If you’re thinking of using a phonics reading scheme of decodable books, you may be wondering how to choose one. Here are some questions you should be asking.
Is the overall phonic progression in the scheme clear?
It should be.
Is the phonic focus of each book clear?
It should be.
Do children read each story by decoding, or by guessing words from the pictures?
Readers should be encouraged to decode, not guess.
Is the text repetitive?
It shouldn’t be. Children are clever at figuring out what is coming next, so repetitive texts encourage guesswork.
Are there too many high-frequency words that children can’t read?
There shouldn’t be, even if they’re repeated again and again. High-frequency words should be introduced in a gradual way, starting with those that are more decodable (e.g ‘has’ and ‘is’). That way, children get into the habit of decoding rather than guessing.
Are there enough books at each level?
There should ideally be a variety, to enable practice and consolidation. Most children need practice of new phonemes learned, and having more than one book at each level is an advantage.
Are the books fun to read?
Children should want to read the books, and enjoy them. Even a structured phonics scheme should be motivating and fun.
This website is enormously helpful to me. I work with emergent as well as extremely reluctant readers. I am constantly looking for ways to inspire and motivate my students. Your suggestions were quite helpful. I look forward to revisiting this site again. Many thanks. mary
Hi Mary, Good to hear that you find our website useful. Let us know if there are areas you we might discuss that we haven’t so far. Regards, Tami
Hi there,
This blog is a result of many years of teaching children to read in mainstream and special needs setting. All three of us are still teaching children at the Bloomfield Learning Centre, even though we are also involved in training and in publishing books. When we write items for the blog we always relate it to our experience of teaching children to read particularly those who struggle.
Glad you like the blog.
Best wishes,
Tami
Thanks for letting us know. We will look into it.
Regards,
Tami
Hi there,
If more people get to know and understand about phonics and good teaching of reading, why then yes, go ahead.
Regards,
Tami
I will try and find out and let you know.
Regards,
Tami
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment. Can you explain why this would be beneficial. Is it for teaching the reading of French or the teaching of reading of English?
Regards,
Tami
Thanks for your comments. We are passionate about teaching all kids to read.
Regards,
Tami
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment. We hope our site will help improve the teaching reading for all kids.
Regards,
Tami
Hi there,
We have some links in our contacts. Have you any idea which links would be useful?
Regards,
Tami