Phonic Sounds Insights
I want to share with you some of my phonic sounds insights, particularly as they apply to the process of learning to read and write.
Phonic Sounds Insight # 1
If people want to learn something well enough to
become good at it, in almost all cases, they need to be taught.
You would think that if you had enough talent you wouldn't need to be shown.
You could figure it out by yourself.
Try thinking about it like this. Do you know of any
famous person who hasn't had someone to train and guide them throughout their
career? Olympians, musicians and dancers all rely on someone with more
experience than they have to take them through the steps needed to become good
at what they do.
It's the same thing with reading and writing. Most children, if they are to be
successful readers, spellers and writers must be taught step by step and at
their own pace.
Most of us don't turn out to be world-famous. We have to go out and find a more
regular job and that means being able to read and write well.
The process of reading (decoding) and writing
(encoding) is all about pulling words apart to read and putting them together
to write...a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle.
Writing and spelling develop alongside reading if phonic sounds are taught
skilfully. When your child learns the appropriate phonic skills to be able to
read different combinations of letters, these other skills evolve.
Phonic Sounds Insight # 2
I've taught literacy skills to many students from
early readers, aged 4 to adults, aged 60. What I have consistently noticed is
that if children and adults do not learn phonic sounds, their reading, writing,
spelling and comprehension come to a halt.
They end up with worrying gaps in their literacy skills.
As a teacher of reading, I recommend your child is introduced to initial phonic
sounds from the age of about four.
When I say the initial phonics sounds, I mean the sounds the letters of the
alphabet make, not their letter names. While knowing the letter names is
important, knowing the other sounds they make is critical.
As I said earlier, there are many combinations of these sounds which your child
needs to learn in managed stages. They need to be taught gradually over the
time they learn to read and write.
Phonic Sounds Insight # 3
If you want to help you child at this early stage
and check their knowledge of phonic sounds... here's what you can do.
Write the alphabet letters on a piece of paper but do not write them in order.
Mix them up. Point to any letter and say, "What sound does this letter
make?"
If, for example, you show them the letter 'c' your
child might say, "It says cee."
At this point, avoid saying "No, that's not right." (That's because
the alphabet name of the letter is pronounced 'cee'. What you are trying
to get them to say is the sound it makes which is different.)
If they have told you the letter name instead of
its sound, say instead, "That's the letter's name. Can you tell me the
sound it makes?"
If your child is still unsure, gently tell them the sound then ask them to
repeat it. If it has been pronounced correctly say, "Good, you know the
sound that letter makes," then move on to the next one.
Take note of the sounds they don't know and these can then be taught and
practised until they are easily remembered.
Phonic Sounds Insight # 4
School teachers, in most cases, do a marvellous
but extraordinarily difficult job.
They really need you, as a parent, to work behind the scenes and ensure your
child has grasped the different stages of reading as they teach it.
It all begins with phonic sounds which start with simple sounds and become more
complex.
Don't be afraid to talk with your child's teacher and ask how you can help at
home. Most teachers consider this very helpful and it makes their job easier.
They should explain to you just how you can help.
In addition there are many games, worksheets and other activities you can
access to give your child practice.
By taking it in manageable steps, your child can learn the necessary phonics
skills which will teach them to read write and develop literacy skills.
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