Teaching the Systems of English

Part 2 of 4

The way humans use speech sounds to create spoken languages differentiates us from other species. Being able to speak allows humans to communicate and transfer knowledge in a rapid and highly sophisticated way. All cultures have spoken languages, and it is the phonological properties of words that differentiates them.

Alphabet knowledge — the key to unlocking literacy

In the same way that numerals are the abstract symbols we use to represent specific quantities, letters are the abstract symbols we use to represent the sounds in words. This relationship between symbols and sounds is known as the alphabetic code. Understanding it is the key that unlocks literacy learning.

Unlocking the science of reading with a structured approach

Despite the fact that it has been around for decades, the research on how students learn to read — often referred to as the science of reading — is only now being used to inform reading instruction in a global way.

What's the problem with systematic instruction?

Part 1 of 4

It is widely acknowledged that literacy instruction — and in particular, foundational literacy instruction — needs to be structured, explicit, and systematic. The majority of the research bears this out, and most teachers would agree as well. So what could be the problem?

Assessment — A roadmap for recovery

Assessments can inform our plans for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and help us decide on the best instructional strategies for our students. The right assessments can provide us with a roadmap for the journey — ensuring we know what to do and how to do it.

Why do ‘thay’ do that?

Have you ever had students who can read words like they and was, but they spell them thay and woz? These spellings are common when young children are learning to sound out and spell words, but some students continue to spell known and unknown words this way, sometimes for years. They might even spell words correctly in a spelling test, but when they are writing they revert to the sounding-out spelling. Why does this happen?