One of the most difficult aspects of the English Alphabetic Code is that a sound in a word (phoneme) can be spelled in different ways. In ‘transparent’ alphabetic codes, a sound is consistently spelled the same way. Children learning to read English soon discover that many vowels and consonants can be spelled in different ways. […]
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Adjacent consonants – why children need practice
Many children struggle when reading words with adjacent consonants. These are words that have two consonants side by side within a word, e.g. f l a g. The leap from three-sound words (e.g. h a t) to four-sound words (e.g. l i m p) is very difficult for many beginner and struggling readers. The step […]
Read MoreWhy ‘mixed methods’ scupper mastering the phonic code
Time and again, research has shown that mastering the phonic code is key to successful, fluent reading. The mastery of this knowledge is particularly vital for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Experienced teachers will have observed that some children manage to unscramble the phonic code for themselves, and will learn to read regardless of how they […]
Read MoreThe importance of skills practice when learning to read
Learning to read, initially, has two components: knowledge: learning the graphemes and the sounds they represent skills: learning to blend sounds into words and segment sounds for spelling. Many teachers offer lots of fun ways to learn graphemes. They do this in step-by-step progression, starting from the simple graphemes and progressing to the more-complex ones. […]
Read MoreWhat to say to phonics sceptics
In the UK, we often hear people making anti-phonics claims in the media. Usually, these demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of Synthetic Phonics. Mike Lloyd-Jones, in his book Phonics and the Resistance to Reading, lists these incorrect assertions and challenges them. Based on his book, here is how we can answer their claims: “The […]
Read MoreHow decodable texts help beginner and catch-up readers
The new National Curriculum now requires teachers to use decodable texts with children learning to read. Children are offered ‘controlled’ texts that include words they can decode independently, using the phonic knowledge they have been taught. These decodable texts enable pupils to focus on a specific spelling or group of spellings at each level. Pupils […]
Read MorePHONIC BOOKS COMPETITION!!!
As we have just launched our new Phonic Books Ltd Facebook page, we are annoucing our first Phonic Books Competition! The 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th person to ‘Like’ our new Phonic Books Ltd page will win any set of books from our Dandelion Books range or from our catch-up range, including the brand new Magic Belt […]
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