A paired activity based on the well known web site provides an engaging way to introduce or revise this tricky topic.
Emma suggests that a useful extension activity is for learners to take pictures on their phones – where appropriate – of apostrophe ‘abuse’ they come across and bring them in to class for discussion.
A great auditory slant to there/their/they’re and to/two/too. You must listen carefully to a sentence and then select the correct homophone. Short, sweet and very good because it forces the students to focus on the meaning of the word in the sentence.
A Flash interactive activity that runs in your browser (and you will need speakers).
To run the quiz unzip the files (select “Extract all files”) into a new folder and click on homophone_match.html. Do not try to run directly from the zip folder or you will not see all the graphics or hear the audio.
Crossword with 29 words and clues – increase awareness of word borrowing / origins (and improve spelling). Includes words of Old English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, French, Czech, Latin and American origin. Makes a good warm up activity.
You must download the free Eclipse software before you can use the ecw (Eclipse crossword) file below. See our Good Software – Eclipse Crossword entry for more information.
A fabulous interactive PPT originally written for National Poetry Day 2007 (but ideal at any time!). Each page (many with type-in boxes) provides a separate task – ideal for groups or pairs. Provides a complete lesson through from initial discussion to presentation, feedback and reflection.
Level
Level 2
Level 1
Entry Level 3
English
Poetry
Rt/L2.1 Trace and understand the main events of continuous descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts
Fabulous set of 18 interactive homophone ‘drop-down’ spelling worksheets. Each worksheet explains when to use each homophone – with examples, space to type your own sentences, cloze sentences and an answer/reference sheet. Each worksheet includes 10, 15 or 20 cloze sentences.
All common homophones, and several less-well-known pairs, are covered. See separate file list below.
Fabulous PPT covering 30 sets of homophones. Well known examples such as ‘their, they’re, there’ along with more unusual examples that are bound to promote interest and class discussion. Accompanied by gap fills, puzzles and spaces to practise writing your own sentences.
