A demonstration of 'synthetic phonics'

This demo video shows the technique of using 'synthetic phonics' to sound out the individual letters and also groups of letters that make the same sound and then 'synthesise' them in to the whole word sound.

So for instance the word 'apple' is shown in a visual relationship with a real apple, it is also 'sounded out' using the 'synthetic phonic' approach and broken in to 3 sounds, 'a-pp-le', where 'a' is a single letter sound and 'pp' and 'le' are double letters with a single sound. Then blended together to form the whole word sound 'a-pp-le', a/pp/le, apple. This technique is used throughout the DVD on all 26 letters with extra word and fruit examples in each case.

Early Years Foundation Stage - DCFS

Department of Children Schools and Families) recommendation from birth to five.

The following is extracted from the early learning goals: Literacy section
• Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur.
• Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet.
• Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words.
• Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts.
• Numeracy, say and use number names in order in familiar contexts.
• Count reliably up to ten everyday objects.
• Recognise numerals 1 to 9.
• Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems.
See the full learning goals here

The Daily Mail

Children taught synthetic phonics can see their reading improve in just two weeks...Click here to read the full article

Times Education Supplement

Big gains in reading scores...Click here to read the full article

Extracts from the Rose Report

Because our writing system is alphabetic, beginner readers must be taught how the letters of the alphabet, singly or in combination, represent the sounds of spoken language (letter-sound correspondences) and how to blend (synthesise) the sounds to read words, and break up (segment) the sounds in words to spell. They must learn to process all the letters in words and ‘read words in and out of text’. Phonic work should teach these skills and knowledge in a well defined and systematic sequence.

‘Synthetic’ phonics is the form of systematic phonic work that offers the vast majority of beginners the best route to becoming skilled readers. Among other strengths, this is because it teaches children directly what they need to know.

'Analytic phonics' is good but'synthetic phonics'. is better’.

Multi-sensory activities featured strongly in high quality phonic work and often encompassed,variously, simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities involving, for example, physical movement to copy letter shapes and sounds, and manipulate magnetic or other solid letters to build words.

Having considered a wide range of evidence, the review has concluded that the case for systematic phonic work is overwhelming and much strengthened by a synthetic approach.

Wikipedia - a clear definition of 'synthetic phonics'.

Start early

"Particular focus on early years as evidence indicated early achievement at nursery level, including providing children materials to practice at home before starting primary school, reduced the number of children with problems learning to read."