Thanks to Joe Kirby for this uplifting report on why London Schools are outperforming the rest of the UK. What is London’s secret? Pragmatic Education blog states that key for this surge of improvement lies in: partnership, leadership and quality of teaching. Things can change for the better! Good news! http://uk.mg.bt.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.partner=bt-1&.rand=e23k2obs35vtj
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Struggling 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 MoreStruggling reader – a breakthrough!
I had one of those lovely experiences on Thursday, while teaching at the Bloomfield Learning Centre. One of my pupils aged 11 (Year 6) had arrived at the centre as a non-reader. He attended a school where reading had not been taught through phonics or in a systematic way. Unusually for an 11 year old […]
Read MoreMore children with Language Impairment than Dyslexia – must watch video clips
Did you know that Language Impairment is more common than Dyslexia or Autism? I didn’t. One child in every classroom will have Language Impairment. These short and informative video clips from the RALLI (Raising Awareness of Language Learning Impairment) campaign are really helpful for teachers, Sencos, TA’s, parents and children. They shed light on this disability. A must for […]
Read MoreThe Reading Rope – a great visual image of what reading entails
I came across this clear presentation of what reading entails on the Spelfabet website. Great visual image! Thanks to Alison from Spelfabet. http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2013/04/the-reading-rope/#comments
Read MorePhonic Books print solely in the UK! Our printer in Wales just added 17 more jobs!
You may not know this, but Phonic Books currently print only in the UK. Our printer, Zenith Media, is located Wales, in the Rhondda Valley. I got a call from them yesterday to tell us that they were expanding and just employed 17 new people. Some of them are young people who will be introduced into the print […]
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
Read MoreDecoding and language comprehension – how they work together
Thank you John Walker of the Literacy Blog for flagging up another illuminating, entertaining article by Spelfabet. This is an article by a speech pathologist about the relationship between decoding and language comprehension. I recommend it. You can even get a link to a free non-word phonics ckeck to test your pupils’ decoding skills and strategies! http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2013/03/reading-comprehension/
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