*** Competition Time*** To support the launch of our Dragon Eggs Series, we’d like to invite teachers and educators far and wide to get involved in our ‘Draw a Dragon’ Competition. Simply download the templates below and follow the instructions to draw and name a baby dragon using the sound on the template. Please ensure […]
Read MoreI recently had a Zoom meeting with a Year 6 teacher who discussed how a number of his pupils were struggling with reading and he said he was using the Year 1 phonics check to assess them. This may seem odd, but is has never occurred to me that the Year 1 Phonics Check is […]
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What is a schwa sound? And, did you know it is the most common sound in the English language? A schwa sound is a weak vowel sound in an unstressed syllable. Here is an explanation: Most multisyllabic words in English are pronounced with a stress on one syllable. Take the word ‘chicken’ the stress in […]
Read MoreI read this post and thought it was really worth reposting. It explains in simple and sympathetic language why decodable books have an important role to play in learning to read. New Zealand has been slow in adopting Systematic Synthetic Phonics, but things are changing for the better. This is a really worth a read! […]
Read MoreReading fluency is a precondition for reading comprehension. If the reader is not fluent he/she will struggle to put the words together in a sentence and make meaning of it. When short term memory is taken up by working out what the words are on the page, it can’t focus on what they mean. So […]
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Many schools are moving away from teaching children to recognise whole words to teaching them how to decode. It is important for anyone reading with children, or teaching them to read, to understand why this is so significant. The approach of teaching kids to recognise whole words is a ‘top down’ approach. It requires children […]
Read MoreMany of our students will need a boost to their vocabulary. This may be because they have missed out on learning, or that remote learning is not as effective as in-school learning (especially for children with a learning disability). As we know, language development is a crucial element in reading comprehension (check out ‘The Simple […]
Read MoreIt is that time of year and, although in this COVID year everything seems subdued, we have Christmas messages, wishes and advertising everywhere. Children will be busy writing lists for Santa and decorating Christmas cards. You just can’t escape the words ‘Merry Christmas’! This is a good opportunity for some ‘incidental phonics’ teaching. So, what […]
Read MoreI have been listening to the History of English Podcast (recommended!) and I have had a serious light bulb moment! I have just realised that the invention of the alphabet, which took place around 2000 BCE, had a huge impact on the history and culture of humankind. It was like the explosion of communication we […]
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Older, struggling readers often have gaps in the their phonics knowledge and skills. They find alternative spellings particularly confusing. Many suffer from low self esteem so offering them decodable materials that are age-appropriate is vital. Vital because if the reading materiasl can engage the disaffected reader, his/her motivation to try and read will grow. Without […]
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