1
WordStudy Start
Vocabulary
Irregular Plurals
Lesson Objectives
Day 1
Students will:
• Understand that irregular plural words have different rules
for their plural spellings
• Understand that words with f or fe change the f or fe to v
before adding -es
• Understand that some words change the vowels and/or
consonants to form the plural
• Understand that some irregular plural words have no
spelling change and are both singular and plural
• Use singular and plural words in oral sentences
• Write plural forms of words
Day 2
fe or f fe
> ves
or f > ves
Spellings
Spellings
for Irregular
for Irregular
Plurals
Plurals
No Change
No Change
knife
3
3
knives
one scissors
one scissors
two scissors
two scissors
Anchor Chart (BLM
Anchor
1) Chart (BLM 1)
Category Cards Category
(BLM 2) Cards (BLM 2)
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
scarf
bison
bison
calves
calves
4
4
4
loaf
mouse
3
5
4
Word Cards (BLM 4)
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
wife
• Recognize the singular and plural spellings of irregular plural
words
• Sort singular and plural words into the correct categories
• Complete the classroom activity
Students will:
elves elf
1.
5
Take-Home Activity
Take-Home
(BLM 6)Activity (BLM 6)
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Name ___________________________________
halveshalf
women
woman
child
3.
children
child
5.
knives
knife
moose
moose
moose
those days, kids went more places by themselves. Besides, the pond and
lives life
Still, this cabin looked like no one had used it in a long time. An
loaf
loavesloaf
on the shelves was an old pair of scissors. What was it doing there? The
mouse
5.
After that, the children returned to the cabin every day. They made
mice so well,” my grandfather said, “that they would eat pieces of cracker
When the6.________________
When the ________________
are born, my are
dadborn,
says my
I candad
have
saysa I can have a
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
calvescalf
right from our hands.”
calves
Date ____________________________________
Reading Passage (BLM 9)
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
Name ___________________________________
First Try
Second Try
(if needed)
2.
3.
Correct Spelling
1.
1.
1.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
4.
4.
4.
5.
5.
5.
6.
6.
6.
7.
7.
7.
8.
8.
8.
9.
9.
9.
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Reading Passage (BLM 9)
Additional Materials:
• Word Study Notebooks
• Pocket Chart
Date ____________________________________
Spelling Peer Check
Directions: Work with a partner. Follow the directions from your teacher to use this BLM to write
your spelling words.
1.
Spelling Dictation (BLM 10)
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Take-Home Activity (BLM 8)
Spelling Dictation
two cousins found an old cabin in the woods. Of course they went inside.
the floor.”
________________
________________
to raise by myself.
to raise by myself.
calf
Review Words
the other side of the pond lay some woods. He told me how he and his
She went to sit on the leaves, and a pair of mice ran out of them across
scarves
Take-Home Activity
Take-Home
(BLM 8)Activity (BLM 8)
Long ago, when my grandfather was a boy, he used to visit his
their calves. Grandfather says he used to like to follow the prints of their
scarves
scarf
it into their clubhouse for the rest of the summer. “We got to know those
6.
sheep
Classroom Activity (BLM 7)
grandfather on a farm up north. On part of the farm, cows roamed with
Sentence
their clothes. Or maybe the cabin belonged to a family of wolves. My
loaves
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Name ___________________________________
mice
Before I went
5. Before
out to I play
wentinout
thetosnow,
play Iinput
theonsnow,
a ________________;
I put on a ________________;
then I
then I
scarf
________________
________________
watched.
watched.
Date ____________________________________
mice
mouse
told me. “We decided elves might live there and use the scissors to make
decided that Idecided
neededthat
a couple
I needed
more
a couple
________________
more ________________
because it was
because
so cold.it was so cold.
Classroom Activity
Classroom
(BLM 7)Activity (BLM 7)
The Old Cabin
3.
“All three of us wondered if the old cabin was magical,” Grandfather
cousin Molly said that the pile of leaves was a comfortable bed for wolves.
lives
The smallest
7. ________________
The smallest ________________
escaped under
escaped
the fence
under
while
thethe
fence
restwhile
of thethe rest of the
sheep
sheep
2.
corner; someone had built a set of shelves along one wall. The only thing
there aren’t any
there
more
aren’t
________________
any more ________________
around.
around.
