Follow-on Phonics
Introduction
The two early modules offer revision of skills which should have been mastered by the end of the first two or three years in school. There are 36 lists in each, of varying length - usually following a specific spelling focus. They are not words to be sent home as spelling homework, since the point is to learn rules and patterns, not list of words. Module 2 includes periodic revision of a few common non-decodable words which might benefit by learning by heart.
Teachers will decide for themselves how quickly they can cover the lists with their classes. Although the words will seem very simple to almost all junior children, I would strongly recommend teaching the whole class together, and familiarising them with the metalanguage of English from the beginning. In list 1, for instance, the words are the CV VC words taught in entry classes, but what pupils are learning is how to recognise long and short vowels when they hear them, as well as the conditions under which vowels will be lengthened or shortened. In Module 1 List 3 there is at least one word which most will not understand, and the vocabulary work starts at this point and should continue through all the lists. Pupils will need to work with a dictionary which gives information about grammatical function, since the lessons have a wide grammar content.
In Modules 3 and 4, the emphasis changes, and the work is intended to make children aware of spelling alternatives for the many sounds of English. The words in the lists are deliberately difficult, intended to provoke curiosity and discussion and, above all, widen children's vocabulary. Dictionaries should continue to be available for every lesson.
Handwriting is not a focus of these lessons, since this needs separate teaching, and a more structured approach than is possible when studying spelling conventions.
Resources
There is nothing to buy - no letter fans, phoneme dice, phonics games or any of the other paraphernalia already clogging up classroom cupboards. There are certainly no worksheets! There is no cost to the school.
The essential resource is the class teacher, delivering whole class face-to-face teaching, with differentiation taking place in a style of delivery and questioning that ensures there is something for everyone in every lesson.
Apart from that, very little is needed. The lists should be projected onto a whiteboard at the front of the class, or handwritten on a board or flip chart. Pupils should have individual whiteboards if possible, as well as, pens, notebooks and dictionaries with grammatical abbreviations. Nothing else! During the tasks, they should be expected to work independently of the teacher. There is a lot of partner work suggested in the notes, although many children prefer to work on their own, and should be allowed to do so. The pupil tasks involve hardly any group work, and there should be no hovering teacher at this point in the lessons. Ideally, the classroom should be arranged with all pupils facing the front of the class.
Lesson notes for the first module are provided, and should provide sufficient guidance for subsequent modules.
The two early modules offer revision of skills which should have been mastered by the end of the first two or three years in school. There are 36 lists in each, of varying length - usually following a specific spelling focus. They are not words to be sent home as spelling homework, since the point is to learn rules and patterns, not list of words. Module 2 includes periodic revision of a few common non-decodable words which might benefit by learning by heart.
Teachers will decide for themselves how quickly they can cover the lists with their classes. Although the words will seem very simple to almost all junior children, I would strongly recommend teaching the whole class together, and familiarising them with the metalanguage of English from the beginning. In list 1, for instance, the words are the CV VC words taught in entry classes, but what pupils are learning is how to recognise long and short vowels when they hear them, as well as the conditions under which vowels will be lengthened or shortened. In Module 1 List 3 there is at least one word which most will not understand, and the vocabulary work starts at this point and should continue through all the lists. Pupils will need to work with a dictionary which gives information about grammatical function, since the lessons have a wide grammar content.
In Modules 3 and 4, the emphasis changes, and the work is intended to make children aware of spelling alternatives for the many sounds of English. The words in the lists are deliberately difficult, intended to provoke curiosity and discussion and, above all, widen children's vocabulary. Dictionaries should continue to be available for every lesson.
Handwriting is not a focus of these lessons, since this needs separate teaching, and a more structured approach than is possible when studying spelling conventions.
Resources
There is nothing to buy - no letter fans, phoneme dice, phonics games or any of the other paraphernalia already clogging up classroom cupboards. There are certainly no worksheets! There is no cost to the school.
The essential resource is the class teacher, delivering whole class face-to-face teaching, with differentiation taking place in a style of delivery and questioning that ensures there is something for everyone in every lesson.
Apart from that, very little is needed. The lists should be projected onto a whiteboard at the front of the class, or handwritten on a board or flip chart. Pupils should have individual whiteboards if possible, as well as, pens, notebooks and dictionaries with grammatical abbreviations. Nothing else! During the tasks, they should be expected to work independently of the teacher. There is a lot of partner work suggested in the notes, although many children prefer to work on their own, and should be allowed to do so. The pupil tasks involve hardly any group work, and there should be no hovering teacher at this point in the lessons. Ideally, the classroom should be arranged with all pupils facing the front of the class.
Lesson notes for the first module are provided, and should provide sufficient guidance for subsequent modules.