20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
coming
dating
during
eating
ending
filing
fixing
flying
giving
having
hiding
hoping
liking
living
losing
making
mixing
moving
naming
noting
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 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 end (20): coming, dating, during, eating, ending, filing, fixing, flying, giving, having, hiding, hoping, liking, living, losing, making, mixing, moving, naming, noting.
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
com___
dat___
dur___
eat___
end___
fil___
fix___
fly___
giv___
hav___
hid___
hop___
lik___
liv___
los___
mak___
mix___
mov___
nam___
not___
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing -ing (jumping). The shortest has 6 letters and the longest, coming, has 6.
What does level 2 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 3 of the same pattern.