The ________________
6. The ________________
of bread that of
I made
bread was
that better
I made
than
wasallbetter
the than all the
sheep
1.
old rocking chair sat in the middle of the room. A pile of leaves filled one
moose
“EEK!” yelled
4. “EEK!”
my mom.
yelled
“There’s
my mom.
a ________________
“There’s a ________________
in the garden.in
” I the
suregarden.
hope ” I sure hope
________________
________________
the baker made.
the baker made.
7.
New Words
the cabin were part of our grandfather’s farm.”
children took turns guessing.
4.
knives
Have you5.everHave
heard
youthat
ever
a cat
heard
hasthat
ninea ________________
cat has nine ________________
and a dog hasand
justa dog has just
life
3.
I must have looked surprised when he told me that because he added, “In
more ________________
more ________________
on the edge of
on the
the forest.
edge of the forest.
one ________________?
one ________________?
6.
2.
two cousins found an old cabin in the woods. Of course they went inside.
a ________________.
a ________________.
knife
1.
hooves in the mud as he walked down to the pond with his cousins. On
children
I spotted 3.a bigI spotted
________________
a big ________________
by the lake. Then
by the
Dad
lake.
spotted
Then about
Dad spotted
three about three
As Taylor 4.wasAs
putting
Taylorthe
was________________
putting the ________________
and forks on and
the table,
forks on
shethe
dropped
table, she dropped
Date ____________________________________
Spelling Dictation
Review Words
their calves. Grandfather says he used to like to follow the prints of their
halves
The ________________
2. The ________________
were all gathered
werearound
all gathered
to hear
around
the story
to hear
except
the for
story
oneexcept for one
________________
________________
who was still who
sittingwas
at her
still desk.
sitting at her desk.
women
Name ___________________________________
grandfather on a farm up north. On part of the farm, cows roamed with
the other side of the pond lay some woods. He told me how he and his
2.
I saw the3.________________
I saw the ________________
next door walking
next door
downwalking
the street
down
withthe
two
street
otherwith two other
woman
Date ____________________________________
The Old Cabin
Long ago, when my grandfather was a boy, he used to visit his
Mom cut1.the Mom
pizza cut
in ________________
the pizza in ________________
but that wasn’t
butenough.
that wasn’t
We needed
enough. We needed
half
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
Take-Home Activity (BLM 6)
four more ________________
four more ________________
to feed everyone.
to feed everyone.
wives
elves
________________
________________
on our street.on our street.
4.
5
5
Did you read
2. Did
the you
storyread
about
thehow
story________________
about how ________________
make shoes? make
I wonder
shoes?
howI wonder how
elf
3.
hooves
dozen
Finish the
Finish
Sentence
the Sentence
an ________________
an ________________
can do that. can do that.
hooves in the mud as he walked down to the pond with his cousins. On
Day 4
wiveswife
women
deerhooves
bison
dozen
Parent Directions:
Parent
Have
Directions:
your child Have
write your
the correct
child write
formthe
of correct
the word
form
on of
each
the line.
word on each line.
The ________________
1. The ________________
of the mayor of
wanted
the mayor
to invite
wanted
all the
to ________________
invite all the ________________
in the community
in thetocommunity
the picnic. to the picnic.
2.
halves
feetwomen
knives
deer
calves
bison
wives
wives
5
Name ___________________________________
Name ___________________________________
Date ____________________________________
Date ____________________________________
Finish the
Finish
Sentence
the Sentence
moose
halves
selves
feet
lives knives
children
calves
5
5
Word Cards (BLM 5)
Name ___________________________________
Name ___________________________________
Date ____________________________________
Date ____________________________________
firemen
moose
teeth selves
lives
children
thieves
thieves
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Word Cards (BLM 4)
leavesfiremen
teeth
fe or f > ves
Letter ChangesNo ChangeNo Change
fe or f > ves
Letter Changes
Word Cards (BLM
Word
5) Cards (BLM 5)
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
leaves
5
5
5
5
Parent Directions:
Parent
Have
Directions:
your child Have
sort each
your word
child sort
into each
the correct
word into
category
the correct
that shows
category
howthat shows how
irregular plural words
irregular
areplural
spelled.
words
Then
areask
spelled.
your child
Thentoask
write
yourthe
child
singular
to write
form
thenext
singular
to each
form
word
next to each word
in the lists.
in the lists.
