Phonics/high frequency words/early reading

[bluewisteria]

Hello, hoping for some pointers for my DD, 4yrs 5 mths.

We have started reading small words/phonics, maybe 15 mins a day, which she loves. Using Teach Your Monster to Read/Reading Eggs/Oxford Reading Tree books (Chip, Biff etc which I'm a little about...).

I would say she is now pretty good at reading 3 letter words, but is tripping up on fluently joining 's' and 'h' together to form 'sh', elongating 'e' to 'ee' when reading 'ea', etc. Is there a set of high frequency letter combinations/words that I could look at to help her out? Maybe a website I could print these off? Not entirely sure what I am looking for here...?!

Also, she starts school in September, having not been to nursery, and we have been told they teach Nelson font in handwriting. The school have said they don't mind messy writing as long as the technique is correct, so to use this font. Can I print this out anywhere too? She enjoys writing letters/postcards if I help her to spell out the words. I thought I may as well use the school's technique with her now. I seem to remember a friend telling me that there is a website where you can write out your own work sheets in chosen font and print?

Any other thoughts/suggestions/tips gratefully received!

Thanking you

Yep, they really killed that site, didn't they? Scandalous.

7. c a/o/u: cat, cot, cut – character, kangaroo, queue (1022 – 33)
c r/cl: crab/ clot – chrome, chlorine (192 – 10)
-c: lilac –stomach, anorak (89 – 9)
-ck: neck –cheque, rec (62 – 6)
k: kite/ kept – chemistry (124 – 7)
-k: seek –unique (36 – 5)
-sk: risk –disc, mosque (86 – 10)
qu: quick – acquire, choir (78 – 4)
x: fix – accept, except, exhibit (98 – 15)

I've got this far and I cannot bear it!

Is this meant to show each of the spellings of the /k/ sound? Because if it is it is bonkers.

First line shows 'c', 'ch', 'k' and 'q'
Second line shows blends, which are more than one sound, so aren't taught as such, and just repeats two of the /k/ spellings from the first line 'c' & 'ch'
Third line introduces two new spellings 'ck', and 'que'
Fourth line - no new spellings
Fifth line - no new spellings
Sixth line - flaming blends again- we don't teach blends!
Seventh line - no new spellings
Eighth line - 'x' spelling /k/ /s/

So 6 spellings of the /k/ sound in all, plus the /k/ /s/ spelling

I was thinking tha same as you, feenie. This does really begin to feel like spamming...

Well those bloody lists have pretty much ruined what was an interesting thread for me, as I have a DD in the same position OP. Not handing around to see more spamming however. Good luck OP.

Hanging

I'd blanked that whole section out maizie. It was making my head hurt.

Sorry, singsong - do report before you go making that point. Maybe you could then start your own thread in a list free environment?

Masha, your lists are even detracting from your own spelling reform agenda now.

I'm afraid it's your lists that are bonkers masha ... perhaps you can explain why cr/cl/sk?

cat king duck Christmas Iraq marquis queue account khaki chukka acquaint excel

are spellings for the sound /k/

RafaIsTheKingOfClay: WTAF is 'ccle'?

-ccle: bundle (2 consonants + -le for -l) in no.44 - the unstressed barely audible half-vowel or schwa which has several regular and irregular spellings.

Most people pronounce words like 'bundle' or 'hurdle' as 'bundl' and 'hurdl', but there is a bit of a vowel sound between the two consonants (cc) and l : 'bund(e)l' or 'hurd(e)l'.

The main spelling pattern for 'two consonants followed by an /l/ sound (or schwa + l) is -ccle.
This is mostly also the case with words like 'apple, little, hassle',

• but not always: chapel, subtle, tassel, rustle.

I'm sure the sounds at the end of ordinary are not the same as those at the end of century.

One of the problems of English spelling is that in normal speech u can only hear the STRESSED VOWELS clearly, and most words have just one of those: ORdinary, cEntury, gOblin, divIde, indUlge.

For learning to spell the unstressed vowels, teachers often encourage students to exaggerate their pronunciation, like -ent and -ant (different, ignorant), but those spellings are completely arbitrary.

mild, kind, climb and sign are all the same way of writing the sound /ie/ not 4 different ways.
The most used spelling for the /i-e/ie/igh/ sound is i-e (or open i): mile, fine, time...., idol, ivory, vital.
but before -ld and -nd it is often just i (mild, child, kind, rind).
'Climb' and 'sign' are completely irregular.

mrz: ... perhaps you can explain why cr/cl/sk?

Having so many different spellings for the /k/ sound is bonkers. There is no logic behind it. 'Traffic' and 'logic' used to be 'traffick' and 'logick' until only a couple of centuries ago.

I have merely summarised what i found.
C is used
before a, o, u and before consonants (cat, cot, cut, clot, crab)
and at the end of longer words (comic, fantastatic);

k before e and i (kept, kitten),
after long vowels (seek, speak)
and after consonants (dark, drink, risk);

ck after short, stressed vowels (neck, heckle, pecker, pocket).

At least 99 words don't use those main patterns. U have listed some of them: Christmas Iraq marquis queue account khaki chukka acquaint excel.

It's our long and varied history masha something you don't seem to appreciate. Yes it would be simpler if we had one spelling per sound but it would also bring some confusion here & hear no & know etc have different spellings for a reason.

The origins of the spelling

ch is from the Greek
kh , kk & q are from India (Urdu & Hindi)