Some months ago I wrote about my struggling reader. He came to the Bloomfield Learning Centre at the age of 10+ with a reading age of 6. Well, he crashed into my classroom (with his scooter) after Christmas announcing he had read two books over the holidays – ‘Holes’ and ‘Wonder’. Amazing! And true! He has […]
Read MoreLearning to Read
Do we really need more phonic games?
Phonic Books Ltd has collaborated with TTS to create 5 new packs of reading games. But who needs more phonic games? Educational catalogues are packed with phonic games! What is different about these new games?
Read MoreRead John Walker’s reply to ‘Phonics is abuse’ claim
Read John Walker’s reply to an ill-informed journalist: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/columnists/catherine-scott-sounding-out-arguments-over-learning-to-read-1-6405996
Read MoreThe importance of teaching handwriting and spelling alongside of reading
As children learn the sounds of the alphabet and how to blend those sounds into words, they should also be taught to form the letters correctly and to segment sounds in words and write letters (graphemes) for those sounds. This helps them understand that spelling is the reverse process of reading. When they are taught this way, children link the letters to their corresponding […]
Read MoreAnd now imposing phonics is ‘abuse’ – WHAT?
Andrew Davis calls the imposition of synthetic phonics a form of ‘abuse’ of children. http://news.tes.co.uk/b/news/2014/01/27/synthetic-phonics-imposition-is-39-almost-abuse-39-says-academic.aspx I hereby invite Andrew Davis to visit the Bloomfield Learning Centre where we pick up the broken pieces of ‘whole language’ and ‘mixed methods’ teaching of reading.
Read MoreMother writes about confused phonics teaching in school
Read about mother struggling with school’s inconsistent teaching of reading on the Reading Reform Foundation message board. http://www.rrf.org.uk/messageforum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5912 Thanks to Susan Godsland of www.dyslexics.org.uk for flagging this up.
Read MoreSneak preview of new Dandelion Board games
Phonic Books have collaborated with TTS and in creating new phonic board games that help children practice and consolidate vowel spellings that many children struggle with. The games are linked to our Dandelion Series so the characters and stories set a context for the games. What is different about these board games? Drawing on our […]
Read MoreBalanced literacy – really?
Read another good article from the spelfabet blog about the confused notion of ‘balanced literacy’ http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2014/01/balanced-literacy/ (thanks Susan Godsland from www.dyslexics.org.uk for flagging this article)
Read MorePhonics in the new national curriculum
Read John Walker and Debbie Hepplewhite’s answers to the assertion that children who have failed to learn to read with phonics should be offered something else…. http://londoncentreforpedagogy.net/2014/01/20/phonics-in-the-new-national-curriculum-for-english-pavlovs-dogs-or-pavlovs-cats/#comments
Read MoreWhy Jaydon can’t read – ideology before evidence
Watch this you tube clip about the systematic failure to teach all children to read in Australia – all sounds very familiar …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyDNiEqcpi0 Thanks to Susan Godsland from www.dyslexics.org.uk for tweeting this video clip.
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