Letters And Sounds Document

[Guest]

It is finally available online. 5 copies are going to be sent to each school. I've not had chance to look at it yet.

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/local/clld/las.html

[Marion]

From a quick look seems much better than Playing with Sounds. New High Frequency word list and new order for teaching phonemes.

[Guest]

We went on a course about the materials this week, there do seem some good resources and ideas ...it is just when/how to fit in an extra 15 min in our day!!!!

Han

[Guest]

Had brief outline on it last week from county, some of our schools were involved in the pilot. Further training going out next term. Seems good, using sounds to build words from day 1 really, similar to what I am doing already but much more intense and with a clear teaching progression within each session - supposed to take 15 mins each day but there is a lot to fit in! No doubt we will all be expert at it soon and wonder why we worried!

[Guest]

Thanks for that. Saw a preview copy last week and have been eagerly awaiting the real version.

[Marion]

http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/defa...2007&=&

You can order it from Teachernet but limited to one copy

[Guest]

I'm not bothering with it. I do Jolly Phonics.

[Marion]

Have to say I like the progression. We currently teach 5 sounds a week using Jolly Phonics and this is only 4 otherwise seems to have many similarities to JP and the way we teach now.

[Guest]

Thanks for the link Marion, I've ordered a copy.

[Guest]

I have not had a chance to read the document yet but I was wondering in which year group you would teach each phase?

I would be glad to have an idea, as I assume Phase 1 to 4 would be Nursery and Reception.

Many thanks

[Marion]

From a brief scan it looks as if Phase 1 can be covered in nursery (but isn't essential to moving onto phase 2) Phase 2 -4 is reception and phase 5 & 6 covers to the end of KS1.

It has a clear progression which links to the phonics tracking that was published last year and seems very similar to Jolly Phonics

[Guest tinkerbell]

Could we use the progression but also use the jolly phonics actions ?or would this not be 'fidelity'to one method!!!!!

Tinkerbellx

[SmileyPR]

Thanks Marion and Marie ! I just ordered mine !

 

(My PC is now working well . We had to buy a new video card .)

Edited May 4, 2007 by SmileyPR

[Magenta]

Tinkerbell, I don't see any reason why you can't mix JP and Letters and Sounds, if I had the choice that's what I would do. Our school hasn't made any decisions yet!

[catma]

I think fidelity means sticking to the programme you use right through FS/KS1 rather than different teachers/phases using different things. Also it means sticking to the letter groups/progrssion for your chosen scheme. Using the JP actions which I assume is what you may mean is fine as they simply act as a mnemonic (? still can't spell it) to aid sound recognition.

 

One of the key messages from the CLL regional advisors is that phase 1 is actually a thread right through all the other phases as children develop their use of rhyme for example right through school. Phase 1 is entirely for pre reception.Phase 2 starts in reception. Phase 3 is the bulk of Reception. Many of our pilot schools have achieved phase 4 with some reception though. However phase 5 is mainly Y1 and phase 6 Y2.

 

They're great materials!

Cx

Edited May 4, 2007 by catma

[Susan]

Thanks for that then Catma!

[Marion]

My plan having viewed it is to do as Catma says use Letters and Sounds order/progression but using the JP resources to introduce the sounds/letters.

[SmileyPR]

I have been using Playing with Sounds with the JP resources. The ORT Phonics (Songbirds) books have come out very handy.

[Marion]

I have just ordered the 'Songbird' books so good to know you find them useful

[Guest tinkerbell]

Thanks for the advice, I will use the actions from JP with the progression stuff.I am also looking for a phonic reading strand too and am pleased that you have mentioned Songbirds ORT in a positive light.

The phases progression I think does need to be used with 'common sense' As a reception teacher I had a child start with her 5th birthday that week....I also have some children who will not be 5 until July.

The Rose report does say 'by the age of 5' and he also says some will be ready who are not yet 5.I am concerned that yet again in our haste to take on government initiatives and show that we can do it...we need to think about what we are doing and not jump through hoops.

Tinkerbellx

[Marion]

We are using the Big Cat Phonic books too and the children really like them.

