A tutor wrote in to tell us about her pupil. She has been working with him since December (for five and a half months) using the Sounds-Write programme and the Dandelion Books that complement it. She wrote: “He is in Year 1 and when he came to me at the end of December he had […]
Read MoreApproaches to Teaching Reading
DfE evaluates Phonics Check
The Department of Education has published this interim report about evaluating the Y1 Phonics Check. Happy half-term reading! Tami Reis-Frankfort
Read MoreWhat is a schwa sound?
We teach children to sound out words when they read and to sound out words when they spell. Does that really work all the time, though? Actually, many words are not spelled exactly as they are pronounced. Thanks to Susan Godsland of www.dyslexics.org.uk for flagging up this article by John Walker from the Literacy Blog, where you can […]
Read MoreHow can I tell which phonic programmes and resources are of high quality?
Many schools are having to choose a phonics programme to use in mainstream classrooms or with their catch-up pupils. How can they tell which programmes are of high quality and that they adhere to the principles of Synthetic Phonics? Debbie Hepplewhite has written a really useful list of criteria. Click on the link below: http://www.syntheticphonics.com/pdf%20files/Criteria%20for%20evaluating%20a%20phonics%20programme.pdf
Read MoreHow to decode ‘tricky words’
The Synthetic Phonics approach to reading is to encourage beginner readers to sound out graphemes in a word and blend them together into a word. What to do when they encounter common words with ‘tricky’ graphemes they have not yet been taught? Here is an explantion of how to teach ‘tricky words’ to beginner readers while staying faithful to blending strategies and […]
Read MoreNew Department for Education leaflet for parents about phonics
Thanks Susan Godsland of www.dyslexics.org.uk for flagging up this new leafler for parents about teaching reading with phonics. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learning-to-read-through-phonics-information-for-parents
Read MoreStruggling reader – what we did next
Having reported that one of my struggling reader pupils had suddenly turned a corner and begun to take on alternative spellings, I thought it might be fun to report on my weekly lessons with him and plot his progress. So, today my student arrived with his scooter but without his folder – third week in a […]
Read MoreExplaining Split Vowel spellings
Thanks to Susan Godslandof www.dyslexics.org for flagging up this simple explanation of split vowels from the On Track Reading website. This includes some free downloadable reading exercises with split vowels. http://www.ontrackreading.com/phonics-program/explaining-split-vowel-spellings
Read MoreExplanation of the Year 1 Phonics check by Elizabeth Nonweiler
Thank you, Elizabeth Nonweiler, for this clearly explained Powerpoint presentation about the Year 1 Phonics Check: http://www.nonweiler.demon.co.uk/Y1_Phonics_Check.pdf
Read MoreStruggled to come to grips with ‘Letters and Sounds’?
If you have struggled to get your head around ‘Letters and Sounds’, you might find it helpful to look at this comprehensive review by Elizabeth Nonweiler (trainer, Phonics and Literacy consultant and Reading Reform Foundation member). I did! http://www.nonweiler.demon.co.uk/page14.html
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