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 […]
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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 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 […]
Read MoreThere is nothing as rewarding as seeing the grin on a young reader’s face when they have just written a word that they can read and what’s more – you can read! The discovery that the squiggles on the white board can always be read by anyone at anytime is a huge “Ah ha!” moment […]
Read MoreSome time ago, I attended a course on morphology as part of my professional development. It was presented by a dyslexia organisation. At the time, I was using an excellent phonics programme (Sounds-Write) and felt I needed to develop my understanding of morphology and its role in teaching kids to read. The presenter was very […]
Read More‘Cat sat on mat….’ Critics of decodable books claim that they are boring and often don’t make sense. They quote examples like ‘Cat sat on mat. Pam sat on cat’… etc. They have a point! Many decodable books published in the past are repetitive and don’t exactly make sense. If the purpose of reading is […]
Read MoreWhy we need to teach ‘structured and cumulative’ reading instruction… In the bad old days before I learnt how to teach kids to read, I taught kids to read in a structured way. That is, what I thought was structure: Week 1: letters a, b, c, d Week 2: letters e, f, g, h Week […]
Read MoreMost teachers will agree that the purpose of reading is comprehension. But many children, especially kids who struggle with reading and spelling, hate comprehension activities. It’s not because they hate comprehending or answering questions. It’s because many comprehension activities often entail writing the answer. And many kids hate writing. Why? Because it’s really hard! Writing […]
Read MoreDecodable books are books that a child can read once she/he has been taught the phonics in the book. It is really important to see decodable books as an experience that will be successful if enough preparation is made beforehand. First, do the activities that are recommended in the video below. Once your child is […]
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