☰ Year plan · English (Connect)

Sounds p and b and safe weather

Week 14 · Unit 6 (B): p / b sounds, silent letters, an account of an extreme weather event, safety tips, leaflet project, self-assessment · 3 lessons
2

Silent letters: climb, hour, knife

Connect Primary 5 Term 1, Unit 6: pp. 96–101
GoalSpot the silent letter in some English words and say them correctly.
New words
silent letter · a letter we see but do not sayclimb · to go up with hands and feethour · sixty minutesknife · a tool for cuttingisland · land with water all round itanswer · what you say to a question
Explanation

In some English words, there is a letter that we write but we do not say. It is a silent letter. In climb, the b is silent. In knife, the k is silent. In hour, the h is silent. In write, the w is silent. In island, the s is silent. In listen, the t is silent. Silent letters make spelling hard, so say the word, look at it and learn it. Read the table.

WordSilent letter
climbb
knifek
writew
hourh
islands
listent
Worked examples
Listen and say the words. The letter k is silent.

On Friday we visited an island. The trip took one hour by boat. My brother climbed a big rock, and I wrote my name in the sand. We listened to the waves. I cut the bread with a knife. I know I will remember this lovely day.

Read and listen to the text.
islandhour
Look. Say the words.
Now you. Say three more words with a silent letter: lamb, thumb, wrong, castle.
Class activity

Silent letter detective. Write ten words on cards: knee, climb, hour, write, island, listen, lamb, castle, wrong, pink. The child reads each card and circles the silent letter with a pencil. One card has no silent letter: which one? (pink)

Practice
1
Listen. Do you hear a k sound at the start of the word? Yes or no?

…

2
Which letter is silent in climb?
3
Which letter is silent in hour?
4
Which word does not have a silent k: knee, know, knife or kite?
5
Writing: write three words with a silent letter and circle the silent letter.