Transcript Phonics Fun!

Kirsty Chambers (LST at SJS)
Elise Draeger (Lead Teacher of Learning Access)
WHAT IS SYNTHETIC PHONICS?
 Synthetic
phonics is the method of
teaching reading and writing by focusing
on the letter sounds (phonemes) and how
these blend together.
A
phoneme is the smallest unit of sound
i.e. c-a-t
A
grapheme is the way a sound is
represented (letter)
i.e. a, b, c
SYNTHETIC PHONICS PROGRAMMES
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Synthetic phonics is a popular and worldwide teaching
method. There are many different synthetic phonics
programmes e.g. Get Reading Right, Jolly Phonics, Letters
and Sounds, Letter Land etc.
Differences and similarities are mainly based around sound
progression, lesson format, terminology, tools, and games.
However, there is a core essence that is similar. Sound
progression is based around how frequently each sound is
used in the English language and how words are built:
VC words e.g. at
CVC words e.g. fat
CCVC words e.g. flat etc.
PROGRESSION OF SOUNDS
AND PRONUNCIATION
Note: Exact sound progression varies according to each programme.
1. Start with a small set of initial sounds that can be used to blend
and segment words:
s

m
c
t
g
p
a
o
at, on, as, sat, pan, pat, cat, cot, tap, mat
2. Other initial sounds:
r
l
d
b
f
h
i
u
v
w
y
z
j
n
k
e
3. DIGRAPHS/TRIGRAPHS
 A digraph is a sound made up of two letters, but makes ONE sound.
 A trigraph has 3 letters.
Commonly used digraphs:
ll
ch
sh
ck
ss
ff
th (thin)
ng
zz
th (this)
qu
wh
x
Other commonly used digraphs:
oo
(moon)
oo
(book)
ar
ow
oi
LONG VOWEL PHONEMES
4. Most commonly used long vowel phonemes:
ai
ee
igh
oa
ue
ay
ey
ie
ow
ew
i-e
o-e
5. Magic e/ split e
a-e
e-e
u-e
6. Other alternatives/different pronunciations e.g.
ough (o)
eigh (a)
aw (or)
ei (i)
HOW MANY


PHONEMES?
Children need to be able to identify the phonemes in
a word in order to blend (read) and segment (write)
words.
How many phonemes in these words?
cat
swim
black
ring
coin
shower
chest
train
chimpanzee
bone
ACTIONS
WORDS
AND SONGS (YOUTUBE) HELP AID CHILDREN’S MEMORY OF THE SOUNDS AND CONNECT THE SOUNDS TO
MULTISENSORY APPROACH
Use a range of multisensory materials to help
children learn to recognise and form different
sounds and words.
 Provide children with clay, salt dough, shaving
foam, sand/ kinetic sand, glue, playdough, paint
etc. and form letters
 Use plastic or wooden templates in feely bags
for children to touch and guess the letter
 Letter threading to support shape recognition
 Use gel letters to identify sounds, spell words

Jolly Phonics actions and songs
(Youtube)
SOUND BUTTONS

Sound buttons help children to identify the
sound and act as an aid when blending (examples)
FRIENDLY SOUNDS (DIGRAPHS)

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A child friendly term and practical way to introduce digraphs through actions, is
by explaining the connection of 2 letters as friends. You can add a short creative
story about why the letter friends create their own sound!
Bridges are used to help explain magic/split e and identify this digraph in a word.
By adding an e, the vowel sound changes from a short a (mat) to a long a (cake)
sound.
KEY ELEMENTS
 Review
TO A LESSON
previous sounds
 Introduce new sound:
(Phonicsplay car race is fun!)
Show pictures
 Emphasise the sound
 Show the grapheme
 Brainstorm words

 Read
words with focus sound
 Write words with focus sound
 Apply/Game
ICT LINKS

www.phonicsplay.co.uk

Phase 1 – sound discrimination games

Phase 2 – mainly initial sounds

Phase 3 – commonly used digraphs

Phase 4 – longer words

Phase 5 – alternative spellings to digraphs/ long vowel phonemes

Phase 6 – spelling patterns/prefixes/suffixes

www.galacticphonics.com
(all levels)
Particularly good for games linked to long vowel phonemes – lots of them!

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/
The poem packs are great for introducing long vowel phonemes)

www.phonicshero.com
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1. Children need to be able to identify between
different sounds in the natural environment
before applying to words.
2. Distinguishing sounds in words-progression:
 Initial sounds
 Final sounds
 Middle sounds
SOUND DISCRIMINATION 1

Phonics play - ICT games
Environmental walk- Listening to and identifying sounds in the

Circle games:
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environment. How many can they hear?
Where’s that sound? (use a noisy instrument
such as bells)
What’s that sound?
Who said that?
The Detective Game - using sounds
I hear with my little ear (best done outside)
Sound bingo
Find me. Children are given the name of an animal e.g. cat, dog, pig and asked to
run/walk around the room. When you call the word ‘animals’ they each make that
animal sound and find all the other people making the same sound and form a group.
Quickest group wins)
Sound Discrimination 2
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I spy with my little eye
I spy bottle
Phoneme frames
Children identify number of phonemes in a given word.

Multilink or fingers – as above. One cube/one finger = one sound
Sound talk/talk like a robot – Show a range of pictures or objects
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Loop cards –
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Odd One Out – Say 3 words with a different starting, middle or end

– sound talk the words and children then identify the object e.g. d-u-ck
Each card has either 2 pictures, or a word and picture.
Sound talk the word. If a child has the matching picture they then sound
talk their word. Repeat until it is back to the first person.
sound (tell them what to listen for)
Which is the odd one out?

