Jj is for Jottings 105. Phonics: Visualising Versus Listening.
We have another major problem with phonics: visualising versus listening, in addition to the problems created when children don’t know their sound letter links, This is a problem I encounter frequently when working with children, but I have never heard anybody else mention it in those terms. I am referring to the fact that children often use their visual modality when they need to be using their auditory modality. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 104. Sound-Letter Links and Less Regular Words.
Once children know their sound-letter links thoroughly, they are then able to sound out any 100% regular word. These could be real words or nonsense words of any length, as long as one letter equals one sound (with the basic exceptions here). But what of sound-letter links and words which are less regular?
Learning the basics before moving on to sound-letter links and less regular words. Baby alpacas like to learn their sound-letter links, too, it seems. (From the Border Mail, 2014. Photo by Tara Goonan.)
Jj is for Jottings 100. The Importance of Punctuation.
Following on from Prince William’s comments on punctuation and the subsequent “toe-dip” into the importance of punctuation, we’ll add a bit more detail here. We are referring to punctuation of anything written, not just social media, which was the specific topic of the prince’s remarks. There may be a slight overlap with the earlier article because each article needs to stand alone. But repetition is important for learning anyway! (And so is more repetition.) Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 99. Print Books are Better than Digital Books for Toddlers.
The question of whether print books are better than digital books for toddlers is a concern for many parents who are looking to do the best by their children. Here are two pieces of evidence, one anecdotal and one from research, which will answer this question. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 98. Reading Difficult Words.
Reading difficult words is not an issue with this book!
When your child starts to read aloud to you, they will often have problems with reading difficult words. These words may be just long, or tricky in other ways, such as having several consonants together. (See consonant clusters). Or they could have vowel patterns which are unfamiliar, the rules for which they don’t yet know. It is important to give children time to try to work out the word for themselves. This helps develop reading skills. However, when they get really stuck you will need to help them out. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 97. Reading-Aloud Games.
Following on from interactive reading with children, here are some ideas for “reading-aloud games” which you can play with children while reading stories with them. The idea is to be spontaneous, just playfully engaging in banter whilst actually providing wonderful learning opportunities as a bonus. It may sound strange, saying to be spontaneous and then making suggestions as to what to do. But it is helpful to see the types of games you can play and, once you have the idea, you can invent your own activities in the moment. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 96. Interactive Reading With Children.
There is a difference between reading to children and reading with children. Reading TO children is just that – reading a story without any sort of discussion or interaction. (For disquieting statistics on reading to children, see here.) On the other hand, interactive reading with children, or reading WITH children, is an active process rather than a passive one. In this case, you are encouraging the child to think, predict, remember and discuss the story, and other related topics may also arise. Therefore it has all the benefits of reading to children, plus many more.
Too young for interactive reading with children, but the right age to start reading TO her.
Jj is for Jottings 94. Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness and Phonics.
Learning phonics with this book helps with phonemic awareness and phonological awareness skills, too.
You may have heard the terms “phonological awareness”, “phonemic awareness” and “phonics” and wondered what they mean and whether they are different terms for the same thing. Let’s sort this out right now.
This is sound-letter links – i.e. learning which sound is made by each letter of the alphabet, and other sounds which are made by combining 2 or more letters. Children develop the concept that there are consistent relationships between letter symbols and sounds. This book is a great way to learn sound-letter links. But you need to make sure you are saying sounds rather than letter names. You can find this on the video. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 93. Consonant Clusters.
Consonant clusters, or blends, can cause problems when analysing sounds and blending. Children with speech, language or literacy problems often have difficulty in detecting the second sound in a consonant cluster. I mentioned this in a previous article on blending sounds. Children who can easily analyse a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word, may completely disregard the second sound in a consonant cluster (CCVC). This is even when they say the word correctly. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 89. Unilateral Hearing Loss.
Does Geisha have a unilateral hearing loss? It looks as if she has only one ear, in which case she would have.
This is the third article on hearing loss. The previous articles are about fluctuating hearing loss and effects of hearing loss on speech, language and literacy. Continue reading
