(Preface from Anseo.net) The following is an article written in January 2007, just before the launch of “Phonics International”, a synthetics phonics programme, which is online. Many Irish schools are using “Jolly Phonics”, which is a synthetic phonics programme and many of the items in this series will be very helpful to them, particularly after the initial stages of the programme. Those who have not bought into a synthetics phonics programme should also read with interest as “Phonics International” is renowned as being excellent. We welcome Kat2 to our team. Some readers may know her from the Education Posts forum, where her help has been greatly appreciated.
Debbie Hepplewhite had a vision. The vision was to create an online synthetic phonics programme. So, who was it for?
- Schools, pre-schools, parents, teachers, student teachers, homeschoolers, teacher-training establishments, in fact, ANYONE who has an interest in literacy or who is teaching a child OR ADULT to read and spell using the English Language in any country in the world where English is spoken or taught as a second language
- busy teachers and parents especially would find the online teaching materials helpful, convenient and time-saving
- teachers who teach those for whom English is an additional language will find the structure and content of the programme particularly suitable
- parents, teachers and tutors who are responsible for helping children and adults with insufficient grasp of the alphabetic code and the skills of ‘blending’ all-through-the-word for reading and ‘segmenting’ all-through-the-spoken-word for spelling
- student teachers who wish to learn, or improve their knowledge and understanding of, the synthetic phonics teaching principles
- managers of teacher-training establishments, schools or pre-schools who wish to use the online material as a model of a systematic synthetic phonics teaching approach
What a strikingly demanding challenge Debbie set herself- to design a single programme to serve the diverse requirements of such an all-encompassing clientele group!
Can a solitary programme really address such a wide variety of needs?
I believe that it can.
Phonics International is designed to provide generic materials to teach reading, spelling and writing in the English language.
The materials can be used as a complete programme or to complement other synthetic phonics programmes.
The programme’s adaptability and flexibility is one of its great strengths.
Teachers familiar with the resources can modify them to suit their own needs thus making the programme ‘their own”.
Phonics International is dependant only on the need for the educators involved to be aware of the available resources and their potential to address particular/specific needs in individual settings.
In order to facilitate this, Phonics International Unit 1 is provided absolutely free.
This unit includes the programme overview and guidance document, many versions of the alphabetic code overview, all the resources to introduce the first 12 GPCS and many other resources outlined and described below.
I am an Irish primary school teacher, teaching in a mixed class of JI/SI pupils, ranging in age from 4-7 .
The school year 2006-2007 was the first time I used a synthetic phonics programme-Jolly Phonics- and, as it was new to all pupils, I taught it in a whole class setting, with amazing results.
Join Kat2 soon for the 2nd instalment of how synthetic phonics can be used in your classroom.
