Do kids need to read decodable books to become fluent readers?

Decodable books build ‘reading muscle’ – another great post from Spelfabet. If you are wondering why kids need to read decodable books in order to become fluent readers – here is the answer! All adults can find listening to beginner readers agonising and at times, it can be hard work for both the child and […]

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Whole word reading vs decoding – why does it matter?

Many schools are moving away from teaching children to recognise whole words to teaching them how to decode. It is important for anyone reading with children, or teaching them to read to understand why this is so significant. The approach of teaching kids to recognise whole words is a ‘top down’ approach. It requires children […]

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Parent shines a light on the science of reading

It is so sad to hear when a young child says he wants to kill himself because he can’t read as described in the interview at the end of this piece. It is uplifting to hear how a parent turned this child’s life around by getting him assessed and starting him on a structured literacy […]

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Using morphology to teach word structure.

Amber Guardians, Workbook, books 1-10

Do you have children who spell the word ‘jumped’ – like this: ‘jumpt’ and ‘wanted’ like this: ‘wantid’? This is because they are listening to the sound/s at the end of the word. This is because we tell them to listen to the sounds when they spell. But sometimes it is very helpful to bring […]

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How 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 now offered ‘controlled’ texts which include words they can decode independently, using the phonic knowledge they have been taught.   These decodable texts enable the pupil to focus on a specific spelling or group of spellings at each level.  He/she […]

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