News & Information

How to…teach vocabulary when reading a decodable book

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** Decodable books often include target words that pupils may not know. There are many reasons why pupils may not know words in a text:  The word may be unusual. […]

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How to…dictate a sentence from a decodable book

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** Dictation is a great way to consolidate the bonds between reading and spelling. It is a controlled exercise where pupils can succeed because the teacher includes words with spellings […]

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How to…correct reading errors

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** One of the most important elements of learning is receiving error feedback (How We Learn, Dahaene). With every error feedback, the pupil can adjust their knowledge or skill and […]

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How to…stop students from guessing

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** Many pupils will have been encouraged to use guessing strategies by well-meaning teachers and tutors, such as guessing clues from the picture or the context, and/or skipping the word […]

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How to…read a non-fiction decodable book

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** Non-fiction decodable books are wonderful reading resources. They combine two essential parts of reading: word recognition (decoding) and world knowledge (language comprehension and subject vocabulary). Educators now recognise that […]

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How to…teach segmenting

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers. *** First, what is segmenting? Segmenting is the ability to separate sounds in words. The smallest sounds are called phonemes. We use segmenting when we sound out a new word, […]

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Boost confidence in older readers with Hidden in Paris

Hidden in paris

This is a guest testimonial by Donna Rominger. *** Hidden in Paris is the latest series from Phonic Books that will engage the reader from the very beginning. Join three friends as they comb the streets of Paris searching for symbolic clues presented to them on a treasure like map that was left to them […]

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Leave pupils “excited to become readers” with Hidden in Paris

Hidden in paris

This is a guest testimonial by Ann Sullivan. Ann has over 30 years’ experience in mainstream and specialist education. Based in the UK, her career includes roles as a KS1 and KS2 class teacher, SEN secondary literacy teacher, school-based Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), an advisory teacher for pupils with special educational needs and a […]

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How to…teach words with consonant blends

In our ‘how to…’ series we are going to delve into all things phonics instruction and give you our expert advice on developing confident readers.   *** Blending sounds together takes place in working memory which is very limited and fleeting. Words with consonant blends can be problematic. The more sounds in the word, the harder […]

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What is…a vowel team?

In our ‘what is…’ series we’re taking things back to basics! From phonics to decoding, blending and more, we’re going to break things down and give you our expert advice on each area, to help answer any questions you may have around teaching reading. *** ‘Vowel team’ is a term used mostly in the USA […]

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