A phoneme frame is one of the best resources to use to get children beginning to read and write words. They are a simple idea, but an extremely effective one. What is a phoneme frame? A phoneme frame is a rectangular grid with several squares side by side. It is used for reading and writing …
Blending and segmenting are very closely linked skills, and yet they are also kind of opposites. Both are really important to early phonics, and are needed for children to start reading and writing simple words. But what’s the difference between blending and segmenting? Blending is a skill needed for reading. Segmenting is used for writing. …
In ten years of working with children aged 3-5, I have found that one of the most important skills in early phonics is definitely segmenting. It is a crucial skill in early writing, and it is involved in reading too. But what exactly is it? Segmenting in phonics is the ability to separate a word …
On the phonics course that I run, one of the favourite activities has always been using washing lines to teach phonics. Many children love washing lines, and the practitioners like them too. They are easy to create and inspire lots of valuable learning. Using washing lines in general is great for children. It develops their …
For any of you that have taught early phonics to young children, the question may well have come up – ‘Do you teach blending or segmenting first?’ This is a common question, but one there seems no official answer to if you consult the usual authoritative channels. I have based my own personal answer to …
When I very first started teaching I had all sorts of problems with behavior! I remember the first lesson I ever took, and about half of the children lay down on the floor and refused to sit back up again. Dark days! Shortly after this, one of my first discoveries to counter interesting behaviors such …
I have to say that if I could select just one resource to take from my classroom, it would undoubtedly be claves, or ‘rhythm sticks’ as we like to call them. Rhythm sticks are simply long pieces of broomstick-like wood, cut into about 8-inch sections and the ends sanded down. You can use claves, but the …