Word BankWord Bank
5
5
fish fish
women
4
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
shorts
shorts
5
firemen
firemen
4
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
scissors
scissors
5
5
woman
4
5
elveselves
4
mice
5
5
5
salmon
salmon
dozen
dozen
4
wolves
4
5
4
Word Cards (BLM 4)
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
PatternPattern
Sort Sort
5
oxenoxen
5
5
wolf
4
5
clothes
clothes
4
loaves
tooth
5
shelves
4
5
women
4
Name ___________________________________
Name ___________________________________
Date ____________________________________
Date ____________________________________
5
ourselves
ourselves
children
children
4
hooves
5
4
mouse
3
Word Cards (BLM 3)
geese
geese
5
5
shelf
4
3
5
4
hoof
Students will:
check to make sure underlines
are marked to overprint
(Window: Attributes)
tooth
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Category Cards (BLM 2)
scarves
feet
foot
©2010 Benchmark Education
©2010Company,
Benchmark
LLCEducation Company, LLC
woman
4
Word Cards (BLM 3)
Word Study & VocabularyWord
1: Unit
Study
8: Irregular
& Vocabulary
plurals1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
4
mice
3
life
wolves
4
teeth
3
1.
Name ___________________________________
4
loaves
3
3
Directions: Read
Directions:
each sentence
Read and
eachthen
sentence
write the
and correct
then write
formthe
of correct
the word
form
on of
each
the line.
word on each line.
Materials:
• BLM 2: Category Cards
• BLMs 4–5: Word Cards
• BLM 7: Classroom Activity
• BLM 8: Take-Home Activity
• Teacher Category Cards—Singular, Plural
• Teacher Word Cards—mouse, hoof, scarves
wolf
4
selves
leaves
one salmon
one salmon
two salmon
two salmon
Word Cards (BLM 3)
Day 3
4
loaf
3
3
Some words
Some
have
words
the have
samethe
spelling
same for
spelling
singular
for singular
and plural:
and plural:
teeth
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
self
leaf
Plural Plural
3
3
shelves
4
one mouse
one mouse
two mice two mice
3
3
4
hooves
3
knives
one childone child
two children
two children
selves
3
moose
3
self
3
shelf
4
one knifeone
– feknife
+ v +– es
fe two
+ v +knives
es two knives
Some irregular
Some irregular
plural words
plural
change
wordsletters:
change letters:
3
Materials:
leaf
• Anchor Poster
leaves
• BLM 2: Category Cards
• BLM 3: Word Cards
life
• BLM 6: Take-Home Activity
• Teacher Category Cards—fe or f > ves, Letter Changes,
No Change
• Teacher Word Cards—same as BLM 3
4
hoof
3
3
3
3
SingularSingular
one wife one
– fe wife
+ v +– es
fe two
+ v +wives
es two wives
4
scarves
4
men
3
scarf
4
foot
3
halves
one wolf one
– f +wolf
v + –esf two
+ v +wolves
es two wolves
feet
3
man
3
one loaf –one
f +loaf
v + –esf =
+ two
v + es
loaves
= two loaves
• Recognize and understand the rules for spelling
deerboth thelives
singular and plural words
half
man
• Explain how to spell the plural words based on the rules for
halves
men
plurals
knife
moose
• Sort both singular and plural words
3
lives
3
Anchor Chart (BLM 1)
3
deer
half
Words ending
Wordsinending
fe:
in fe:
Change feChange
to v and
fe to
add
v and
-es add -es
Students will:
3
Letter Changes
Letter Changes
Words ending
Wordsinending
the letter
in the
f: letter f:
Change f Change
to v andf to
add
v and
-es add -es
I must have looked surprised when he told me that because he added, “In
those days, kids went more places by themselves. Besides, the pond and
New Words
the cabin were part of our grandfather’s farm.”
• Recognize irregular plural words in the reading passage
• Write and spell the singular and irregular plural forms of the
words in the reading passage
• Correctly spell the dictated spelling words
• Correctly spell the dictated sentence
Still, this cabin looked like no one had used it in a long time. An
1.
old rocking chair sat in the middle of the room. A pile of leaves filled one
2.
corner; someone had built a set of shelves along one wall. The only thing
on the shelves was an old pair of scissors. What was it doing there? The
3.
children took turns guessing.
