Welcome to Kindergarten 2B
2014-2015
Learning to Read at ASB
As you know, Jolly Phonics is a big part of our day as it lays the foundation for reading and writing. Jolly Phonics is a fun and child centered approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. With actions and songs for each of the 42 letter sounds, the multisensory method is both motivating and affective for students. Jolly Phonics teaches children the five key skills for reading and writing. The programme continues through school enabling the teaching of essential grammar, spelling and punctuation skills. Currently we are working through Jolly Phonics Book 3 and Jolly Grammar Book 1. However, all students are learning at different speeds and at different levels so I try to differentiate our Phonics lessons accordingly. The Five skills taught in Jolly Phonics are explained below. Additionally, you can click the icon below to access a more detailed parent/teacher guide to helping your child work through the 5 skills of Jolly Phonics.
Click the icon for a detailed guide to
teaching the 5 Jolly Phonics Skills.
Learning the Letter Sounds
Throughout the Jolly Phonics curriculum, the children are taught the 42 main letter sounds. This includes alphabet sounds as well as digraphs such as sh, th, ai and ue. Digraphs are two letter sounds that sometimes (in the case of /th/ and /oo/ ), can make two different sounds which is why they are listed twice. The letter sounds are split into 7 groups as shown in the picture. The letters have not been introduced in alphabetical order. The first group (s, a, t, i, p, n), has been chosen because they make more simple three-letter words than any other six letters. The letters b and d are introduced in different groups to avoid confusion. Although the 42 sounds were taught and practiced in K1, we continue to review and practice each song, sound, and action as often as possible so that the students can reach a level of phonetic understanding that is automatic. Gaining a full understanding of the 42 sounds gives the students a great foundation to begin reading. Below you can see the 7 groups of sounds listed as well as a YouTube link with the song lyrics that align with the 42 sounds.
Learning How to Blend
Blending is the process of saying the individual sounds in a word and then running them together to make the word. It is a technique every child will need to learn, and it improves with practice. To start with, you should sound out the word and see if a child can hear it, giving the answer if necessary. Some children take longer than others to hear this. The sounds must be said quickly to hear the word. It is easier if the first sound is said slightly louder. In class, I usually ask the students to count the sounds before we begin to blend the word. With practice, the sounds become more automatic and the students do not need to count them before they read. Over time they will be able to blend the digraph as one sound in a word. Children should sound out the digraph (sh), not the individual letters (s-h). A word like rain, for example, should be sounded out r-ai-n, and feet as f-ee-t. To help the students blend, I ask a student to choose a "helper" from the board. On the board I have pictures of each of the students interests such as Elsa, a T-rex, and a soccer player. I slowly move the picture across the word and tell the students to follow it as they say the sounds. If the picture moves quickly, the students attempt to blend the sounds quickly and can then hear the word. Please click on the buttons below for blending practice.
Identifying Sounds in Words
I spend a lot of time in class helping the students identify sounds. I not only ask them to count the sounds but also find the beginning, middle, and ending sounds. Once the students are able to identify the sounds in the words that they want to write, it will be much easier for them to write correctly. However, several children find it difficult to remember that the digraphs only represent one sound. I try to emphasize that the number of letters in the word is diferent than the number of sounds. If you want to practice at home, rhyming games are a great way for students to listen for sounds. It is also fun to add or take away sounds to see what is left. For example, if you take the P away from PANTS, what word do you have? I also LOVE the Alphablocks and so do all of the students. These awesome little phonics episodes can all be found on YouTube. I've posted one episode below, but you can seach for any specific letter, digrpah, or component of phonics and there is usually a great little video for your child to watch and learn.
Learning Tricky Words
Tricky words are words that will be taught and practiced throughout the year. These words are tricky because the sounds do not follow the phonetic language that is understood in the 42 sounds. In order for student to be able to read fluently, they need to be learned and remembered as whole words. However, it helps for students to learn the words by trying to sound it out and finding the tricky part. For example, the word 'the' does not sound like /th/ and /e/ but rather /th/ and /u/. Therefore, the tricky sound is the <e> that sounds like a <u>. Also, writing these tricky words will help the students learn them easily. The method I suggest using at home is 'Look, Cover, Write, and Check.' If the students do this with each word a few times throughout the week, it will help them learn the words on their tricky word list. As you know, I have been sending the students home with a tricky word list each week. On Friday, I have been assessing the student's understanding of the words and sending them home with a new list once the words on the previous list are mastered. Below is a picture of the tricky word tree broken down into the words I will put on each list. We are hoping to learn all of these words and more this year!
Learning Proper Letter Formation
It is important that a child holds their pencil in the correct way. The pencil should be held in the “tripod” grip between the thumb and the first two fingers. The grip is the same for both left and right handed children. If a child's hold starts incorrectly, it is very difficult to correct later on. According to the Jolly Phonics curriculum, proper letter formation will make spelling easier in the future. Each day in class we do at least one Jolly Phonics writing activity where the students practice forming the letters of the sounds we reviewed that day. For extra practice at home, your child can trace the alphabet as both upper and lowercase letters. If you notice your child is not using the tripod grip, make sure to help them hold their pencil properly as they write. Below are some free printable letter tracing worksheets to practice at home if necessary.
