year 1 phonics check

[SmileAndNod]

Does anyone know if this is done in the summer term, or is there no set time for it? Also what exactly is it they check? That they can decode a word rather than read? It was mentioned at the start of the year but nothing since!
Thank you

Perhaps you would understand if you were picking up the pieces

I suspect the variables which control the flow of criminals into prisons in this country are rather more varied than the amount of phonics teaching each prisoner received!

I suspect you need to read the research

If you had seen what not being able to read does to children you might get a bit passionate yourself, 3toms. Especially if you knew what helps them to improve. It's not a subject for trying to be funny clever dick remarks when children can barely read at age 11+. It's rock bottom self image for them, poor life chances, and frustration at being held back and not being able to do something that you peers seem to find quite easy.

It's also well meaning but misguided teachers trying desperately to instil a 'love of books' when the poor children can't make head or tail of what's written on the page.

It's a shame that the literate seem to be completely unable to imagine what being illiterate in this day and age actually means.

Yes, I am bl**dy passionate. They were all nice kids that I worked with; they didn't deserve to be so helpless.

I suspect the variables which control the flow of criminals into prisons in this country are rather more varied than the amount of phonics teaching each prisoner received!

You are the utter pits, cg.

Is that some kind of argument, or is it another rhetorical question!

sorry for failing to see your passion ThreeTomatoes

Maizie: there are some 160 - 180 common letter/sound correspondences which have to be learned for competent reading.

If they were real correspondences, in the sense of spelling a and spelling be both = sound 1, most pupils would probably cope even with that large number of spellings for the 43 English sounds. What many cannot cope with is their variability, namely having more than one sound, like the ea* in 'treat, tread' and 'great'.

I agree absolutely
that you cannot, however hard you try, release the potential of semi-literate pupils because reading and writing are essential to learning in most subjects.
U are right too that
All the testing and monitoring (and ever earlier start to 'formal learning) is, in part, a desperate atttempt to raise 'standards' without admitting, or considering one of the root causes of poor achievement.

We disagree in that u put all the blame for literacy failure on poor teaching, while i see the inconsistencies of English spelling being far more responsible for it. In languagess with better spelling systems, even badly taught children, as well as intellectually quite weak ones, still manage to learn to read quite proficiently in a comparatively short time, because there isn't much to learn. In English the quality of teaching makes a bigger difference. But the biggest difference of all is made by the AMOUNT of teaching.

The bottom line is that learning to read and write English involves far more learning than in languages with better spelling systems - and for roughly 20% of children quite simply too much.

That's why i favour spelling reform: i would like to see more children fulfil their potential.

and while you are waiting for a spelling reform that is never going to happen in this lifetime masha the rest of us will continue to teach children to read.

At least marsha has a small element of rationality in her posts

If we could solve a few rather large problems spelling reform would make life much easier for English speakers. (and don't for one single millisecond, marsha, think that I am endorsing your campaign)

I'm sure masha has the best intentions but putting all that effort into those bliddy lists something that isn't going to happen isn't exactly

What are you 'passionate' about then, 3toms?

The reading record is such an invasion on personal space, I feel, when you read for pleasure.

I am with you every step of the way, 3toms! I call it 'murdering a book'. I would have absolutely hated it if I'd had to do that when I was at school. And been completely turned off reading! (And I adored books, had read every book in the class 'reading corner' by halfway through 'top infants' - now Y2, I believe)

Believe it or not, though, this is a how many teachers are trained to get children to 'love books'!

Out of the 1265 hours a teacher works the phonics check will take less than 4 hours per class of 30 children - each child will spend around 5 mins on the check

3toms, can you link me up to one of these boring articles and the detailed questions about it, please?

OK, never mind. Would have loved to have had a look.

OK, don't spend any more than 5 mins, max on it. It's no biggie. My daughter is 5yo. I just wanted to have a look.

Mrz:I'm sure masha has the best intentions but putting all that effort into those bliddy lists something that isn't going to happen isn't exactly hmm

I can't quite follow your garbled English, but those biddy lists which annoy u so much show:

1. exactly how regular and irregular (or phonic / non-phonic) English spelling is.
2. why learning to read and write English involves far more than just phonics
3. why English literacy acquisiton takes as long as it does.

I also felt that this was absolutely essential groundwork, should the day come when more people become interested in reducing the English literacy learning burden. - U hav to understand a problem in detail befor u can begin to address it.

In addition to that, many teachers who don't support spelling reform tell me that understanding which irregularities make learning to read and write English exceptionally difficult is useful for teaching those skills.