Here is a presentation about our phonic books for catch-up readers. It explains why older, struggling readers need age-appropriate phonic reading books and presents the special features that will help catch-up readers learn to read. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_VkiZBxAnY
Read MoreLearning to Read
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 MoreAn introduction to Dandelion Books
Here is our new presentation: An introduction to Dandelion Books. It explains the rationale behind the reading scheme, its special features and the difference between the Dandelion Launchers and the Dandelion Readers series. You can view it on You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVve7Pt1Jxw
Read MoreWhy students don’t remember what they have been taught
Here a thoughtful article by Joe Kirby about why our pupils often don’t remember what they have been taught. It is mainly relevant to the secondary curriculum – but also has important implications for SEN. For example – why do our pupils find punctuation so difficult to remember? It explains the important role of overlearning, […]
Read MoreWhy I love the Smart Chute
I have recently (belatedly) discovered the Smart Chute. This is a post box game that flips cards over. It is a self-checking activity which covers many areas of the literacy curriculum: phonics, morphemes, Greek and Latin derivatives, grammar, vocabulary etc. I love it because it is a great opening to any 1:1 lesson. Today I […]
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 MoreDandelion Book of Dictation now in stock!
To all our customers who have been waiting for this workbook – it is now in stock and available. This workbook offers step-by-step dictation exercises that follow the progression of the Dandelion Readers reading scheme. It will allow teachers and TA’s to have dictation activities at their fingertips. This is great resource for developing spelling (encoding) and punctuation of young readers […]
Read MoreMoon Dogs Workbooks now available!
The much awaited workbooks that complement the Moon Dogs Set 1 and Set 2 are now in stock. These workbooks support the reading books which introduce the sounds of the alphabet, adjacent consonants and consonant digraphs. They include activities which develop the underlying skills needed for reading and spelling. A great resource for older, beginner readers […]
Read MorePencil and rubber – Roman style at Bath Roman springs
On a visit to the Roman Baths in Bath we had a live experience of an actor using a wax tablet and stylus. He was dressed up as a craftsman who was recording his orders. A great idea for classroom topic – learning about our script and different writing methods in antiquity. Children can explore the […]
Read MoreTeachers failing pupils – it is still happening
Thanks to Susan Godsland of www.dyslexics.org.uk who flagged up this video clip from the Spelfabet website. Does is sound familiar? It makes me sad to think of the pupils I failed before I was trained in Sounds-Write. This is still happening… http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2013/11/teacher-knowledge-of-phonics/
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