When To Introduce Jolly Phonics?

[Guest]

I'm starting as an NQT in reception in September and am after some jolly phonics advice - mainly when do you start to introduce it? We've had the lectures at uni and I've asked advice from a number of reception teachers but everyone has different opinions - varying from the second week to after half term.

 

Please give me some advice!

 

Thanks in advance.

Annette

 

OH yeah, they all start within the first week of september.

[Guest]

Get started straight away. You will find that you will have to reinforce the sounds many times over for some children and don't forget that some learn by look and say much quicker, so teach key words as well. Make it as fun as poss. You can start using PIPS games in the second term.

Good Luck!

[Guest]

I totally agree, if you keep activities short and sharp initially, those that are ready to pick them up will do - and those that are not will get them in their own time as theyare re-introduced.

 

As a Y1 teacher, I usually have to continue recapping well into the first term, so in my opinion the sooner the better!

[Steve]

Hi Pauline -

Just a quick break-in to say welcome to the forum - and thanks for posting!

 

Don't know anything about jollyphonics so I'll shut up now...

 

Regards, Steve.

[Guest]

I use jolly phonics too and started it straight away. I've found it to be a brilliant scheme and the children pick up the sounds really quickly because of the actions- much quicker than when I taught them without the scheme! You can buy puppets of the main characters now too- snake, inky the mouse and bee. I got mine from The early Learning centre and they help to make it exciting!

[Guest]

I usually start Jolly Phonics after a couple of weeks. The kinesthetic actions really help to reinforce the corresponding sound. We have taught Jolly Phonics for years at our school and you will still see juniors sometimes using the actions when tackling an unfamiliar word. Do try to link each letter with a short story which emphasises the letter - I find that some auditory learners really take this on board but all the children love a story especially if you manage to personalise it. The scheme recommends 5 letters a week, however I find 3 is usually enough and I use the other 2 days to reinforce those sounds already learnt. Send the p/copy sheets home too - and if you get a chance (foundation stage parents eve, literacy evening etc) teach the actions to the parents - it works twice as well if the children are reinforcing their learning at home. Good luck in your new post. Jools

[Steve]

Hi Jools -

Good to hear from you - where have you been?

 

Hasn't got anything to do with Reports and FSP's has it?

[Guest]

I'm starting as an NQT in reception in September and am after some jolly phonics advice - mainly when do you start to introduce it? We've had the lectures at uni and I've asked advice from a number of reception teachers but everyone has different opinions - varying from the second week to after half term.

 

Please give me some advice!

 

Thanks in advance.

Annette

 

OH yeah, they all start within the first week of september.

[

• 
  

I use a bit of Jolly Phonics within my group - I tend to use the video as I have younger children and they like the characters - I do it in short sharp bursts and only over the first two books. Comes back to planning - can you incorporate it with anything else you do.

Nikki

[Guest]

Hi, about 'Jolly Phonics' my Reception class this year loved it and picked the letter sounds up really quickly- more or less by half term - What we did, in the first week of term, was to send home a folder with the first sheet and a letter to parents explaining how to keep all of the sheets in the folder, and how to reinforce them with the children each time a new letter was added. Most of my class tell me that they go through their sheets at home regularly and I'm sure this has helped to reinforce the teaching and learning in the classroom. The best thing is that when the new intake joins my class in January any September child not completely sure of their letters has the chance to go through them again. Good luck for September Annette!

[Guest]

I'm starting as an NQT in reception in September and am after some jolly phonics advice - mainly when do you start to introduce it? We've had the lectures at uni and I've asked advice from a number of reception teachers but everyone has different opinions - varying from the second week to after half term.

 

Please give me some advice!

 

Thanks in advance.

Annette

 

OH yeah, they all start within the first week of september.

Hi Annette

I would say introduce it sraight from the beginning, tapes in the listening area etc.

We use Jolly Phonics in our setting (2-5yrs). All the children love the books and learning the songs to go with the pages. It`s our most popular C.D. The reception teacher was well pleased that the children were already familiar with it.

Hope this helps

Alison

[Guest]

We use Jolly Phonics at our pre-school, generally in the Spring and Summer terms. We find that the children pick it up very quickly. we send the p/copy sheets home, one a week, to be reinforced at home by those parents who want to help. Not all of it sinks in, but the teachers at our local schools have commented on how well the children who come from our pre-school pick it up.

Great site, by the way.

[Steve]

Hi Julie -

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your post!

 

Hope you find lots to keep bringing you back - I've sent a separate welcome as a PM by the way.

 

Best wishes and welcome again,

 

Steve.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

The e-mails about introduction of jolly phonics make sense, as repetion seems to be the way young children grasp things. We are just starting to use it and are going to try and incorporate it within our daily timetable. Can anyone recommend anywhere that I can buy teaching aids for this? Books, videos, photocopiable sheets etc?

