Here is our latest tutorial explaining the term ‘grapheme’. This tutorial is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and parents helping children learn to read with phonics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsWtyKqpHko
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De-misty-fying spelling by John Walker
John Walker of Sounds-Write argues that our spelling system is, in fact, phonetic despite what some lecturers maintain. http://literacyblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Read MoreSynthetic Phonics tutorial
We have just made a free tutorial for teachers, teaching assistants and parents about Synthetic Phonics. It explains why the English language is difficult to learn to read and spell and why Synthetic Phonics is the most effective method to teach children reading and spelling. It also touches upon the role that decodable books have in […]
Read MoreWhat is so great about dictation?
I have been working with an 8 year old pupil on the spelling ‘ck’. We also need to revisit ‘sh, ch and th’ which she tends to forget and confuse. Every week we do a bit of dictation including the graphemes we need to revise. This dictation is based on a Dandelion Launcher book ‘Which Shall I […]
Read MoreWho’s afraid of dictation?
Phonic Books has just published a new workbook , the ‘Dandelion Book of Dictation’. It consists of dictation and punctuation exercises which follow the progression of the Dandelion Books reading scheme, Units 1-20. Yes, we love dictation. It is a really useful way to get children to practise spelling words and sentences as they develop their reading. It […]
Read More100% success in the Y1 Phonics Check – what are the secret ingredients?
Recent results of the Year 1 Phonics Check show that schools in deprived communities can do as well as, if not better than, schools in leafy suburbs. Take St George’s, a school in Wandsworth, which reported 100% success in the Y1 Phonics Check this year. This school is situated in a challenging catchment area. What […]
Read MoreFirst results of Y1 Phonics Check. Great results for Sounds-Write!
The Literacy Blog has posted the first results of the Y1 Phonics check. Great results for Sounds-Write! Our books follow the Sounds-Write phonic progression and are used by St George’s – a school in a deprived area in the borough of Wandsworth in London. Despite the deprivation of the catchment area, the school has excelled in the phonics check for […]
Read MoreWhy English Spelling sucks… 10 point explanation for kids
Thanks to Geraldine Carter for flagging up this really useful explanation – another great blogpost from Spelfabet. http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2013/07/spelling-for-kids/
Read MoreThe Great Phonics Check Debate
This week pupils in Y1 will undergo the phonics check. Here are the two sides to the debate. http://www.phonicsinternational.com/screener_debate.pdf
Read MoreMaladministration of phonics check- what not to do!
The DfE published this document in April about not cheating when administering the phonics check. http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/assessment/keystage1/a00224454/phon-malad Interesting that teachers need reminding….
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