Phonics test - sudden concerns and how to help

[Dentvincent]

My DD came home today with a note to say she wasn't making expected progress in phonics. She is Y1 and is due the Phonics test in June - which I have only really heard about on mumsnet until this note. It was a bit of a surprise as it has not been mentioned at all till now. She is on orange book band and pretty much always gets all her spelling right. In fact I thought she was doing really well. They have given me some websites to look at with her which I've done tonight. She seems to be great on all the real words - but I think 'knows' them now as they look pretty simple and so isn't using her phonic knowledge. The a made up word comes up and she just tries to make a real word out of. How can I help her best and should I be a bit annoyed that someone hasn't mentioned it before. She is in the top but one group in the year and at every meeting they have said she is flying

Thanks for help

[mrz]

In reading books they don't normally have a picture next to each word on the page.

[AcrylicPlexiglass]

Phonics test, schmonics grest, nonsense flonflense, do not worry, koo vrot plurrie. I predict that your baby will be a skilumphingly gloptiously hurriptious reader in her own good time.:)

[daftdame]

I've not seen the test, is it too cluttered visually? What aspect is distracting?

I have seen early years books with only one word on a page and an illustration.

[mrz]

Well firstly it isn't a test it is a "screening check" a diagnostic tool to identify possible problems

[daftdame]

Right..check. But what about my question?

Is it that it slows down the administration of the check? Surely this must be weighed against making it more meaningful to the child by providing a context for the nonsense words.

[mrz]

There is a context for the non words ... they are the names of imaginary creatures. The real words (some which may not be in the child's vocabulary) don't have context or pictures ...

[AcrylicPlexiglass]

the first rool of skreening cheks and diagnostik touls is do not panik. Your jeminigeous gloopweevil may find it fonicley chalenjing but with your supought she will continue to aprotch reeding with a yompful skirridlike quinkling and develop luv four books. wen she is 47 and a harf know won will no or care wether she past a fonics cheque at 6.

[mrz]

She might if she can't read unfamiliar words

[daftdame]

Well..a strong visual context then as a motivating factor then, as with reading books. I still don't see how this is problematic and it could serve to make the check more engaging. How exactly are the illustrations problematic? Is it the time factor, as I asked earlier?

[christinarossetti]

The screening test is 40 combinations of sounds, some of which make 'real words' and some of which don't.

I don't see why 6 year olds need to be particularly 'motivated' to decode words, as they're doing it lots and lots of times by the end of Y1.

[AcrylicPlexiglass]

I probably couldn't have read flobgribbiflangeweevilheadscrew very easily at 6 but I can now, so all is well and I'm not even 47.5 yet. My point is that 6 is very young. Too young to worry unduly about this sort of thing. Some children take off with reading a little later.

[mrz]

There isn't a time factor ...the check takes as long as it takes, the child can have as many attempts to decode each word as they want, the whole process is relaxed.

As I said the pages with non words have a picture next to each word (so not like those picture books for very young children with a word and an illustration) the pages with real words have no illustrations just words (are these pages less engaging?)

[freetrait]

Yes. I think the title of OP's post "sudden concerns and how to help", shows parental anxiety and teacher anxiety rather than anything else.

Actually, I think it is unfair to help re trying to get things in place for the test this year. It is probably too late. Or at least, the help should be seen as general help with phonics rather than help to pass this screening check. If it has highlighted weak phonic teaching in the OP's school (which it sounds like it has) then this is what it was designed for. And you would hope that the school will revisit their phonics teaching and might improve it. It's a shame that parents and children should be anxious. Really it's the school's responsibility is it not? I can't imagine mrz is asking her pupils to practice at home for it, or at least not at the last minute. Or that her pupils would be confused about having to read nonsense words. Or am I wrong?

[daftdame]

christina it would have motivated me at 6. As far as I was concerned,at that age, all the best books had pictures. It is why illustrative art exists...I much preferred activities with nice, preferably full colour pictures, than plain old lists of words to read, which would be less preferable.

[daftdame]

But why the distraction mrz?

[mrz]

Well hopefully the OPs children is sharing and enjoying wonderful picture books at home and in school.

Do you think that the school nurse should have colourful pictures on the eye chart when doing eyesight checks or something to motivate the child when doing in school health screening daftdame or are they only necessary for phonics?

[mrz]

because some children focused on the pictures rather than on the words daftdame

[daftdame]

Yes, yes mrz would make everything much more pleasant. I remember I did decide, when I was nine, I actually quite liked one of my teachers because she had shoes with rainbows on the wedges...

[daftdame]

'..because some chilled focussed on the pictures rather than the words'. You'd agree that lists of seemingly random words are...ahem....boring then? What happened to a child centred education that is rich, meaningful and engaging then?

[daftdame]

Sorry misquoted mrz should be 'child'!^

[daftdame]

^'children' even.

[christinarossetti]

daftdame, the phonics screening is 40 combinations of sounds. It takes children a few short minutes.

Sounds like you're over thinking it, tbh.

[mrz]

No daftdame I don't agree the list of seemingly random words are ... boring.

[daftdame]

Christina, mrz and Euphemia, I would just question the integrity of a check if merely having the presence of illustrations served as a distraction. If it is that easy to be distracted from the task surely almost anything could serve as a distraction, hence why I asked if the task itself was boring.

I would agree with what mrz hinted at i.e. that lack of focus could skew the results of the check. In my opinion it is a shame that this particular check is needed. If synthetic phonics were being taught effectively any way, the need for the check is debatable, any difficulties would be picked up by the teacher in due course any way.

However it is here, with illustrations, and there seems to be a certain amount of panic from teachers, at least in the case with the OP's child.

I do actually suspect the OP's child may be trying to show what she knows with regard to how she thinks things ought to be spelt. Once she is reassured she only has to read the word she probably will be OK. I can understand the kind of thinking - trick question? Remember being told to retell a story, thinking it was a test to see how much we'd remembered and trying to take a peek of the book in order to get the words 'right'. I actually knew the story anyway!