“All three of us wondered if the old cabin was magical,” Grandfather
told me. “We decided elves might live there and use the scissors to make
Sentence
their clothes. Or maybe the cabin belonged to a family of wolves. My
cousin Molly said that the pile of leaves was a comfortable bed for wolves.
She went to sit on the leaves, and a pair of mice ran out of them across
the floor.”
After that, the children returned to the cabin every day. They made
it into their clubhouse for the rest of the summer. “We got to know those
mice so well,” my grandfather said, “that they would eat pieces of cracker
right from our hands.”
Reading Passage (BLM 9)
Day 5
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Spelling Peer Check (BLM 11)
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Spelling Dictation (BLM 10)
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Spelling Peer Check (BLM 11)
Unit
Materials:
• BLM 9: Reading Passage
• BLM 10: Spelling Dictation
• BLM 11: Spelling Peer Check
Spelling Dictation (BLM 10)
Students will:
8
• Correctly spell the irregular plural words
Materials:
• Quick-Check Assessment
®
Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 1
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6/9/10 2:08:35 AM
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day One
Supporting ELs
Help ELs understand the concepts
of irregular plurals by using objects
such as bookshelves, dinner knives,
scissors, scarves, leaves, children, etc.,
to demonstrate one thing and more
than one. Students can match the word
cards to the objects.
Blending Practice
If some students have difficulty reading
the words, help them blend both the
singular and plural forms of each word.
For example, point to the words loaf and
loaves on the chalkboard. Show how you
blend the sounds together for /l/ / ō / /f/
and /l/ / ō / /v/ /z/. Continue to support
students who need help with blending
throughout the week, using the example
words used in the lesson.
Review Adding Plural Endings -es, -ies
Focus Words: guesses, dimes, pennies
Write the following sentence on the chalkboard and read it aloud: Josh makes
guesses about the number of dimes and pennies in his bank.
Remind students that words with plural endings can end in -s, -es, and -ies. Ask
students to tell you which words in the sentence have plural endings and what the
rule is for adding plural endings. Ask them to brainstorm some example words for
each of the endings.
Introduce Irregular Plurals
Model
Write the words leaf and life on the chalkboard and circle the final f in leaf and the
fe in life. Tell students that some plural words are irregular and don’t follow the rules
for adding plural endings. Say: When words end with fe or f, the fe and the f are
changed to v before adding the -es plural ending.
The word leaf ends with an f. I need to change the f to v and add -es to make
leaves. Write the word leaves on the chalkboard next to leaf. Life ends with fe
so I’ll change the fe to v and add -es to make lives. Write the word lives on the
chalkboard next to life.
Write the words man and men on the chalkboard. Say: Some plural words have
vowel and/or consonant changes. The word man changes the vowel a to e to make
the plural men.
Write the word deer on the chalkboard. Say: Some words are spelled the same
whether they are singular or plural. Deer means “one deer” or “many deer.”
Guide
Write the words wife, foot, and sheep on the chalkboard. As you ask the following
questions, write the plural form of each word on the chalkboard. Ask: Which word
follows the rule to change the fe to v before adding -es? Which word changes its
vowels to make the plural form? Which word means both singular and plural?
Apply
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use.
No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or
in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in Guangzhou, China.
XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
ISBN: 978-1-4509-0091-1
2 Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 2
Write the words wolf, person, and moose on the chalkboard. Have students turn to
their neighbors and tell how to make each word plural. Then ask partners to use
both the singular and plural words in oral sentences.
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
6/9/10 2:08:36 AM
Spelling Words with Irregular Plurals
Unit Spelling Words: knives, scarves, hooves, women, teeth, geese, salmon,
scissors
Write the singular form of the spelling words on the chalkboard: knife, scarf,
hoof, woman, tooth, goose, salmon, scissors. Focus on groups that have the same
spelling patterns as you show how to write the plural form of each word next to it
on the chalkboard. Say: Look at the first three words. Knife ends with fe and the
other words end with f. To make these three words plural words, I need to change
the spellings. For words ending in fe, I change the fe to v. Write the word knives
on the chalkboard. For words ending in f, I need to change the f to v. Write the
words scarves and hooves on the chalkboard.
