What’s so great about dictation?

The verb ‘to dictate’ is not one that teachers warm to.  This is because we love to foster creativity in our children and to get them to write their own ideas.  BUT when teaching children how to read and spell we need to use all the best tools we have to instruct our beginner readers […]

Read More

Teach high-frequency words like an incomplete puzzle

English is complex and we need to teach reading in a structured way from simple to complex.  Unfortunately, there is no avoiding high-frequency words with spellings the children haven’t learned yet because they are present in even the simplest of sentences, e.g. ‘The cat is on the mat’.  In the very first sentences children read […]

Read More

300 High Frequency Word Phonic Chart

A4 High Frequency Poster Web

Do your children forget spellings from one week to the next? Many teachers issue spelling lists each week only to find that a week or two down the road the children have already forgotten them. At Phonic Books we believe that teaching children the first 300 high-frequency words in a way that links up with […]

Read More

Why is the term ‘tricky words’ tricky?

The term ‘tricky words’ is used for some common high-frequency words that a beginner reader may encounter.   For example words like ‘the’ or ‘said’.  These words have complex spellings (graphemes) that the child may not yet have learned.  Because these words are so common,  there is need in the early stages of reading to provide children […]

Read More

Are ‘tricky’ words and high-frequency words the same?

These days we hear a lot about ‘tricky words’ or phonically ‘irregular’ words, ‘sight words’ and high-frequency words. Do all these terms mean the same thing?

Read More

UK schools & organisations wishing to order by invoice, please read the information regarding our new process. Dismiss