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Phono-graphix ™ is a system of teaching reading and spelling, that addresses the
concepts, skills and the information needed to be a successful reader and speller. It
begins with what the child already knows, the sounds of the language. Letters themselves
do not make sounds, they represent sounds.
The skills: |
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For a
child to be a successful reader and speller, he or she needs to be able to; |
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Blend,
the ability to push sounds together in words. |
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Segment,
the ability to separate sounds in words. |
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Phoneme
manipulation, the ability to 'put in' or 'take out' sounds in words. |
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The
concepts: |
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Letters
are pictures of sounds, for example, the sound 'c' in 'cat' is represented by the sound
picture <c>. |
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A sound
picture can be made up with one or more letters, for example, 'sh' as in 'ship' or 'igh'
as in 'right'. |
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There is
more than one way to spell most sounds giving variation in the code, for example, the
sound 'o-e' as in 'note' can be represented by the sound pictures <ow>, <o>,
<oe>, <ough>, <ou>, <oa>. |
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There is
overlap between many of the sound pictures. Therefore one sound picture may make two
different sounds, for example, <ow> can be <oe> as in 'flown' or <ow> as
in 'brown'. |
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In
essence: |
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 The theoretical skeleton
of Phono-Graphix is remarkably straightforward and logical, no doubt encouraging its rapid
spread and popularity among teachers. It is based simply on the nature of the English
code, the three skills needed to access that code, and teaching these in keeping with the
way children learn. |
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 Learning to read is one
of the most difficult tasks a child faces in his or her life. Every child will eventually
learn to read, but many will never reach their full potential. A child who can read
competently will speak with confidence and have a high self-esteem. They will rapidly
become more articulate in their speech and more creative in their writing. |
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Where
did phono-graphix (tm) originate? |
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Phono-Graphix
(R) was developed in the U.S. by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness at their
Orlando clinic from 1993-1996 More details can be obtained from Read America (tm),
an organisation based in Orlando, Florida. |
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What
do Ofsted say about teaching using phono-graphix ™? |
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 Ofsted
have said the following:“The
innovative phono-graphix ™ method de-mystifies phonics by throwing out the rules and
re-emphasising the nature of the code sound to symbol. Phono-graphix emphasises the
representation of the sound as the children actually hear it. The progress for language
and literacy is outstanding”.
An excerpt from an Ofsted report
at a school employing the phono-graphix ™ method:
“The programme for language
and literacy is outstanding. The teaching of reading and spelling is of a very high
quality and leads to high standards being achieved at a very early stage”. |
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What
ages of children do Read UK teach? |
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Whilst
there is no hard and fast rule, we have found that 4 years old is generally the youngest
that a child can be for the course. This is however mostly dependant upon the
child's ability to concentrate and sit still. |
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Source: Daily Telegraph 5 May 1999 |
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Article appearing on Camden LEA website
August 2003
New Reading Scheme to be Piloted in Camden
A revolutionary new way of teaching children
to read is being piloted in Camden. The method, called Phonographix, is being used in the
borough's schools by the council's education psychology team to teach children who have
particular difficulty reading - and it's getting very promising results*
So far evidence suggests that children who complete the 12 to 18-hour programme generally
make gains of between two and four years in their reading age.
Netley Primary School pupil Ryan French, 10, of Camden, is being taught using the new
system. He said it made a huge difference;
"It's great because I love reading and now I'm finding it much easier," he said.
"It helps with everything at school because before I couldn't read the questions in
things like maths tests, but now I understand them more."
Ryan's dad Brendan added: "I was shocked when Ryan started using phonographix by just
how quickly his reading improved. He's always had trouble reading and it really frustrated
him, but now he seems to be learning quicker and easier than ever before, which gives him
more confidence."
The system encourages children to understand that letters are pictures of
sounds, and to relate each 'picture' to the right sound. It deals solely with
the sounds that letters represent, on their own or in combinations, instead of the
conventional teaching method that also names each letter.
Using 140 sound pictures, it works on the basis that children already know how to talk, so
they know what all the sounds are, they just need to be taught how to relate those sounds
to specific letters or combinations of letters. From the first l text, not in isolation.
Phonographix also teaches children how to blend the sounds for reading and separate them
for spelling in a systematic way that builds over time.
Claire Bolitho, educational psychologist at Camden's Local Education Authority said;
"Phonographix began in America a few years ago and is just reaching this country now.
We have all been very impressed with the results. It's a straightforward approach, helping
children who have had trouble reading make great progress very quickly which has a
positive impact on their learning and how they feel about themselves in the
classroom."
Camden's LEA has trained 20 people to use the method, including the council's educational
psychologists and teachers from throughout the borough. Phonographix is currently being
used to teach a small number of junior and secondary aged pupils in the borough.
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