Assessment Tip
Monitor students to make sure they
understand the concepts of singular
and plural words. Are students able to
determine which words are singular and
which are irregular plurals?
Home/School Connection
Students can take home a list of the
spelling words and practice reading,
writing, and spelling the words with a
family member.
The next three words are different. For these words, I change the vowels to make
the words plural. Write the words teeth, women, and geese on the chalkboard.
The last two words have the same form whether there is one or more than one.
We say that we caught a salmon and that we caught many salmon. We say we
have one scissors or two scissors.
Ask students to copy the plural forms of the words in their word study notebooks.
Next to each word, have them write the rule for changing the singular to the plural
form.
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 3
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals 3
6/9/10 2:08:36 AM
Day Two
Teacher Tip
If students need additional practice
recognizing the singular and irregular
plural spellings, have them use magnetic
letters or letter tiles to spell both forms of
a word.
Teacher-Directed Sort
fe or f >
ves
Letter
Changes
No Change
leaf
leaves
half
halves
life
lives
self
selves
knife
knives
man
men
tooth
teeth
moose
deer
Home/School Connection
Have students take home BLM 6 to
complete with a family member. Students
can also take home the word cards and
share their sorts with a family member.
Supporting ELs
Because some ELs may not have someone
at home who speaks English well enough
to work with them on BLM 6, make
sure that they understand what they are
supposed to do on the BLM.
Review Irregular Plurals
Display the anchor poster and explain the rules for spelling irregular plural words.
Write the words loaves, mice, and sheep on the chalkboard. Ask students to match
the words to the rule on the anchor poster that explains the singular and plural
spelling of each word. Have them name the singular form of each word.
Teacher-Directed Sort
Teacher Word Cards: same as BLM 3
Teacher Category Cards: fe or f > ves, Letter Changes, No Change
Place the category cards in a row at the top of a pocket chart. Place the word cards
in a group to the side, being careful not to put singular and plural pairs next to each
other. Point to the word leaves. Say: The word leaves ends with ves. This is the
plural form. Leaf is the singular form. There is a spelling change from singular to
plural—the f in leaf changes to ves. I’ll put this pair of words under the category that
shows changing f to ves to make the plural.
Point to the word teeth. Say: Look at the word teeth. Is it the plural or singular
form? Who can come up and point to the singular form in the pocket chart? Yes,
tooth is the singular form. Notice how the singular form has double o in the middle
and the plural form has double e. The vowel changes from singular to plural. I’ll sort
this pair under the category Letter Changes.
Point to the word moose. Say: Is moose the singular or plural form? That’s right.
Moose is both singular and plural. I’ll put this card under the category No Change
because the word is the same for both plural and singular.
Continue to point to a word card and ask students to help you find the singular or
plural form and to place the pair in the correct category.
Spelling. Have students practice writing each spelling word two times in their word
study notebooks. Then ask them to write the singular form next to each word.
Oddballs
Write the irregular plural words clothes, shorts, scissors and dozen on the
chalkboard. Say: These words are oddballs. It looks like the singular of clothes
would be cloth, but clothes is both singular and plural. Shorts is another oddball.
We don’t say I bought one pair of short. We can say that we bought one new pair of
shorts or three pairs of shorts. We can say that we have one scissors or two scissors.
We can buy one dozen eggs or four dozen eggs. The word is the same.
4 Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 4
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
6/9/10 2:08:36 AM
Day Three
Pattern Sort
Teacher Word Cards: mouse, hoof, scarves
Teacher Category Cards: Singular, Plural
Place the category cards in a row in the pocket chart. Say: Yesterday we matched
the pairs of singular and plural forms of words and then sorted them into the
correct categories in the pocket chart. Today we will sort words according to
whether they’re singular or plural.
Hold up the word card mouse. Ask students to tell you whether the word is
singular or plural. Ask students where you should place the card in the pocket
chart.
Repeat with the words hoof and scarves.
Give pairs of students the category cards from BLM 2 and the word cards from
BLM 4. Tell them to sort the words into the appropriate categories.
