[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pip+phonics&aq=f]Phonicbooks have just made a free video clip of Pip, the ant, demonstrating the sounds of the alphabet. We thought it would be a good idea to use the characters in Dandelion Books to enthuse our young readers. This is free for teachers and parents; a great way to practise precise pronunciation or ‘pure sounds’ […]
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Using both decodable books and ‘real’ books with beginner readers
Recent articles in the media about the approach to teaching reading suggest that educators are divided into two camps: the camp supporting ‘real’ books and the camp supporting synthetic phonics. The camp supporting ‘real’ books is promoted by a number of prominent authors, such as Michael Rosen. They have voiced their concerns that using decodable […]
Read MoreWhat is a grapheme?
A grapheme is a letter or a number of letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word. Another way to explain it is to say that a grapheme is a letter or letters that spell a sound in a word.
Read MoreNEWS: Talisman 2 Series out now!
NEWS: Talisman 2 Series out now! Teachers and pupils have been writing to us asking about the next Talisman Series. It has now been published and is available! The Talisman 2 workbook will be available in September 2011. This new series includes some really useful spellings and suffixes for the older, reluctant readers.
Read MoreYear 1 Phonics Screening check – a good or bad idea?
The DFE will launch a Year 1 phonics screening check from 2012. This test is intended to assess the progress of the pupils’ phonics skills, with the aim of identifying pupils who are falling behind.
Read MoreLearning to read with Dandelion Books in India
Pupils in India learning to read with Dandelion Launchers. These photos were sent to us by Frances Woodward, a Sounds-Write trainer, who went out there with our books.
Read More‘To blend’ or ‘a blend’? – that is the question
What is the difference between ‘a blend’ (‘blend’ as a noun) and ‘to blend’ (as a verb)? Now that most schools are getting used to using synthetic phonics programmes, some old terms are being dropped and new terms are introduced. So, how do we now use the word ‘blend’: as a noun or a verb?
Read MoreAre ‘tricky’ words and high-frequency words the same?
These days, we hear a lot about ‘tricky’ words, phonically ‘irregular’ words, ‘sight’ words and ‘high-frequency’ words. Do all these terms mean the same thing?
Read MoreWhy the ‘A, B, C’ song is not helpful to beginner readers
Many young children learn to sing the ‘A, B, C’ song in nursery or at home. This song teaches them the names and the order of the letters of the alphabet. It’s a great way to store the alphabetic order of letters in our long-term memories. I still use the alphabet song when using a […]
Read MoreNEWS UPDATE – Phonic Books in Cambodia
Have a look at a photo of children in Cambodia reading our books. They were kindly donated by Catherine Lumley to the Karuna Centre in Cambodia. There is no running water and no electricity but the kids are reading! What a heartwarming picture!
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