Spelling development using SSP Phonics from the Reading Whisperer

Spelling Development using SSP

Children must be exposed to the whole of the alphabetic code from term 1in Prep, in order for us to shape reading and spelling brains for EVERY child

An approach that helps adults work WITH individual brains, before the child has a chance to even know his brain processes things differently to

many.

Supporting adults so that inclusion is something thathappens, its not just included in a policy document.

To be fully inclusive we need to teach to EVERY child’sneeds, not expect them to thrive when taught in waysthat seem to ‘work’ for the majority. This means knowingwhich children have poor phonemic awareness, withinthe first term of Prep.

SSP is not just about ‘reading, writing and spelling’ it is an approach that facilitates self-confidence for ALLchildren, that embraces EVERY brain and personality,and demands that we refuse to allow even ONE of ourchildren to leave primary school unable to read and spell.

The Speech Sound Pics Approach empowers adults so that they can embrace, honour and also meet the needs of ALL children from their

first day at school. Some children are lucky. They can (seemingly) learn to read and spell using any approach. Others aren’t. They do not have brains that naturally processspeech sounds, are able to identify the smaller parts in words, be able to segment and order them and often cant even pronounce them with ease. They cannot make sense of words without being explicitly taught why these words are made up of these smaller parts- the sound pics - and their brains cant retain whole words for the sake of remembering them. Even if they remember them for a ‘spelling test’ they wont be able to transfer knowledge to their writing, or reading, because it isnt knowledge, its short term memory. Reading becomes guesswork, and something to dread. They arent being giventhe skills THEIR brains need to crack the alphabetic code.

Do you find that acceptable? If not then please do join us for training, and let’s workcollaboratively. Let’s make change happen rather than talk about it. Rather than sayyou want to promote inclusion, let’s DO it.

This could also be said for children with a Dyslexic brain etc

So choose update your knowledge of different operating systems , and adapt your school curriculum!

Those lucky children who have brains that crack the code easily? Theywill thrive also. New thinking. Smarter Teaching .

Always start with SPEECH

This enables everyone (teachers and students) to work smarter, not harder.

Spelling starts from speech, not print. We created the written word to record our spoken words, not the other way around.

Words are spelt using sound pics™ – representations of the smaller parts of our words – so children MUST be taught them all. All can be seen within the Speech Sound Clouds

Give this to parents

Explicit teaching order can be covered in Prep

‘How’ is shownon the RTTsite.

ReadingTeacherTraining.com

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3 and 4

Spelling without print comes first!

Children aren’t really ready to move to print until they can listen to a word and identify the speech sounds

sat = s a t and hear the word when spoken in parts

If they can hear the speech sounds then they are ready to progress to doing this with letters.

Help children order (number them) and build words using their sound pics. You can use magnetic letters or cards in Prep.

Here are words the children will spell within the Green level – using s,a,t,p,I,n

Have a Speech Sound Spelling TableChildren can play bingo, snap, build words, change words etc

Use whiteboards and magnetic letters in the early years so that children aren’t held back

trying to use pencils to form letters, when theactivity is to spell (encode) words

Sort them into tubs for easy access

s,a,t,p,i,n tubsfor green level activities

Expose children to the whole code through SSP songs

Green Level Songs- s,a,t,p,i,n

Ask for powerpoint, graphics areanimated. These will also soon beon youtube with musicwww.youtube.com/soundpics

In Prep and Year 1 use the letter formation phrases so children learn to write the sound pics more easily

Remember to link this with reading

• Their readers follow the same systematic order of learning the letter sounds (sound pics)

So after decoding her lists she could write some of them

Children learn the speech sound to sound pics link as they move through the levels. Being able to hear the speech sounds in words, know how

many lines are needed, and then find . the sound pics is vital.

From Prep children have their own collectionof sound pics, and words created using just thesesound pics. Spelling development is scaffolded.

Speech Sound Harry (P-2)

• Have sound pics the children know and are learning in the area you greet children, so that you can include this within morning activities – eg weather, day of the week etc.

Laminated on A5– add new sound pics and place sporadicallyon sheet for easy access each morning.Ask the children to silently spell words as you point to the sound pics next to Harry.