Blending is the skill of putting sounds together
to read words.
Various ICT games – Good ones:
Phonics play:
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Trash and Treasure/ Picnic on Pluto/ Dragon’s Den
Pick a Picture
Make a Match
Giggling Graphemes
Car Race
Sentence substitution
BBC words and pictures:
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Poem packs introducing e.g. ai, ee, igh
Galactic phonics
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Bingo
Picture belt
What’s missing
Blur bonanza (Good for more able)
Match Up
Phonics Hero
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– (particularly for long vowel phonemes)
various games selecting and picking the correct word
BLENDING
GAMES CONTINUED……
o
Bingo with words or sounds.
Sound buttons – Get the children to place
o
Cross the river – Create a river using paper or
o
Stepping stones. Another version of cross the
o
sound buttons under words.
material. Give each child a sound or word – when
you say that sound/word, children cross the
river. Several children can have the same sound
or word.
river using stepping stones. They can only step
on a specified sound in order to cross.
oTreasure hunt – Place coins in a sand tray and
children have to find given sounds. Alternatively, they
find sounds to spell a given word.
oTrash or Treasure- Real and fake words on coins
and placed in a sand tray. Children pull out, blend and
sort into trash or treasure (Coins can be printed from
Sparklebox)
oHidden sounds – Place sounds in different parts of
the classroom or playground near items that start with
that sound e.g. slide. Call a sound and children find it
and run to it.
o
o
o
Hunt the phoneme- Children have sounds or
words on their back and have to find the other
class members with the same sound/word.
What word am I? Child has a hat with a word
stuck to it and has to ask questions to work out
what their word is.
Twister – Use or make a twister set with words
on. Spin the spinner and children can place a
body part on that colour if they can read the
word –if not they stay put or hold it in the air!
o
Fishing for phonics game – Use sounds or words. You can make your

Inquiry sorting game (long vowel phonemes) – Give children
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What’s the rule? –
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Countdown –
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Odd one out –
own version!
set of cards with words on, spelt with the same sound, but in different ways. Can
they read and identify a common phoneme e.g. long a? Sort into groups. Can they
spot a rule e.g. ai is usually in the middle of words and ay at the end.
Children give the teacher words who sorts them into
2 groups. Children have to identify the rule e.g. magic e or 2 syllables or a
particular sound.
they read?
Speed reading against the clock or timer. How many words can
Show 3 words at a time – blend. Children choose the odd
one out (word with a different starting sound or digraph). One point for each
correct word.
Switcharoo (Great game for long vowel phonemes)
 Pairs game – Using a set of words and pictures, place face down.
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Pick one word and blend. Next, try to find the matching picture. Most
pairs wins.
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Kim’s game.
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Snakes and Ladders -
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sounds
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phonetic words
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camera words
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Children must read the word
Show a set of word card, stick on board. Children close
eyes and take one away – What’s the missing word?
correctly or go back to 0
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Roll a word – Three dice with 1. beginning sounds, 2. middle sounds
3. ending sounds. Roll one of each to create words – is it real or not?
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Segmenting is the ability to identify the sounds in words
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This can be explained as STRETCHING the word out to
hear the individual sounds or by CHOPPING up the word.
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Hats – Make hats with sounds. Each child wears a hat
and must stand and make the word.
Spell it -As above but with cards
 Hangman
 Shannon’s game- As hangman, but letters must be in
order.
 Odd One Out – Say 3 words and children write them.
Circle the one with a different starting sound or
digraph.
 Countdown – How many words can they spell in 3
mins?

o
o
Anagrams – Reorder the letters to spell the word
(also blending)
Full Circle
at-cat-cap, clap, flap, flip, clip, lip, lit, let, bet, bat, at
o Me first! –Two children back to back. A set word is
given e.g. black. The first person who can spell it jumps
around and shouts ‘Me first,’ and spells it. Opponent swaps
with another challenger if they lose. Child who can spell
most words wins.

o
o
Magnetic letters-Spell words
using magnetic letters on a
whiteboard.
Spelling arch - Spell words using a letter arch (also
helps children learn where letters are in the alphabet)
Letter Circle - Each child has a letter. Using a ball
roll to the correct person in order to spell a given
word
 Thumbs up, thumbs down – Write a word. Ask
children if it is spelt correctly- thumb up or thumbs
down.
 Memory bag – Show items in bag and then hide.
Write as many words from the bag as possible.
 Picture this – One child reads a given word and
draws a picture of it. They show the class and the
class has to guess and write the word on their
whiteboards.
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Pak Man – Spread out around the room. Ask each
child to spell a given word. If correct they move
one step towards another person. If they can
touch them they are out. Last one standing wins.
 Sound pots – Give children 2/3 pots and sort the
objects correctly and spell. (Can also be a sound
discrimination game)
 Three in a row – Each child chooses a tricky word
and uses it to play a version of noughts and
crosses.
 Stepping stones – Children step on the correct
letters to spell a word and cross the river.
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Various ICT games – good ones (spelling link):
Phonics play:

Investigating alternative spellings (Phase 5-brilliant for learning
about long vowel phonemes)
BBC words and pictures:
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Sandcastle game (choose the correct spelling of a phoneme)
The Whirlyword Machine
Write a postcard (focuses on spelling of vowel phonemes)
Galactic phonics
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Tile tap
Anagrams
Word attack
Grapheme Cloud
– (particularly for long vowel phonemes)