The Question - thinkers questions

Compound words

Reading longer words is always an important stage in learning to read. I designed these to help children to break the word up when reading. Fold the second flap over and sound out the first bit and then sound the second bit out and put altogether.

CVC words

Use these to teach blending. Show the initial sound and then the medial sound and then the final sound. I find with SEN it is better usually to blend the first two sounds and then add the final sound until they get the idea of blending.

HLTA and TA Staffroom Bookshop

If you want to buy any books why not check out the HLTA and TA Staffroom Bookshop

If anyone has any book they would recommend to others then let me know and I will add them to the bookshop.

Halloween writing frame

And another couple in PDF format

Click here

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Remembrance writing frames

Illustrated sentence cards

David Lisgo from the Reading Reform Foundation Message board has very kindly given me permission to post these lovely illustrated sentence cards. I can see them being very popular with my children. Hope you find them useful too.

Letters and Sounds phase 2 planning, week 4 for children with SEN

This is for next week so I won't be posting anymore until next weekend. I am giving my group a break from learning new sounds this week. We are just playing lots of games, practising blending, segmenting and getting our grapheme/phoneme correspondances really fast.

Week four planning

Guided reading with beginner readers

I have done guided reading for many years and found it to be very successful. Here is a basic format that I usually follow. I hope it is helpful.


Guided Reading with Beginner readers

Book Introduction

For very young children this part will be the longest. Keep hold of the book and discuss: They will need a lot of help initially to be able to attempt to read independently. This part will get less as they begin to read more.

1. The front cover
2. The title (how many words)
3. Draw round each word with your finger get children to do this
4. Read the title to the children by pointing at each word as you read or ask if any of them can read any of the words.
5. Talk about the picture on the cover, what do they think the book will be about? Relate it to their experience and ask lots of questions.
6. Picture walk – look at each page and discuss. Look at the words and discuss. How many words there are. Are there any words they know? Can they work out any of the words? Look at a word that can be blended easily and ask children for the sounds. Blend them together to read the word.

Strategy Check

1. Focus on phonics.
2. Make sure the children know to blend right through the word to try and work it out.
3. Do not allow guessing of words.
4. Tell the children what you are looking for when they read on their own. For example ‘I am looking to see if you point at each word as you read your book.’ 'I am looking to see if you say the sounds in the word and try to blend them together.’
5. Have a teaching objective, for example Show them how we make the ‘sh’ sound. Can they see this sound in their books? How do we read a word like ‘shop’? Practise together.


Independent reading

1. Children to read the book themselves, prompt, encourage and assist as necessary.
2. Make sure you focus on just one or two children during this part of the session and make notes about them.
3. Make notes on any problems that children may have, this will give you an idea for further teaching.

Return to text

1. Pick a teaching point. Did a child struggle on something in the book, was there a sound he/she didn’t know? If so then teach this to the group.
2. Discuss the story! Ask questions. Did they enjoy it? Which was their favourite part? Ask questions about how the characters would feel in that situation. Relate the book to their experience. Have they ever done that? What was it like?

Follow on activity

Is there something the children could do to expand their understanding of the book? Or to help their phonic knowledge?

Letters and Sounds planning, phase 2, week 3 for children with SEN

Here is the 3rd weeks planning. I am now teaching only 2 letters per week and for next week I will not be teaching anymore letters. My group are pretty good now at the sounds I have taught but need lots and lots of practise with blending and segmenting. I have one star blender in the group and one child who nearly gets it but gets the end sound wrong. The rest can just about hear a blend when I say the sounds. As for segmenting some of the group are still struggling to hear initial sounds. I have 2 in the group who can now segment a cvc word. I am trying to cater for all these children in these plans. I hope they may give you some ideas of how you can teach phonics to small groups.

Week three planning

Letters and Sounds planning, phase 2, week 2 for children with SEN

Here is week 2. It is important to mention that I won't be teaching tricky words for a while. I need my little group blending and segmenting cvc words and I don't want to confuse them with tricky words. You have to make your own decisions based on the children you teach.


Week Two Planning

I also use this assessment sheet which you may find useful.

Forum is down

Just to let all the members of the HLTA forum know that the forum is at present down. I don't know how long for but will keep you posted if I find out. Keep trying it may not be for long.

Debbiex

Remember remember the fifth of November

Phonic game for group work

I saw this idea somewhere out on the internet and have used it for a long time. So thank you to the person who had the original idea.

You need a small bag or box
Some picture cards
2 or 3 small boxes with grapheme cards attached

This is a bit like a pass the parcel game and the children love it.

Put the pictures in the bag, and the boxes on the table or on the floor in the middle of the children. You then sing 'Bag of pictures, pass it round, pass it round, pass it round. Bag of pictures pass it round, what's in the bag?' (Sung to the tune of London Bridge is falling down)Who ever is holding the bag has to take out a picture and put it in the correct grapheme box.

I have tried other ways of using this lovely idea.

Bag of sounds pass it round etc and have a bag with grapheme cards in and pictures on the table.

Have also used 'Bag of words pass it round' 'what word is it?'

Young children love this game. They are all busy singing and eager for the bag to stop on them.

Letters and Sounds planning, phase 2 week 1 for children with SEN

I thought I would share my planning for Letters and Sounds phase 2. This planning is written for SEN children. I will add a week at a time. I think it's important to make the sessions fun, multisensory, visual and with lots to do. The sessions need to be pacey to keep interest. We like to sing songs and I find that really useful for keeping everyone on task. I have added hyperlinks in the planning to resources on this blog which I have made for this group.

Week One Planning

satpin game

Very simple game for SEN children or very young children. Children have a strip and coloured counters. Show the children an object and they have to cover the letter that the object begins with.

CVC sound button cards

This is useful for class teaching or small group teaching. Fold the top over so the picture is hidden. Use the sound buttons to work out the word then show the children the picture. Are they right? I have made them in JPG format so you can make them as big as you want. Here are a few to be going on with. I will add more as I make them.

Bonfire night writing frame

Halloween writing frame