Why ‘structured’ reading instruction is not enough

Why we need to teach ‘structured and cumulative’ reading instruction In the bad old days before I learned 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 […]

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How to make comprehension fun

How to make comprehension fun Most 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.  […]

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How to help your child read a decodable book

Decodable 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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FREE decodable book and resources for all to use!

  In times like these, it’s important that we all pull together for the greater good. With that in mind, Phonic Books are delighted to be offering free resources for parents, carers and teachers alike, who want to support children with learning at home during this worrying time and beyond. The latest tool in our […]

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How to practice reading ‘tap’ and ‘tape’

Many students struggle with split vowel spellings a-e, e-e, i-e, o-e, u-e. These are also known as ‘split digraphs’, ‘magic e’ and ‘vowel + e’. These students need extra explicit instruction and practice reading words with these split spellings. It is important to take the time to embed this learning as split spellings are very […]

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Dictation is great activity for emerging spellers

Most teachers approach teaching in a child-centred way so dictation goes against the grain.  It may seem old-fashioned and yes, a bit dictatorial.  But actually, is it a really powerful tool which is particularly useful for struggling or emerging readers and spellers.  What more, children enjoy it because it consolidates their learning and they experience […]

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How to teach children about syllables

Before children can begin to read and spell multisyllabic words they need to get a feel for what a syllable is – for what a ‘mouthful of a word’ is. If they have had systematic phonics instruction they may find it difficult to switch from sounds (phonemes) to syllables and may confuse the two.  Some […]

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Cumulative teaching – how to teach children who forget

Many of my students at the Bloomfield Learning Centre have difficulty remembering the complex alternative spellings of sounds in English.  The problem is they don’t hold on to what they have learned.  The teacher may teach <ai> and the next lesson <ee> and after that <oa>.  By this stage <ai> is forgotten.  It seems that […]

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Independent review of That Dog! series

  We have just received this independent review from Teach Primary Magazine.  The review is available online.  See link below. Phonic Books – That Dog! for catch-up readers across the school. At a glance: • Age appropriate, synthetic phonic catch-up reading books with decodable text for pupils who can read CVC words • Controlled language […]

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How to use decodable books

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How to use decodable books Decodable books are controlled texts that beginner readers can read independently once they have been taught the spellings in the text.  Children learning to read with phonics benefit from reading decodable texts because they allow them to practice what they have been taught and experience success.  They also help children […]

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