Here is a thoughtful post by David Didau: If writing is magic, grammar is alchemy
Read MoreApproaches to Teaching Reading
The effect of Reading Recovery
Reblogged on WordPress.com Source: The effect of Reading Recovery
Read MoreWhy comparing Finnish and USA teaching of reading is not helpful
Here is an article that lists the social and cultural differences between Finland and the USA and why the USA can’t just import “the Finnish way”. What we know is, that teaching all children to read with systematic synthetic phonics is the way to bridge the social gaps and get all children reading. This article […]
Read MoreNonsense words – why everyone needs them
I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum this weekend. As I travelled on the underground, I saw lots of signs, many of which had really strange words. I needed to use my decoding to break down these words, as I had never seen them before. When breaking down a multi-syllabic word, one often reads syllables […]
Read MoreThe importance of alternative spellings
One of the most difficult aspects of the English Alphabetic Code is that a sound in a word (phoneme) can be spelled in different ways. In ‘transparent’ alphabetic codes, a sound is consistently spelled the same way. Children learning to read English soon discover that many vowels and consonants can be spelled in different ways. […]
Read MoreIs the word ‘yacht’ decodable?
Read this entertaining post about whether and how the word ‘yacht’ is decodable. Thanks to John Walker of the Literacy Blog http://literacyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-strange-case-of-word-yacht.html
Read MoreAdjacent consonants – why children need practice
Many children struggle when reading words with adjacent consonants. These are words that have two consonants side by side within a word, e.g. f l a g. The leap from three-sound words (e.g. h a t) to four-sound words (e.g. l i m p) is very difficult for many beginner and struggling readers. The step […]
Read MoreTeaching beginner readers to read and spell – watch this video clip
A great video clip by Alison Clarke from Spelfabet about the confusion beginner readers encounter when phonics is not taught in an explicit, systematic and structured way.
Read MoreHurray! Talisman Card Games now available!
New fantastic card games that help catch-up readers practice reading – out now! https://www.phonicbooks.co.uk/talisman-card-game.php
Read MoreCommon misconceptions about Synthetic Phonics
Here are some common misconceptions about Synthetic Phonics. Thanks to Susan Godsland of www.dyslexics.org.uk for flagging this up. It is on the Reading Reform Foundation message board: http://www.rrf.org.uk/messageforum/viewtopic.php?t=1835
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