GRASS ROOTS
Phonics is a method of teaching children to read and write. The children are taught how the English alphabetic code works before they are expected to do the harder tasks of reading books and writing independently.
Phonics does not start with whole printed words. It starts with single letters and the sounds that the letters represent. As soon as the children have been taught a few letters and sounds, including one or two vowels, they are taught to look at the words, produce a sound for each letter and then blend the sounds all through the word into normal pronunciation. This ‘synthesising’ (blending sounds) is the essential skill for working out unknown words. Once words have been blended a few times, they can be read without blending, as if they were a sight word.
WHO IS IT FOR?
This programme is for children aged between 5 years to 8 years and all children who find it difficult to read.
Duration: 2 hours per week (2 years) 2 levels.
WHY?
Our phonics is a synthetic – phonics programme. It teaches the children, in a simple and multi – sensory way, how the English reading and writing system works. That is to say, it teaches children to use the basic alphabetic code to work out unknown words before expecting them to read books for themselves or to write independently.
Our phonics program starts by introducing the simplest skills and progresses steadily to more complex ones. With all good synthetic – phonics programmes, children are encouraged to apply their phonic knowledge to their reading and writing as soon as possible. In other words, children should start reading (blending) and writing (segmenting) words that use letter sounds that they know as soon as those sounds have been taught. As each new letter sound is introduced, more regular words become available for reading and writing practice.
The phonics programme is fun, interactive and particularly suitable for young children. Parents can be assured that their children will learn to read and to write independently much more quickly than usual. As children learn to read and write (they are taught cursive letters) they are made to speak by introducing new vocabulary and grammatical structures. Conversation skills are improved. Finally they are introduced to basic grammar.