20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
king
ring
being
bring
doing
dying
going
lying
owing
thing
tying
using
acting
adding
aiming
asking
basing
biting
buying
coding
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains -ing (jumping). Seeing the same letters in many words helps children spot the pattern and spell new words that follow it. Level 1 uses the shortest, most common 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 end (20): king, ring, being, bring, doing, dying, going, lying, owing, thing, tying, using, acting, adding, aiming, asking, basing, biting, buying, coding.
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the -ing (jumping) 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.
Practice sheet: fill in the missing letters
k___
r___
be___
br___
do___
dy___
go___
ly___
ow___
th___
ty___
us___
act___
add___
aim___
ask___
bas___
bit___
buy___
cod___
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing -ing (jumping). The shortest has 4 letters and the longest, acting, has 6.
What does level 1 mean?
Levels sort the -ing (jumping) 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 2 of the same pattern.