 

Thanks,

 

Winkie.

[Susan]

Hi,

 

Jolly phonics materials can all be purchased from www.jollylearning.co.uk.

Many are also availabe from good bookshops, although not necessarily the whole range- depends on what they stock!

Some of the early years catalogues also stock the range. I actually bought the letter frieze from one for less than it was available at Jolly learning, but can't remember which! On the other hand the prices weren't wildly different, so depends how much shopping around you've got time for.

 

Happy shopping!

 

Susan

[Guest]

My class last year began jolly phonics 2 weeks into term when they were all full time. We adapted some of the actions to make them more within the childrens experiences and to avoid confusion...i.e. inky mouse became itchy man as some of the younger children were convinced it is "i" for mouse... We looked at 3 sounds a week and sent home the actions and a letter book each week to reinforce and involve parents. The results were excellent... even for very young children there was a language of sound they were conversant in and could tap into... I am trying so hard to get the year1 staff to tap into this bank of knowledge with the younger ones and to continue the approach with all the children.... The childrens writing showed amazing progress even after only a term.... its so worth doing I can't recommend it enough.. Parents can do it in the car and grandmas love it...

[Guest]

Just quickly browsed the site and found the discussion about Jolly Phonics. I used it for the first time last year in my first year teaching Reception and was amazed at how quickly the children picked up the sounds etc. I'm a convert and I'm not usually one for schemes! I've found that the resources on sale from Early Learning Centre are just a bit cheaper than catalogues etc. and have recently "adopted" a wonderful Inky Mouse character who is already proving to be an absolute hit! The children love spotting Inky in the printed resources and he has even been known to creep into the classroom at night and place ink blots over words in our big book - easily made from clipart ink blots and laminated in different sizes. It's a great way to introduce predicting skills - the children really want to find out which words Inky has "blottted out".

[Guest julie]

Hi everyone,

 

I am just about to introduce Jolly Phonics to my new reception class. I intend on sending the sheets home, but am not sure whether or not the children should start them in school? Do I send home a blank sheet or should the children have partially filled them in?

 

I'd be really grateful for any advice.

 

Thanks

 

Julie

[Guest]

Hi there, I've just started with Jolly Phonics this year and we ALL enjoy it - including parents! I started on the 2nd week into term and have covered 5 letters a week. We are just finishing the single letters and moving onto "ai". I'm a bit concerned that this may be a bit much for some of my younger ones and so am going to keep the more complicated sounds till after Christmas and spend the next few weeks reinforcing what we've learned.

My problem is that I'm now having to change all my plans from last year (which was my first year in Reception having transferred from Y2) in order to incorporate JP. I found that most of my literacy has been focussed on the Jolly Phonics so far because of time constraints. (I have 12 children who are mornings only until half term).

The children have learned their sounds rapidly and are now beginning to blend. Some are ready for their first reading books.

We use the photocopiable sheets in school and cut off the action bit and stick in the sound book to take home and practice with parents. I like to do the handwriting in school with the children to ensure they are getting the formation correct. The colouring in is a treat as finishing off. I also get the children to cut out and stick themselves - chaos at first but the Head came in to observe the other day and was quite impressed with their independence! We also use the video.

I think that after Christmas I'm going to repeat the letters I've already covered with those who "haven't got it".

By the way our preschool introduce the actions informally and it's been great because the children remember them and teach me!

Has anybody any other Jolly Phonics ideas for planning or activities?

[Guest]

Have a look at Code Breakers at http://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk. I use this alongside PIPS and Jolly Phonics. It has lots of general listening activities as well as phonics.

[Guest]

Hi there everybody,

I use Jolly Phonics as well and have found that it works really well combined with lots of games,movement etcI also have the same problem of Y1 teachers seeing this approch as "silly" and that the real teaching is done inY1!!!!!!, therefore it is not continued.This means that the Y1 teachers do not tap into all the different ways of learning eg visual,kinesthetic etc and so the children do not respond in such a positive way.So FS teachers keep up the good work

[Helen]

Hi Johnboy, nice to see you back How's life in your setting? Nice new intake in September?

[Guest]

Hi Helen,

Ive just been dipping into the site on and off as Sept is a mad month for everybody but things are starting to calm down now.I have a lovely group of reception kids -though some are still 3 as the cut off date is Xmas here.Ive been putting into practise some of Nicola Calls and Jenny Moselys ideas and they seem to be working very well.

Is your nursery anywhere near Huddersfield?as my school are sendind me to Enland after Xmas and it would be great to drop in and see you!Ill be visiting schols FS units in this area.My geography skills are terrible!!

Hows your intake been and are you using the FS profile or are your children to young? Well i hope to be here more often-its also difficult to get my daughter off the comp!!

Nice talkin to you!