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The schwa is the most common (non) sound in our language. It is a flat unstressed vowel sound and for learners with poor orthographic memories (memory for how words look) it makes it impossible to choose the correct vowel sound in spelling. I posted a 3 part video back in 2018 modelling ‘pure’ sounds: https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1053280461743644673?s=20 […]

Dyslexia has been ringfenced by the scientific community as requiring specialist support. This approach can make teachers feel powerless, however, teachers are experts and the classroom teacher has the most powerful influence on a student’s learning journey and outcomes. Graduated Approach What is dyslexia anyway? Think beneath the behaviours and consider how dyslexia looks across

1. Contractions https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1173495005513695232?s=21 2. Open and closed syllables 3. Learning a word as a picture https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1055882958513627137?s=20 4. Voiced and unvoiced sounds https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1114178813339033601?s=20 5. Link reading and spelling as words are deconstructed. https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1091979361169879040?s=20 6. Cut words up to show the syllables. https://twitter.com/thinkpix_suze/status/1095739606560059393?s=20 7. Use magnetic letters, this example uses stop motion video. You can also take

The suffix ‘ed used in a past tense, regular verb is a year one target (together with ‘ing’ for good reason) The ed suffix is an important entry into the world of morphology and represents an important move away from a phonics-only approach as ‘ed is never spelled as it sounds. Previous post on morphology:

This is a great time to implement yoga in your classroom. It can be done in a bubble and no equipment is needed. Younger children respond particularly well as humans are more likely to mimic (copy) than primates! Sound release is especially beneficial- the sound of the Om chant is thought to stimulate the Vagus

Some students really struggle with times table facts. TT Rock Stars just makes them stressed. The symbol itself can cause some confusion as it’s close to the addition sign and multiplication is taught initially as repeated addition- further confusing some chdn. An image which integrates the symbol with its meaning can be helpful, ‘lots of’:

How can teachers and TAs be best supported to support SEND or ‘catch up’ learners? In terms of improving the experience of learners who are behind in school, perhaps the real focus should be on initial teacher training, where the most impact can be made. The challenge to train all teachers to teach children with

The term morphology was taken from biology where it is used to represent the study of the form of plants and animals. Its first recorded use is in writings by Goethe (1796). It was first used in relation to linguistics by August Schleicher (1859) to refer to the study of the form of words (Salmon,

Easter 2019, I took my rather large volume of Mary Oliver poems to Cornwall with the intention of committing one to memory. I had been inspired by an article written by Nicholas Pearson, then publishing director of 4th Estate. I kept this article for years. He had memorised T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land (433 lines!!)

Great improvements have been made in the teaching of phonics, however some children – whilst they know their sounds STILL cannot blend. WHY? These children may have a dyslexic-type profile, they may have some dyspraxia – they are likely to have low working memory. What to do? Ensure that their sounds are ‘pure’ ie without