Teaching look-alike letters
Aim: Tell mirror-image letters apart when writing.
How to explain it
b and d, p and q, m and w, and n and u are mirror images or rotations of each other, so a child can know exactly which sound they mean and still write the wrong shape. That is a letter-formation problem rather than a spelling one, so practise the letters on their own. For b, write the stick (the bat) and then the ball; for d, write the ball (like a drum) and then the stick. The word 'bed' can help: the b and d make the headboard and footboard.
Starter (5 minutes)
Show the word 'bed' drawn as a bed. Children trace it in the air, saying 'bat then ball' for b and 'drum then stick' for d.
Main activity
Letter sort and form: children sort letter cards into b and d (then p and q) and practise writing each one with the right starting stroke. Then they write a short list of b/d words, checking each letter against the 'bed' picture.
Dictation sentences
- The dog is in bed.
- A big pig dug in the mud.
- Quick, pass me the map.
Watch out for
- Writing the mirror letter (bog for dog, qig for pig).
- Starting a b or d with the wrong stroke.
Quick check
Ask children to spell these without help:
- bad
- dip
- quiz
- pond
Example words
- bed
- dog
- big
- dig
- pig
- quick
- bad
- dab
- map
- went
- nut
- pond