Children need easy access to their sound pics when writing, especially in P-2

Also display the cloudson walls for easy accessand allow children to have their own SpeechSound Cloud Albums

Children need ‘trying’ bookson tables, so that they can use the process and then write the

King word in their writing books

Build confidence putting their sound pic words into sentences

• Use familiar sentences in the early stages eg

Pat sits in the tinthe ant sat in the panPat sat in the sand pit

You could use their readers, and write sentences from these books (they have the right sound pics accordingto their level )

Find ways (with children) to remember how to spell tricky words (words that they can’t decode easily yet as they haven’t reached

the level in which they will learn these sound pics)

Put tricky words and sound pics needed for that activity on their tables in Prep if a spelling activity as they don’t want to struggle

because they know how to spell it but not how to form that letter!

Consider sound pic banks so that Prep and Year 1 children can get the sound pic card when spelling

So in previous activity Heidi could then write the words to accompany her collage, by asking the teacher which sound pic she needed to represent that speech sound within the words.

Children from Year 1 need testing on these. Every child from year 1 should be confident with all of these pics

Plan lessons to help children learn the code in fun ways

I have a range of power points you can use with whiteboards or on laptops, to introduce variations – with follow up activities such as this one. All will be accessible on the SpeechSoundPics.com web site (free of course)

For example discovering 4 sound pics for this speech sound

Spelling tests should mean code knowledge testing- not whole word testing. Getting the word ‘right’ is only part of the process; a process that

helps the brain understand not only the meaning of the word but why it is spelt as it is.

Alongside systematic teaching is guided learning of the code

• The procedure remains the same however, whether in Prep or Year 7

Say the word, hear the speech sounds, work out how many lines you need, find the speech sound cloud, try the sound pics. Check for the King word, underline, write out 7 times.

Show discoveries using the cloudsGrain Waves

Have fun with them and make meaningful !

Use phonics games and apps

• Refer to www.SpeechSoundPics.com web site when completed as I will list all that are suitable, and link to the levels

•Children are far more likely to want to practise spelling if they are having fun while doing so.

•

When children enter year 1 they can have covered all levelsIf not, spend term 1 (and 2 if necessary) getting them all up to speed

Spelling Activities Explicit Teaching Order – Years 1 - 3

•Focus on double letters – when it’s a short vowel sound (clap – clapping) Focus on ay a-e ai eigh a plus suffixes s,ed,ing,er,estFocus on ee, ea, e, y, plus suffixess,es,ed,ing,erFocus on igh, i-e,ie,y,I plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,y,erFocus on ow, o-e, oa, o, plus suffixes s,es,ed,ingFocus on oo, u-e, ew, ue, oe plus suffixess,ed,ing,er, estFocus on ou, ow, plus suffixes ed,ing,ly,er,estFocus on ar plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,er,estFocus on ir, ur, er, plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,y,er,estFocus on air, are, ear, plus suffixes ed, ing, y, er, estFocus on or, oor, ore, aw plus suffixes ed,ing,s,er,est|Focus on oy, oi plus suffixes ed, ing, es,y,er,estFocus on ear, eer, ere/ and also ire - plus suffixes ed,ing,sStudent workbooks that compliment these are Read, Write Inc Get Spelling Book 1

Focus on …• c city race

g gentle cabbage bridge Unusual plurals – knives, potatoes, babies, sheep, women

Endings – le - cuddle battle il, el, al – pupil parcel medal en, an, on, in – garden iron womantion, sion - attention, televisionent, ant - transparent, imporantence – patience / ance – extravaganceous , cious, tious – famous, delicious, cautiousible, ibly, able, ably – horrible, horribly, comfortable, comfortablyful, fully – cheerful, thankfully

Negative prefixes – un, in, dis, ir, il

Continued here shortly

Years 3 - 7• As a school choose when you will focus on the speech sound

clouds during a 10 minute speedy spelling session each morning, regardless of other spelling activities (eg explicit teaching of skills)

Teachers focus on a speech sound and investigate all of the sound pics (spelling variations) that can be used to represent this speech sound in words.

You could do this activity straight after registration, with children completing their album over 4 terms. Let them add to it as they discover new sound pics. If they have used SSP previously they will be used to this, and keep expanding on their knowledge.

There are a couple missing- will add shortly

Please also look at special ending clouds

This document is a work in progress, however with planning sessions for 2013 well underway this may at least offer some ideas. Please download the speech sound clouds (including special ending clouds) from facebook.com/readaustralia – go to Photos and then browse Albums

Feel free to contact me – Emma@ReadAustralia.com

“Together we can give everychild a love of literacy, and the skills to enhance their lives. “

Please also ask for SSP Reading

Notes for Parents and Teachers