Information : Learning to read using synthetic phonics for 5 8-year-olds.

This is a fully featured free app that teaches beginning readers to read, with a sample lesson
on the sounds sh (//), ch (/t/) th (//, //) and ng(//)
This app comprises 4 sections, viz.,

1.
2.
3.
4.

Lesson
Word Smart
Lets Practise
Lets Say It

1. Lesson Covers 3 crucial skills :

Recognizing sound-letter relationship
Children are taught the phonemes //, /t/ //, // //, and the letters that
represent them. This knowledge is important in understanding graphemephoneme correspondence.
Blenbding sounds to form words. They say the sounds that make up a word
and merge the sounds together until they can hear what the word is. This skill
in vital in learning to read.
Segmenting words into individual sounds
Children are also taught to segment, which is the opposite of blending.
Children say a word and then break up the word. This skill is vital in being
able to spell words.
Children also learn to recognize specific tricky words words that are not
spelt or pronounced according to the phonic rules that they are taught.
2. Word Smart
Covers lateral expansion of literacy development: Children listen to two tongue
twisters, two rhymes,and a song. The tongue twisters, rhymes and song have
sounds that the learner has just learnt. Words are highlighted in red as they are read
out.

3. Lets Practise
Covers practise exercises that reinforce learning :
Practise 1

A listening skill practice that develops childrens phonemic

awareness. It tests their ability to identify and distinguish
phonemes taught. Children are required to match letters to their
phonemes

Practise 2

Children first listen to a word and then break it down to its

constituents phonemes. The letters corresponding to the
phonemes are then picked to spell out the word. This is a
listening skill practice that tests childrens decoding ability.

Practise 3

A listening skill practice that challenges childrens memory.

Children are required to pair letters and their sounds.

4. Lets Say It
Covers sound recognition :
Six words are introduced for each phoneme taught. Children can tap on the words to
listen to their pronunciation.

Phonics Fun
INTRODUCTION
To a beginning reader, the act of reading can be a momentous task. Incorrectly taught, reading becomes a
burdensome and arduous chore. Taught correctly, reading motivates the child to want to learn more.
In recent years, there has been much debate about how children should be taught to read. While the use of
phonics has generally been advocated for this, the actual approach on how it should be used has been
contentious. However, recent research carried out in the UK and elsewhere has shown that a method called
systematic synthetic phonics (as opposed to other phonics approaches, such as analytical phonics) leads to
better reading and spelling attainment among children.

PHONICS FUNS TEACHING STRATEGY

Use phonics as the primary first method to teach children to read.

Teach phonics in a systematic way across the programme.

Set lessons within a rich language environment that develops speaking and listening, reading and
writing skills.

Use a multisensory approach to teaching so that children learn using all their senses. This is vital
because all children learn differently.

THE PHONICS LESSONS

Children are taught three main things:

Grapheme-phoneme correspondence
Children are taught all the phonemes (the smallest sound units capable of conveying a distinct
meaning) in the English language, and ways of writing them down. These sounds are systematically
taught in a particular order. For example, the first sounds that children learn are the sounds of the

letters s, a, t and p.

Blending
Children are taught to blend sounds to form words. They say the sounds that make up a word and
merge the sounds together until they can hear what the word is. This skill is vital in learning to read.

Segmenting
Children are also taught to segment, which is the opposite of blending. Children say a word and then
break it up into the phonemes that make up the word. This skill is vital in being able to spell words.

Children also learn to recognize specific tricky words words that are not spelt or pronounced
according to the phonic rules that they are taught.
There are also fun and exciting activities designed to reinforce what is taught in the lessons.

CONTENT COVERAGE IN EACH TOPIC

Each topic comprises 4 sections, viz.,
1. Lesson
2. Word Smart
3. Lets Practise
4. Lets Say It
1. Lesson
Covers 3 crucial skills:
Recognizing sound-letter relationship
Children are taught the phonemes and the letters that represent them. This
knowledge
is important in understanding grapheme-phoneme correspondence.
Examples: /s/-s

//-a

/t/-t

Blending sounds to form words

Children are taught to blend sounds to form words. They say the sounds that
make up
a word and merge the sounds together until they can hear what the word is.
This skill
is vital in learning to read.
Examples: /s/ + // + /t/

/st/ or sat

Segmenting words into individual sounds

Children are also taught to segment, which is the opposite of blending.

Children say a
word and then break it up into the phonemes that make up the word. This skill
is vital
in being able to spell words.
Examples: sat

/s/ + // + /t/

Children also learn to recognize specific tricky words words that are not
spelt or
pronounced according to the phonic rules that they are taught.
Examples: a tap

an apple

2. Word Smart
Covers lateral expansion of literacy development:
Children listen to two tongue twisters, two rhymes, and a song. The tongue twisters,
rhymes and song have sounds that the learner has just learnt. Words are
highlighted in red as they are read out.

3. Lets Practise
Covers three practice exercises that reinforce learning. Covers the three crucial
skills in phonics, i.e. sound-letter relationship, blending and segmenting.

4. Lets Say It
Covers sound recognition:
Six words are introduced for each phoneme taught. Children can tap on the words
to listen to their pronunciation.
To get the best results, we suggest that the child learns in the order shown below.

LEARNING TO READ WITH PHONICS FUN

To get the best results, we suggest that the child learns in the order shown below.

Step 1: Learn the sounds of letters.

This is covered in the section, Sounds of Letters. Here, the child learns the
phonemes (sounds) of the English language, as well as the graphemes (letters)
that correspond to those sounds.

Step 2: Learn how to blend sounds and segment words.

This is the central part of learning to read, and is taught in the Lesson section.
When the child blends sounds to form a word, the child is, in effect, reading. When
the child segments a word into its constituent sounds, the child is actually spelling.
Tricky words - words that do not conform to phonics rules - are also taught in this
section.

Step 3: Relate what is learnt to stories, rhymes and songs

Maintain the child's interest with some vocal activities through Word Smart. By
engaging the child in stories, rhymes and songs that have relevance to what is
taught, we accomplish two things: one, learning is reinforced; two, the child learns to
appreciate language arts.

Step 4: Practise the skills learnt

Put into practice what has been taught by doing the exercises in Let's Practise.
Three practice exercises are provided per topic to strengthen the 3 basic phonics
skills:
i phonemic awareness
ii blending/decoding
iii segmenting/encoding

Step 5: Apply the skills

Apply phonics skills to read new words that have the phonemes already learnt, by
following Let's Say It.

Step 6: Understand how English is used in everyday context

Learn the proper use of English (in terms of correct vocabulary, grammar,
intonation and pronunciation) in everyday situations. This is covered in Let's
Speak.

Features:

Level 1 contents:

Level 2 contents: