The End of a Word is Not Always the End.

Jj is for Jottings 70.  The End of a Word is Not Always the End.

In traditional tests of articulation (speech sounds) and when we are sounding out words in reading, we think very much in terms of sounds at the beginning, in the middle and on the end of a word.  In the case of early stage reading and spelling using 3-sound words, we are asking, “What sound can you hear at the beginning of the word?”  “What sound can you hear at the end of the word?   “What sound can you hear in the middle of the word?”  Continue reading →

/l/ Sound is Different on the End.

Jj is for Jottings 69.  /l/ Sound is Different on the End.

You probably haven’t thought about this before, but /l/ (the slashes indicate the sound rather than the letter name) is pronounced differently when it is the last sound in an utterance or followed by a consonant, compared with when it is followed by a vowel.  And if that sounds like gobbledygook, Continue reading →

Communication Milestones.

Jj is for Jottings 68. Communication Milestones.

Here is a chart put together by a group from Queensland and the National Office of Speech Pathology Australia which you may find useful.

Here is the link if you want to print copies.
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/milestones

Reading Comprehension – Is Your Child Barking at Print?

Jj is for Jottings 67.  Reading Comprehension – Is Your Child Barking at Print?

When your child is reading to you, are you sure they (I’m using “they” to cover both boys and girls) are actually understanding what they are reading, or are they just barking at print? i.e. Reading the words correctly but not actually decoding them, so they really have no idea what they are reading. Continue reading →

What is Synthetic Phonics?

Jj is for Jottings 65.  What Is Synthetic Phonics?

We’re just taking a break from the series on How to Raise a Reader – we’ll finish it next time.

Synthetic phonics means “building words from individual sounds”.  For example, even if you had never seen it before, you could spell the word “step” Continue reading →

Raising A Reader Part 4: Early Readers.

Jj is for Jottings 64.  Raising a Reader Part 4: Early Readers.

Continuing from

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/ and

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-3-emerging-readers/, your child has now begun to read Continue reading →

Raising a Reader Part 3: Emerging Readers.

Jj is for Jottings 63.  Raising a Reader Part 3:  Emerging Readers.

Continuing from the two previous articles

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/  and https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/,

this next stage is the magical time when your child starts to take an interest in letters and words and begins to make out words for himself, in books or real life such as street signs. Continue reading →