20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
fusion
vision
mission
passion
session
tension
version
decision
division
occasion
confusion
expansion
extension
commission
conclusion
discussion
expression
impression
permission
television
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains -sion (vision). 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): fusion, vision, mission, passion, session, tension, version, decision, division, occasion, confusion, expansion, extension, commission, conclusion, discussion, expression, impression, permission, television.
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the -sion (vision) 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
fu____
vi____
mis____
pas____
ses____
ten____
ver____
deci____
divi____
occa____
confu____
expan____
exten____
commis____
conclu____
discus____
expres____
impres____
permis____
televi____
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing -sion (vision). The shortest has 6 letters and the longest, commission, has 10.
What does level 1 mean?
Levels sort the -sion (vision) 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.