Common Exception Words Flash Cards for Year 5 and Year 6

These full-colour cards cover the 102 statutory common exception words that children need to learn in Year 5 and Year 6. Together with a meaningful sentence and an engaging picture explanation, each card builds familiarity and aids memory retention. Many of the pictures also connect with others to build narratives that children can explore and play around with. The combination of visual and story-telling memory aids, using our lovable character, Foxton, and his friends, will help children develop a unique and successful bond with these cards that doesn’t come from looking at the words alone.

Each card has a meaningful sentence clearly printed using a font with a cursive style of script, as used within the National Literacy Strategy. The cards are most effective when used little and often. Choose a time when children feel happy and alert. A few cards on the fridge to go over during breakfast maybe, or while travelling, or waiting for an after-school class. In the classroom, a few cards before break, and then again straight after break, can be highly beneficial.

What are Common Exception Words?

Phonics teaching methods emphasise segmenting and blending letter sounds in order to decode unfamiliar words. Children are taught to recognise the sounds made by letters and combinations of letters to help them read fluently and spell words accurately.

Common exception words are words that do not adhere to rules that can be applied by common spelling patterns found in words. You might have already come across common exception words under the heading of ‘tricky words’, and some common exception words will also be high-frequency words. Children are encouraged to learn to read common exception words by sight as they are not easily decoded using phonics methods.

For example, the word said is a high-frequency word that children will often find in the books they read. It is also a common exception word because it is an exception to a general rule that is commonly applied when the letters a and i combine to make the digraph* ai — found in words like rain, tail, faith and paint.

* The combination of two letters into a single speech sound is called a ‘digraph’.