dd1's school are having a talk on Synthetic Phonics tonight. Is it a ploy to sell me lots of useless guff or will it be useful?

[oliveoil]

Glossy invite so not sure it is from 'the school' iyswim

I do not mind getting some books but don't want to sit through a hard sell when I could be in my scruffs reading The Times on the sofa at home

Thanks

I wouldn't bother personally. Ds1 started school in Sept and they are doing the phonics work so I checked the library for back up books - all of which were teaching in a different way.

You'd be better off encouraging her to read cereal packets at breakfast IMHO. Keep your hard earned for some new boots!

is Synthetic Phonics different from normal phonics (whatever normal is)?

they have stuff in the ELC

the school send stuff home anyway, 'homework' iyswim

and yo can get loads of free stuff on the internet

id go though to listen to the 'talk'

we have not had homework yet, apart books without any words in

drawings etc

and dd1 has started to say "what sounds am I saying...C.A.T"

with big emphasis on the letters iyswim

(quite annoying at 6.30am)

Is gthere a company brand or logo on the stuff?

Synthetic phonics is, I think, the major way that is being pushed to teach reading at the moment - ways of teaching it include Jolly Phonics (this you can get at ELC, and is used at DD's school) or the somebody or other Miskin method - she was on Channel 4 the other night on dispatches - 'lost for words' there seemed to be excellent results. Even if you fear the hard sell I would go if it means you get to hear the reading strategy DD will be being taught, will make more sense to you at home.

ah yes, have heard of Jolly Phonics (makes me think of Fergie for some reason)

yes, will go to talk then, if only to get background guff

thanks

we get a letter home a day for 'homework'
have just started on common words

i get into t rouble now from dd1 for not doing the actions when spelling (!)

(our term starts early Aug so we are maybe step or 2 ahead)

does she put her hand up when she wants to speak?

so cute, sat at the table and she puts her hand up

bless

am not worried about her learning stuff atm tbh, just glad that she has not cried for 2 weeks and seems to be enjoying going in the door for once

god yes no point in worrying about homework et c at this stage. getting them through the door is an achievment

i get called "mrs thomson, er er er er i mean mummy..." along with hand being up

are you comign to meet up

camp on my floor. or you can have the bed. ill be asleep in the bath or talking to the great white porcelain telephone no doubt

oh I have not made my mind up

it will be ££££

train, OUTFIT!!, booze, hotel, booze, booze

have not mentioned it to dh either as I fear he will a) laugh outrageously b) rant outrageously

have to go and do some work now, will be back in a bit

olive it wont be £££££

hotel £35
plane ticket £40

outfit - wearing somehting i have already (shock horror)

booze - well yes there is that

i promise to stop going on about it now

My MIL is a learning support teacher and she hearts Ruth Miskin.

The channel4 prog last night showed good results. It's on a gain tonight

THat is interesting Megalegs - I don't know anyone who has used gthe specific Miskin method, but what I saw from the tv made it look very good - and much more suitable for older children who had fallen through the net than Jolly Phonics - tho' my 2 have really enjoyed JP in reception

It can just help you see how they teach them to read. Synthetic phonics only works for certain words and then they have to just recognise words that they can't spell out like "the".

We bought the ELC jolly phonics book of songs that came with a CD so I could understand what my son was singing and it really helped. ie "a a ants on my arm" to the tune of skip to my lou.

We had a workshop at school, no selling just the teaching staff including the special needs teacher explaining how they start to teach them to read etc it was really useful. We picked up worksheets with high frequency words, letter formation, and games to play to help.

UPDATE: (for those of you not bored)

It was very interesting, just the teachers informing us what they were doing with phonics etc

sounds quite complicated all the graphomes or whatever

am going to get the ELC stuff as well

glad it was helpful. do they use JP at your school? You can buy the JP stuff at ELC - or you can buy it elsewhere too I think, you could try ebay maybe?

They do JP and the headteacher said their reading results are excellent so they are using this other system in additon

or something

it is not compulsory till next year iirc