list aloud, then cover each word and write it from memory.
Use the fill-in sheet below: the pattern letters are blanked out.
Sort the words by length or by where the pattern appears (start, middle or end).
Where the pattern appears
At the start (8): chance, change, charge, checks, choice, choose, chosen, church.
In the middle (2): inches, scheme.
At the end (10): patch, reach, teach, touch, watch, which, attach, branch, breach, french.
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the ch (chip) letters and decide which group it belongs to. It shows that the same letters keep the same sound wherever they appear in a word.
Running a spelling test with this list
Read each word aloud, use it in a short sentence, then read it once more. Children write the word without looking. Mark the test with the list above and practise any misspelled words again the next day. Five or ten words at a time is plenty for younger children.
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Practice sheet: fill in the missing letters
pat__
rea__
tea__
tou__
wat__
whi__
atta__
bran__
brea__
__ance
__ange
__arge
__ecks
__oice
__oose
__osen
__urch
fren__
in__es
s__eme
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing ch (chip). The shortest has 5 letters and the longest, attach, has 6.
What does level 2 mean?
Levels sort the ch (chip) words by how common and how long they are. Level 1 has the shortest, most frequent words; higher levels add longer and rarer ones.
What should come next?
When this list is secure, move on to level 3 of the same pattern.