Half my class this year have their 5th birthday May to August (one on the 29th August........another few days and they would still be in nursery)

[catma]

Tinkerbell, I appreciate your feelings and i have to say that the schools I work with in trialling the CLLD materials in their earlier pilot form were also a bit sceptical and gave it a go because I asked them!! but they are absolutely delighted with the impact that their more focused, pacier and systematic approach has had and even the january intake are blending and segmenting cvc words with confidence now. OF course there are those children who will not get every one of the 44 phonemes for example, but the "tail" of under achieving children has been seen to be much less with these groups. The strong focus on assssment of skills as well as knowledge identifies at risk children earlier and there is less"waiting to see how they get on" in the words of one practitioner. They have started all children with phase 2 more or less as soon as they have settled into reception and it doesn't seem to have been as big a dilemma as they thought it might be in terms of differentiation. For some children additional or parallel groups were run by TAs in a similar fashion or just as additional support but the same focus on blending and segmenting right from the start was maintained.

 

This programme has been trialled in 32 local authorities, some for nearly 2 years now so I don't think this is a rushed job. The draft letters and sounds materials as they are now were trialled by several of our schools across FS and KS1 and they all reported very favourably on how they helped with good practice as well as good teaching. Having been in this game for ever I have to say this is one of the first Gov education intiatives that I honestly would back 100%. Maybe it's because I've seen it from the earliest phases and worked with it but I do know it makes a difference to early reading and writing!!

[Guest]

Catma, I'm curious, were there any trials in the non maintained PVI nursery/preschool sector?

I just think that unless a PVI leader is a member of a forum such as FSF they will most probably not be aware of this publication / scheme. Therefore how many children will not get to access phase 1?

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Marion, what is the phonics tracking that was published last year that you mentioned. it is a nightmare now publications dont get automatically sent to schools as my head is a bit of a technophobe and unless i know something is imminent eg the EYFS or I find it by accident we don't seem to get them

[Marion]

These were sent out to schools and I adapted them for our use my version should be in the resource area.

Phonicprogresstrackingphases.doc

phonicstrackingsheet.doc

[Guest]

Thanks for your really prompt reply, I have not seen those, so they obviously didn't come to our school as they would have been sent to me (I would like to think!!)

Did they come in a book from Dfes. I have also just found this publication

 

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/local/cll...-2006DOM-EN.pdf

 

which was published in 2006 and I have never seen, did that also come into schools, and don't seem to be able to find a place to order it online

[Marion]

Think they are from the Primary National Strategy document I'm sure I got them on a CD ROM.

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryfr...ning/tools/ppt/

[Guest]

Ah thankyou very much, there are so many things coming out at the moment my brain is exploding, its all very exciting though

[SmileyPR]

I agree with you, Tinkerbell.

 

I used Progression with Sounds, at a slower pace than Jolly Phonics, and it has worked better for my children. Keep in mind that most of my pupils have English as an additional language. Only one child is a native English speaker.

 

Also, the Rose Report states that their recommendations are really for 5 year olds and lots of times we are having children who are 4 in Sept but don't become 5 until the summer term. You can see that in the new EYFS document.

 

If they are not ready, why should I force them? I have children who are flying with their reading (card 17 or above), others are okay and some still need more confidence with blending and segmentating. These are usually the youngest ones. As a whole group, I have 'officially' worked until card 14. I have found that the 'slower' ones have had some difficulty with 'wh' and 'qu'. I know I have some weeks to keep reinforcing and they will get it . I stopped with double vowels last year, when I saw that my pupils went . They became confused.

 

Only one child worries me most because he only knew 16 phones a month ago. He has started to want to 'work' a bit more. It would be difficult for him to leave his free choice play to come and sit with me (I don't have any TA's) for extra help. Yet he is one of those who least 'fears' to write. He will leave out most vowels, but he gives it a try. If I sit with him and segmentate the sounds, he is able to make very good aproximations.

 

My main goal, for this term, is to give more writing opportunities... to help them feel more confident and enjoy the experience, to consolidate their learning until now. We finish our summer term on the 22nd of June, including 3 more holidays and special day activities.

 

I would have preferred that the experience seen in other countries (e.g. Sweden) and also with "Foundations of Literacy: A Balanced Approach to Language, Listening and Literacy Skills in the Early Years, written by Sue Palmer, Ros Bayley" would have been taken in consideration.

Edited May 5, 2007 by SmileyPR

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for your advice, particularly Marion and Catma.

I am delivering some staff training next week linked to the new Primary Framework and wanted to introduce the tracking system for phonics, so your advice is much appreciated.