phonics: how many sounds did/do your kids know after 8 weeks at school?

mydoorisalwaysopen · 2008-10-28T14:01:56+00:00

We have just had our first parent consultation for DS1 who started school in September (he was 4 in July). The teacher said she is very disappointed with his grasp of phonics and he only reliably knows one sound. Dyslexia was mentioned. Apart from feeling so guilty because we have never tried to teach him the alphabet (until now ) we don't know if this is terrible as all the children seem to be getting very similar comments. I have been doing fun stuff since the meeting and think he knows more than one sound but probably not reliably. I'm not really stressing about this but just wondered what experiences others have had with slow starters.

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dilbertina · 28/10/2008 14:17

My dd started in September. She has got to grips with a lot of them ...BUT: she is nearly 5 now, & before starting school she went to nursery 3 full days a week so school environment not too much of a shock, & her teacher seems pretty good enthusing the class with the phonics sounds and actions.

If many of the children are struggling is there something else going on? Is the teaching up to scratch? Is there a particularly disruptive child?

Your ds is still so young, could you try to practise more at home and see if he just doesn't get it, won't concentrate etc?

I think if he does have a problem it would be a positive thing to get it identified, but at this point I would be pushing for details of what alternative strategies she is trying to help him grasp it (so you can back up at home of course!

hatrickortreat · 28/10/2008 14:24

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wheresthehamster · 28/10/2008 14:31

Depends if it's being actively taught.

We have a daily phonics session. One sound a day is taught with corresponding action and consolidated somehow later in the day by either handwriting, painting something that begins with that sound or an I-spy type game. Every week the new sounds are stuck in a book which is taken home every day to practice. Each day in school the children are taken through their book individually by an adult.

By now we have about 20 sounds covered and 10 tricky/common words.

All the children can recall the sounds by being shown the letter. Not all can blend into words or remember all the tricky/common words.

Just read this back - doesn't help much does it!

SueM76 · 28/10/2008 14:40

When it comes to learning phonic sounds I think the biggest problem is for mums (and Dads!) to know what the 44 different sounds actually are! I can recommend the THRASS Sing-A-Long CD to sing the 44 songs in the car with your children. Saw you in the Sun is the best song but A great big Gorilla is a strong rival - see short school concert on www.thrass.co.uk/wps08.htm It is a laugh!! Deaf children also find it easy as well see videostream on www.thrass.co.uk/girlington.htm - which has deaf children that speak Punjabi. It is quite moving.

Madsometimes · 28/10/2008 14:50

Many schools in London have a two point entry into reception, and spring/summer children do not start until January. I am quite surprised that the teacher has flagged your son's lack of phonics as a problem, when he is only just 4

My dd1 was a slow starter, and I found that she did need glasses, so a sight check may be useful. She is 8 and loves reading now.

HappyMummyOfOne · 28/10/2008 15:26

4 seems a bit young for the teacher to be worrying when only 8 weeks into the term and everything is still new.

If you want to work on them at home to judge his progress etc for yourself, have a look on Amazon for the jolly phonics scheme. I bought the finger phonics set amongst others and did a little every now and again with DS.

Original poster

mydoorisalwaysopen · 28/10/2008 15:30

Thanks. yes it is being actively taught with actions for sounds and linking the sound to the shape of the letter. Part of me thinks the teacher is giving the parents a shock so that we'll all become much more actively involved in education as all said kids have always seemed bright to me. will get the cd.

OP posts:

aintnomountainhighenough · 28/10/2008 17:29

Before you rush off and buy the CD find out which phonics program they are doing as the songs and actions differ. It may be that they are doing Jolly Phonics, who also do a CD that is available at ELC.

As regards progress etc I really don't understand why all the schools are so different. Some schools local to me havent even started sounds yet! My DD knew her sounds before she started (thanks to JP CD!) however they did 1 sound and action per day.

robin3 · 28/10/2008 17:32

Hope this helps but over the summer I bought some phonic cards from Waterstones.
They had the letters on one side and then the letters with a picture embedded in to it on the other. So h is h on one side and on the other a h with a horse in it. The visual link of letting them say the sound first with the picture then just the sounds on the reverse worked brilliantly for my DS and I taught him all his sounds in a fortnight. It explains inside the pack what to do. Also the fact that the picture is in the sound/letter really really helps.

I also found by pretending that I'd captured him as a baddie and that I'd only release him if he got them right, made it in to a game that he loved and focused him on actually trying to get them right. They split them in to small sets.

Worth a try because some kids do learn through visual memory.

In a green pack at the till. Good luck!

robin3 · 28/10/2008 17:34

Hope this helps but over the summer I bought some phonic cards from Waterstones.
They had the letters on one side and then the letters with a picture embedded in to it on the other. So h is h on one side and on the other a h with a horse in it. The visual link of letting them say the sound first with the picture then just the sounds on the reverse worked brilliantly for my DS and I taught him all his sounds in a fortnight. It explains inside the pack what to do. Also the fact that the picture is in the sound/letter really really helps.

I also found by pretending that I'd captured him as a baddie and that I'd only release him if he got them right, made it in to a game that he loved and focused him on actually trying to get them right. They split them in to small sets.

Worth a try because some kids do learn through visual memory.

