Sydney Case Study

Jessica wrote this:

Jessica

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She’s 5, in her first school year, and English is her second language.

So what is her school doing right?

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Case Study

Tina’s class learn the “ie” sound with its action – they’re pretending to be sailors and saying “Aye aye!”

And why are the children so excited about it?

Let Our Lady of Lebanon School* tell you in their own words... *Sydney, Australia

Why we adopted Jolly Phonics

used words with both single-letter sounds and digraphs, as well as a repertoire of “tricky” words that

by Celeste Musgrave & Tina Di Mauro, kindergarten teachers cannot be sounded out.

The handwriting style in Jolly t our school, we have always began to trial the programme home a Soundbook containing Phonics did not confuse the been concerned about the with our kindergarten classes. At each week’s new sounds, and later children, who were being taught children’s literacy standards. With first we adopted a flexible Word Boxes and lists of irregular or the “foundation” style set by the our old phonics programme approach to suit our school’s “tricky” words. The children NSW Dept. of Education. We combined with a whole language special needs; we decided enjoyed this as they began to thought this difference insignifapproach, the to introduce experience their own reading icant, since children are exposed children had the letter success. Meanwhile changes to so many different styles of print “The multisensory a good at were made to our reading in books, signs and computers. approach was ideal for our sounds knowledge a slower programme, to All the children of the 26 ESL school community” rate than complement “The children loved it began to alphabet letters The Phonics the whole succeed in and sounds by the end of their Handbook suggests. l a n g u a g e – they would ask to write reading and kindergarten year. But they The initial stages ... approach writing very in spare moments!” didn’t know how to blend these We used phonemic awareness with phoneticsearly in their sounds for reading, or identify activities in the kindergarten based games and activities from schooling and they loved it. They them in words for writing, and pre-reading programme to help The Phonics Handbook. would often ask if they could were unaware of sounds made the children identify the sounds ... And the success write in spare moments! This with more than one letter: in words. After a few weeks they Over the course of the year we success is yet more astonishing digraphs and blends. were already doing this by saw how the children’s con- when one considers how many of Jolly Phonics teaches these themselves, choosing a word and fidence increased with their these children are not given things, and we realised that the sounding it out with the actions understanding of the 42 sounds. parental support and speak programme had other advantages they had learnt. The Jolly Phonics With the phonetics component English only in school. We can for our school community. The multisensory approach made of our reading programme and only imagine the success that Jolly children come from non-English- the learning great fun for them.

Jolly Phonics as our phonics Phonics could have in schools speaking backgrounds, and while a In this first term, we had only programme, all the children were where the parental support is small percentage receive parental planned to explore one new able to read and write by the end of high and English is the children’s support with their schoolwork, the sound each week. However, each the kindergarten year. Ability main language. vast majority rely on the teacher as letter sound is introduced with a levels varied, but their sole educator. The multi- story, and we found that the the standard was sensory approach of Jolly Phonics children grew impatient for more high. Jessica’s sounded ideal; teaching the 42 stories and actions, so informally work (shown on sounds with actions and letter we began to introduce all the front cover) is shapes would During typical of a five“All the children could sounds. really help the subsequent y e a r - o l d ’ s children learn read and write by the end terms the pace writing towards and remember was increased the end of kindof kindergarten” them. until eventually ergarten, since Introducing the programme ... we were teaching all 42 sounds we started Celeste We attended an inservice on in the first term. using Jolly teaches the “p” Jolly Phonics by author Sue As suggested by The Phonics Phonics. sound – the children pretend to puff out Lloyd, and soon afterwards Handbook, the children took She has

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candles, saying “p!”

Using Jolly Phonics

Phonics, as well as being better prepared in terms of resources, I felt more confident in my personal understanding of the teaching principles. I made a more determined effort to encourage the children to use the word attack skills they had learned during phonics lessons whenever they were reading and writing during the normal school day. So, in effect, phonics became a natural part of daily work, taught formally in specific timetabled lessons and informally throughout everyday learning and on the improvements they across the curriculum. have noticed themselves.

