step031.htm/19DEC2001

Step 31‑35

This is the last stage of reading with just single letters. You move on to words of any length: stamp, crust, comic, with 5 letters, on to: clinic, hospital, caravan, interesting, Japan, America, Canada. Use your atlas. If you do not have one, Philips' Modern School Atlas is suitable. Many countries and towns have simply spelled names, and we must keep our pupil's mind and vocabulary expanding! Try Scotland, Finland, India, Iran, Mexico, Italy, Brazil; and states in America: Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana; and Atlantic.

In some words we do not hear a clear vowel sound. We say baskit, sev'n. It is a good idea to say the word as it is spelt, basKETT, sevEN, making the e say the sound in "ten", for the first 2‑3 times we say any word. Say:

hos‑pi‑tal (a as in cat)

problem (e as in ten)

Some people need extra practice in listening to, and hearing, sounds in words (phonological awareness). Now and then, once a week, practise saying words as follows:

CRUST c‑rust

cr‑ust

cru‑st

crus‑t .............. CRUST.

The leader (teacher) begins the word, and the pupil completes it saying the chunk needed to

complete the word. Then, later on, practise breaking words up into sounds:

church ch ur ch

cloud c l ou d

paint p ai n t

play p l ay

Use a pairs game, dice game, and "Is it?" booklet, and you can now make three bingo

games.

Word bingo

stamp stand swank basket Frank cramp

nasty flask grasp plant rabbit rascal

plank seven eleven expand empty lemon

sting bring index swing drink comic

along problem trumpet bullet hundred rusty

crust stump.

Remember: If you have a sound(letter) twice, either a double consonant or a ck, you only say

the sound once.

Girls' names bingo

Anna Betty Molly Linda Peggy Polly

Amanda Brenda Camilla Glenda Matilda Emma

Olga Pamela Edna Elsa Veronica Joanna

Lydia Stella Vanessa Hilda Sally Pat

Rebecca Kim Sylvia Dolly Hannah Jessica

Mildred Winifred.

Boys' names bingo.

Alan Bill Alec Brendan Eric Harry

Henry Frank Fred Adam Kit Ronald

Rex Sam Robin Tom Colin Derek

Duncan Kim Kevin Tim Jim Max

William Winston Trevor Angus Ross Cliff

Jack Patrick.

Try to spell words and girls' and boys' names. You can get from W.H.Smith a double‑lined exercise book called a "Handwriting Book".

Can you write the word beside the picture? If you have a sound (consonant) twice, you only say it once (pocket, bucket, rabbit)(Click here)

Reading, Dictation

Try this: Sam and his family on the sands.

Frank and Sam can swim. A red crab bit Sam. Frank ran to Mum. Dad swam back to help Sam. but the crab still held on! Dad hit the crab and it let go. Sam put the crab back on the sand. It ran fast.

Jokes

Jokes are short. They are funny (we hope). They help learners to grasp what a pun is. You can use them just for reading, or for dictation. Many jokes are riddles, starting with WHAT or WHO, so you will need to explain that these are irregular words, that do not match the letter‑sounds completely. (‘What’ comes under WA, Step 90).

1) What runs but has no legs? A tap.

2) Pat is Miss's pet. (teacher's pet.) Miss has not got a dog.

3) Can a hat box? No, but a tin can.

4) What is a happy tin in the U.S.A.? A‑merry‑can

5) Miss: Did you spill the ink, Bill? Bill: Yes, I done it.

Miss: Bill, where's your grammar? Bill: In bed with the 'flu.

You will need to explain that the e in done is silent, does not make the o long; and “Where”

is an irregular word.

6) What has a bottom at the top? A leg.

7) "If a quadruped has 4 legs, and a biped has 2 legs, what is a zebra?" "A Stri ‑‑‑ ped."

8) A book title: Willy Win, by Betty Wont. (Will he win? I bet he won't.)

Explain as necessary!

Bedtime stories.

You can always read stories to children for their pleasure. Now you can start letting the learner read, puzzle out, the words you know he can read, the words with no letter-groups. (It gets really exciting when (s)he says, "No, let me do it by myself!") As he learns more letter‑groups, he will read more of the words, until he can take over.

BUT if (s)he starts guessing or predicting, discourage this, or stop story‑books for a while. Often victims of "real books" etc. will do quite well on this programme, not guessing on the games, but as soon as you give them a book, they go back to guessing, which is a real barrier to progress.

Nagging is a misery. For a child, I put out 5 Smarties, and each time the learner guesses, one Smartie goes back in the jar. I do not say a word. The pupils, sadly, think that guessing ‑ fast ‑ is better than getting it right at their own speed.

Guessing is a terrible thing. It is not a “strategy” for reading. It is a danger signal telling that the pupil cannot read from the letters.

The only "Don't" in my lessons is "Don't guess.

a is often printed as a.

A frog is in the pond.

A duck is on the pond.

The rabbit is not in the pond.

A frog can swim.

A duck can swim.

A frog is happy in the pond and on the land.

It is windy. The wind lifts the umbrella up, and Pam as well.

Pam's dog, Skip, is getting wet.

It is hot in the sun. Pam has a long drink of milk. Pam's dog, Flip, jumps into the pond, and has a long swim.

Flip wets Pam's dress, and flops on the grass to rest. Pam slips on the wet grass.

Can the pupil fill in the missing letters?

Pam drinks a glass of m _ _ _ .

Flip flops on the g _ _ ss.

The sun is h _ _ .

Flip sw _ _ s in the pon _ .

Pa_ sl _ _ s on the _ _ ass.

Pam's d _ ess is w _ t and muddy.

Still, Pam and Fli _ are happy! Fl _ p licks P _ m.

Pam has a _ _ _, Skip. Skip smells a _ _ _ _ _ _ Skip runs off into the forest. Skip runs in grass and mud. Pam is upset until Skip runs back very muddy but Pam is happy and hugs him. Skip has a _ _ _ _ on his neck. He cannot get lost.