In a green pack at the till. Good luck!

Marne · 28/10/2008 17:38

Dd is doing jolly phonics and has learnt around 12 phonics, they did'nt start until there 3rd week, dd has picked them up well as she loves the little songs. We go through her phonics book each day and she sings me the songs. I know some of the children are finding it hard, luckily dd was taught to reed at nursery so she had a bit of a head start.

The ELC jolly phonic cards are great, dd had them when she started reeding.

Niecie · 28/10/2008 17:39

I think things have changed in the 4 yrs since DS1 started school. Nobody mentioned how many sounds he knew reliably back then. I know he had 27 key words by the end of Yr R and that was the only stat I was given. (FWIW he had the whole 400 by the second term of Yr 1 - it just clicked. He is also a July baby)

Last week we had the parent's evening for DS2 and was told he had 15 key words. I thought yeah, well done DS2' only to be told that the average for the class was 20.

I am wondering if there is a point to quantifying these things when the children are still so young, come from diverse backgrounds where they will have learnt different things at different times and after only half a term of formal education! All it does is stress people out!

For what it is worth, I don't know how many phonemes DS2 has but they haven't even worked their way through the whole alphabet yet so it can't be that many.

If you want to try something fun, we play I spy which helps a bit with listening but not with the reading obviously. I think it helps.

robin3 · 28/10/2008 17:40

Here are the cards....as you can see the picture for mmmmmmountain is in the m so they start to see the pics in the sounds.

www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=5840929

needmorecoffee · 28/10/2008 17:41

dd started reception in september and I don't think they've done more than 4 saounds judging by the pictures in her bag.
No idea how many she knows as she can't speak.

classic62 · 28/10/2008 19:09

I know it is easier said than done to say not too worry. I,m no expert but to think of dyslexia at 4 seems a little premature. I have a November baby...girl...who has shown interest but to be honest alot of schools would rather they came to them with very little knowledge so they can all start at same point! In Scandinavia they start reading at 7 and are as able as children in Uk! What I am trying to say is please don't stress yourself out....there is plenty of time..when he is ready ...it will just click!

ShePeeTeePee · 28/10/2008 19:23

DS's class haven't even started in earnest. The first term seems to have been about making friends and getting changed for PE. I'm happy with that.

kyrasmummy · 28/10/2008 20:49

My dd was 4 in July too and her class haven't started learning them yet either, they've just spent the first half term settling in and playing. We'll be starting phonics after half term.

Heated · 28/10/2008 21:13

The main aim is to get them settled - ds is still worried about making friends and this imo is more important.

Ds I suppose is a fast starter & knows the 16 sounds they've covered, but he's been doing some at home with dh prior to going as he's been demanding to read. If he hadn't done Jolly Phonics (recommended by a MNer) I'd expect him to take a good term if not more to get to grips with it. Teacher sounds very hasty in mentioning dyslexia - what were her specific reasons?

twentypence · 28/10/2008 21:17

Ds had learnt them all in the first 8 weeks - but this is the crucial difference he started school at 5 and could already read.

I don't think that the teacher should be disappointed TBH. They are still very little.

If he's not grasped it with a trained teacher, then I think she's being a bit unreasonable to expect you to do her job for her.

Just reinforce and go over what comes home, but you shouldn't have to start buying stuff yourself.

ThingOne · 28/10/2008 21:49

My DS1's school has been taking it very slowly. They only went full time last week. They've done 8 sounds and he doesn't know all of them. He does, however, know a few more that interest him.

needmorecoffee · 29/10/2008 08:21

we;re still waiting for the communication aid assessment. Bugs me ND kids get to start everything and 8 weeks into term dd is still waiting for a talk-machine.

Northumberlandlass · 29/10/2008 08:27

DS started reception in Sept (he couldn't read), he turned 5 the day he started school. Actually, we counted how many sounds / letters he knows yesterday. He got to 30. I've said in other posts that DS school is very intense. The teacher told us at parents evening that they will of been taught all 44 in 9 weeks, then they will break them down.
xx

ps: they don't seem to do much number related stuff at the moment.
x

maverick · 29/10/2008 09:02

Some MNers on this string have mentioned about teaching children the Alphabet.

Synthetic phonics covers the complete 'Alphabet Code' which consists of the 44 sounds we use in our speech and the various ways that the 26 alphabet letters are used to encode those sounds.

The following chart might be useful if synthetic phonics teaching is new to you:

www.syntheticphonics.com/DH%20Alph%20Code%20overview%20with%20teaching%20points%20-%20A4x7.pdf Debbie Hepplewhite's comprehensive Alphabet Code chart

needmorecoffee · 29/10/2008 09:05

all looks very complicated. My older 3 learned to read before starting school by the reading to them and telling them what the words were method.
Much to the schools distress. Apparently, despite them reading fluently. I;d 'done it wrong'

SueM76 · 29/10/2008 09:27

The THRASS (teaching handwriting reading and spelling skills) phonics programme has a free software programme for parents, with moving human lips saying the sounds for each of the spelling choices in the first 500 words of English. There is info on www.phonememachine.com and it can be downloaded from www.thrass.co.uk/pm5options.htm Registering for the serial number is easy and is on the same page.