phonics

Title Slide: What Does the Writing Framework Say About Spelling? 7 Things You Need to Know

What Does the Writing Framework Say About Spelling? 7 Things You Need to Know 

Spelling Shed / By

Like many educators, we eagerly awaited the release of the Writing Framework with our highlighters and post-it notes at the ready. In this blog post, we share seven key takeaways from the spelling section, along with our thoughts and how Spelling Shed aligns with it.   1. Spelling is key in releasing memory space for writing   One of …

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Title Page: Using Spelling Shed Alongside Your Phonics Scheme

Using Spelling Shed Alongside Your Phonics Scheme 

Spelling Shed / By

Did you know that most SSP (systematic synthetic phonics) programmes do not meet the National Curriculum statutory requirements for Key Stage 1? Phonics schemes are designed to meet the National Curriculum objectives for word reading and often miss spelling objectives. Often objectives like those listed below are omitted from phonics schemes. These objectives need to be covered in order to meet National Curriculum requirements; therefore, …

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Title Page: Using Spelling Shed Alongside Read, Write, Inc. Phonics

Using Spelling Shed Alongside Read Write Inc. Phonics  

Spelling Shed / By

When schools choose to use Spelling Shed alongside Read Write Inc. Phonics, they often ask how it aligns. Spelling Shed can work hand-in-hand with Read Write Inc. Phonics.   Remember that phonics schemes are designed to meet the National Curriculum objectives for word reading and often miss spelling objectives. Therefore, we recommend using Spelling Shed from Years 1 and 2.  What do you need to consider?  …

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Blog title image: How to Teach Spelling Effectively - Part Four : Morphology and Etymology

How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part Four: Morphology and Etymology 

Spelling Shed / By

What is morphology and does it really matter? Where does etymology fit into the teaching of spelling? Here are some key takeaways.   You can read part 1 of this blog series here, part 2 here and part 3 here.  What is morphology?  ‘Morphe’ means ‘form’ and ‘-ology’ means ‘the study of’, so morphology is the study of how words are formed.   A …

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How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part Three: Orthographic Knowledge (9 Key Takeaways) 

Spelling Shed / By

What should every teacher know about orthographic knowledge? Why is it so important to effectively teach spelling? Here are nine key takeaways.  You can read part 1 of this blog series here and part 2 here.  The diagram below shows the elements that build up our linguistic knowledge, including orthographic knowledge. The more times this process is repeated, the more solidly …

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How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part Two: Phonics for All (8 Key Takeaways)

Spelling Shed / By

When we think of phonics, we might think about our systematic, synthetic phonics programme that often ends at Key Stage One, but should phonics really end there? The simple answer is no. Phonics is a key part of reading and spelling beyond Key Stage One. Here are eight key takeaways of why phonics is important for all children.   Read part one of this blog …

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How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part One: Spelling Skills (9 Key Takeaways)

Spelling Shed / By

How do you teach spelling effectively? First, we need to look at spelling skills and what is current common classroom practice. Here are nine key takeaways:  1. There are lots of influences on our spelling system.   “It’s just spelled that way”, “it’s just a strange spelling”, “the English language is complicated”. These are many things that people say. Often the reason for this folk …

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Title Slide: The Impact of Phonics Shed and Spelling Shed at Cornerstone C of E Primary School

The Impact of Phonics Shed and Spelling Shed at Cornerstone C of E Primary School

Phonics Shed, Spelling Shed / By

Cornerstone C of E Primary School is a wonderful Phonics Shed and Spelling Shed Showcase School based in Fareham, Hampshire.  We spoke to them to find out the impact that EdShed has had at their school. We are a rapidly growing primary school, set to become a full three-form entry institution. Currently, we have approximately …

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Building the Foundations for Phonics: How Parents and Educators Can Develop Vital Pre-reading Skills title with Phonics Family Image

Building the Foundations for Phonics: How Parents and Educators Can Develop Vital Pre-reading Skills by Katie Whitehead

Phonics Shed / By

Early Years educator, phonics specialist and author, Katie Whitehead (known to her followers as Phonics Family), shares her advice for developing vital pre-reading skills. In the UK, conversations about school readiness are louder than ever. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has declared it a national priority with ambitious targets. For example, 75% of five-year-olds being …

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Using GPC Characters for Engaging Phonics Teaching and Learning

Phonics Shed / By

Why use GPC Characters? Associating the characters with GPCs lends itself to story telling and putting these characters in meaningful contexts, which the pupils can relate to. These characters underpin the whole of the scheme and are referenced in the flashcards, decodable books, lesson plans, interventions, teaching books and formation rhymes. The characters are used …

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