High-frequency words are common words in the English language. Many teachers believe that it is useful for children to learn to read and spell these words as soon as possible. The problem is that many of these words have complex spellings. This means that children may find it difficult to read and spell them until […]
Read Morebeginner readers
The importance of alternative spellings
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. […]
Read MoreAdjacent 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 MoreWhat educators in the USA say about Phonic Books
In advance of our visit to the USA to the IDA conference in November, we have asked some of the educators using our books their students in the USA to tell us what they think about them. Here are some of their responses.
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 MoreWhat is a ‘tricky word’?
Fluent readers may find it difficult to understand why beginner readers find some words difficult to decode. These are often called ‘tricky words’ – but what’s so tricky about them?
Read MoreWhat are adjacent consonants?
Synthetic Phonics programmes now talk of ‘adjacent consonants’. What are adjacent consonants? Why is it that the letters ‘bl’ in the word ‘black’ are adjacent consonants while the letters ‘ck’ are not?
Read MoreWhy non-words should be included in the Year 1 Phonics Check
Non-words are nonsense words made up of the spellings (graphemes) a child has already been taught: words like ‘bip’, ‘steg’ or ‘shromp’. Read more to find out why non-words should be included in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
Read MoreUsing 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 […]
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