Pattern Sort
Singular
foot
hoof
loaf
mouse
Plural
scarf
shelf
wolf
woman
feet
hooves
loaves
mice
scarves
shelves
wolves
women
Independent Sort
fe or f >
ves
Letter
Changes
No Change
calves
thieves
wives
elves
ourselves
children
geese
oxen
firemen
salmon
clothes
dozen
fish
shorts
scissors
bison
Independent Sort
Assessment Tip
Give individual students the spelling changes category cards from BLM 2 and the
word cards from BLM 5. Tell students that this group of words does not include
singular forms. Ask them to sort the words into the appropriate categories
according to how the plural words are formed from the singular words. Tell them
to think about the singular form to help them decide if there were spelling changes
and what changed.
Monitor students as they work
independently to see if they can sort the
words correctly without seeing the singular
form of the word. Provide more practice
with both forms for students who have
difficulty.
Applying Meaning. Give students BLM 7 and have them complete the cloze,
choosing where singular and irregular plural words fit into the sentences.
Providing Support
ELs and struggling readers may have
difficulty completing BLM 7 on their own.
Have them work with a partner to read
and complete it.
Home/School Connection
Give students BLM 8 to complete with a
family member. Explain that they are to do
the same thing they did on BLM 7 in class.
Supporting ELs
Make sure that ELs understand what to do
on BLM 8 since there may not be anyone
at home who speaks English well enough
to help them complete it.
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 5
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals 5
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sure underlines
overprint
butes)
Day Four
Providing Support
Some ELs and struggling readers may
have difficulty reading the passage. Have
these students read with an on-level
reader. Alternatively, you could read the
passage to them while they follow along or
echo-read with you. Ask students to look
and listen for examples of irregular plural
words.
Name ___________________________________
Date ____________________________________
The Old Cabin
Word Hunt
Tell students they will be hunting for words in the reading passage that have irregular
plural spellings. Give each student a copy of the reading passage on BLM 9. Remind
students that irregular plural spellings have three rules. Words that end with an f
or fe change the f or fe to a v and then add -es. Some words change their vowels
and/or consonants to spell the irregular plural word. Some singular words have no
spelling changes to make them plural.
Name ___________________________________
Date ____________________________________
Have students write each
irregular
plural word in their word study notebooks and
Spelling
Dictation
then write
the
singular
spelling
for
each
word.
Review Words
Long ago, when my grandfather was a boy, he used to visit his
grandfather on a farm up north. On part of the farm, cows roamed with
their calves. Grandfather says he used to like to follow the prints of their
hooves in the mud as he walked down to the pond with his cousins. On
the other side of the pond lay some woods. He told me how he and his
two cousins found an old cabin in the woods. Of course they went inside.
I must have looked surprised when he told me that because he added, “In
those days, kids went more places by themselves. Besides, the pond and
the cabin were part of our grandfather’s farm.”
Still, this cabin looked like no one had used it in a long time. An
old rocking chair sat in the middle of the room. A pile of leaves filled one
corner; someone had built a set of shelves along one wall. The only thing
on the shelves was an old pair of scissors. What was it doing there? The
1.
2.
Spelling Dictation
3.
New Words
Give students
Spelling Dictation (BLM 10). Dictate the following words from last
week’s 1.spelling words to students, one at a time, and have students write them on
2.
their BLMs:
classes, families, trays.
3.
children took turns guessing.
“All three of us wondered if the old cabin was magical,” Grandfather
told me. “We decided elves might live there and use the scissors to make
their clothes. Or maybe the cabin belonged to a family of wolves. My
Dictate the following words from this week’s unit, one at a time, having students
Sentence
write them
on the BLMs: teeth, scarves, women.
cousin Molly said that the pile of leaves was a comfortable bed for wolves.
She went to sit on the leaves, and a pair of mice ran out of them across
the floor.”
After that, the children returned to the cabin every day. They made
it into their clubhouse for the rest of the summer. “We got to know those
mice so well,” my grandfather said, “that they would eat pieces of cracker
right from our hands.”
Answer Key Reading Passage (BLM 9)
Reading Passage (BLM 9)
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Write the words and sentence on the chalkboard and have students self-correct their
papers.
Spelling Dictation (BLM 10)
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Home/School Connection
Have students take the reading passage on
BLM 9 home to read to a family member
and point out the irregular plural words.
Supporting ELs
Make sure ELs know the meanings of the
spelling words. Before student pairs use
BLM 11, have the partners tell each other
sentences using the spelling words.
6 Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 6
Dictate the following sentence and have students write it on their papers:
Little children should not play with knives.
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Spelling Practice
Give pairs of students Spelling Peer Check (BLM 11). While one student reads the
spelling words from his or her word study notebook, the other student writes the
words in the First Try column. After the second student has spelled the words, the
first student places a check mark next to words spelled correctly.
For the second try, the first student may prompt the second student by sounding out
the words that were spelled incorrectly the first time. If the second spelling attempt is
correct, the first student places a check mark in the Second Try column.
Then students switch roles.
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Day Five
Spelling Assessment
Use the following procedure to assess students’ spelling of the unit spelling words:
•Say a spelling word and use it in a sentence.
•Have students write the word on their papers.
•Continue with the remaining words on the list.
•When students have finished, collect their papers and analyze their spelling of
the words.
•Use the assessment to plan small-group or individual practice.
Name ___________________________________
Date _______________________________________
Unit 8 Quick-Check: Irregular Plurals
Answer Questions
Directions: Read each word and then write the irregular plural word.
1.
mouse
mice
__________________
2.
knife
knives
__________________
3.
ox
oxen
__________________
4.
leaf
leaves
__________________
Apply
Directions: In the space below, list three to five words you know that are irregular plural words.
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
Directions: Using the words from the word bank, complete the following sort by writing the words in
the appropriate category.
f or fe > ves
Letter Changes
No Change
shelf
thieves
loaves
hoof
children
women
geese
salmon
shorts
Word Bank
shelf, children,
hoof, shorts,
thieves, loaves,
geese, salmon,
women
Quick-Check Assessment
Think and Write about Irregular Plurals
Assess students’ mastery of irregular plurals using the Quick-Check for Unit 8.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Directions: In the space below, explain how understanding irregular plurals helps you as a reader,
speller, and writer.
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Answer Key Unit 8 Quick-Check
Suggestions for Independent Practice
Meaning Sort. Give pairs of students the word cards from BLMs 3–4. Tell them
they should sort the word cards into two categories, singular and plural. Once they
have sorted the word cards, have each student select several word cards and use
each word in a sentence to demonstrate the correct usage of each word.
Pattern Sort. Have students work with a partner. Give each pair of students the
category cards from BLM 2 and the word cards from BLMs 3–5. Ask them to sort
the word cards into the correct category that shows the rule for how each irregular
plural word is spelled.
Write a Story. Tell students to select eight to ten of their favorite words from the
word cards. Tell them they can use either the singular or plural spelling of their
words or use both spellings of their words to write a short story.
Give a Clue. Have students work in small groups. Students will take turns selecting
a word and then giving clues for their word as the rest of the group guesses the
word. For example, a student might say, “My word can mean one thing or several
things. It is something that we use to cut paper.” Once students guess the word,
they should spell the word. Encourage students to think of as many clues as they
can for their words.
Answer Key BLM 6
fe or f >
ves
Letter
Changes
No
Change
leaves/leaf
lives/life
knives/knife
halves/half
selves/self
hooves/hoof
calves/calf
teeth/tooth
women/woman
firemen/fireman
feet/foot
children/child
moose
deer
bison
dozen
Answer Key BLM 7
1. wife, wives
2. elves, elf
3. woman, women
4. knives, knife
5. lives, life
6. loaf, loaves
7. sheep, sheep
Answer Key BLM 8
1. half, halves
2. children, child
3. moose, moose
4. mouse, mice
5. scarf, scarves
6. calves, calf
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 7
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals 7
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Name ____________________________________
Date ________________________________________
Unit 8 Quick-Check: Irregular Plurals
Answer Questions
Directions: Read each word and then write the irregular plural word.
1. mouse
__________________
2. knife
__________________
3. ox
__________________
4. leaf
__________________
Apply
Directions: In the space below, list three to five words you know that are irregular plural words.
____________
____________
____________
____________
____________
Directions: Using the words from the word bank, complete the following sort by writing the words in
the appropriate category.
f or fe > ves
Letter Changes
No Change
Word Bank
shelf, children,
hoof, shorts,
thieves, loaves,
geese, salmon,
women
Think and Write about Irregular Plurals
Directions: In the space below, explain how understanding irregular plurals helps you as a reader,
speller, and writer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Word Study & Vocabulary 1: Unit 8: Irregular plurals
Kit 1_U8_TG.indd 8
©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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