Parental resSo far I have ponse to the “Parents often say they only used Jolly programme is Phonics for very positive. Par- notice children’s reading two years – ents frequently but I feel sure has improved” comment on how I shall continue much their children enjoy reading to do so for a long time to come!

by Julie Figuero, Year 1 teacher

have been using The Phonics Initially, I was anxious about Handbook for two years now, preparing classroom resources focussing mainly on reading. from the reproducible material Through weekly phonics lessons, in The Phonics Handbook – and it I have taught the did take time to “The children children all the make all the sounds of Eng- remain positive even books, flashlish in the cards, board recommended when confronted with games, charts, order, giving all etc. for the difficult words” children’s of the spelling handspossibilities for each sound. In on activities. With hindsight, comparison with our old phonics though, I realise that the programmes, Jolly Phonics gives preparation was more than the children more information, worthwhile, in creating fun significantly extending their word activities for the children to attack skills. As a result, their practise their word attack skills. I attempts to sound out new words was also able to use many are more successful. existing classroom resources The children’s response has with only minor modifications, been very positive. They have and I had fun making up games shown far more interest in of my own. reading than in previous years, In my second year with Jolly and are more confident about reading new words. They often describe aloud how they are Results of Standardised Reading and Spelling Tests tackling unfamiliar words, and I can see that they are modelling Kindergarten Red (Celeste’s class) Kindergarten Blue (Tina’s class) strategies from phonics lessons.

Pupil: Boy/ Actual Reading Spelling Pupil: Boy/ Actual Reading Spelling When confronted with a difficult Girl: Age: Age: Age: Girl: Age: Age: Age: word they remain positive, simply labelling the word “tricky” BH b 5:4 6:7 6:2 FF b 5:11 8:0 8:10 and then moving on without BN b 5:11 6:1 6:3 IN b 6:0 8:4 9:3 feeling that they have failed. The CK g 5:6 7:7 7:9 FS g 5:10 6:7 8:10 CM b 5:5 6:7 6:2 CD b 6:2 5:7 6:2 children are more positive even DO b 5:4 6:0 5:8 IB b 5:5 5:3 6:0 when they make mistakes.

DD b 5:7 8:1 8:7 LD b 5:10 6:1 NS Instead of being discouraged, FB b 5:3 6:3 6:1 GE g 5:4 5:7 6:2 they are interested in finding out FU g 5:10 5:8 6:4 NN g 5:8 5:9 6:7 how the word should be read GO g 5:8 6:9 6:7 NB b 6:1 7:0 7:3 HF g 5:11 8:0 7:6 SN g 5:7 6:7 6:2 correctly. Phrases such as “That’s HS g 5:6 6:7 6:4 JK g 5:4 6:0 7:5 a tough word”, or “That time the HB g 5:6 6:7 6:4 BN b 5:6 7:9 8:7 rule didn’t work”, really helped in HD b 5:4 6:1 6:0 GK b 5:3 6:0 6:3 maintaining a positive atmosIB b 5:10 6:3 6:1 ON b 5:7 6:2 6:4 phere and developing good selfIT g 5:7 6:5 6:4 DF b 5:3 5:8 6:6 IS b 6:1 6:8 6:10 IK b 5:11 6:6 6:11 esteem in the children’s reading IN g 5:3 7:2 6:6 OU b 6:0 7:3 7:9 and writing experiences. I LD g 5:9 6:7 6:11 DU g 5:9 6:0 6:5 believe these positive feelings MC g 6:2 6:4 6:4 OC g 6:2 5:9 6:11 towards reading are a direct OS b 5:9 7:2 8:3 MS g 5:11 5:7 6:2 result of using SA g 5:8 6:5 6:4 NK b 5:6 5:8 6:4 TF g 6:2 5:9 6:5 KM g 5:7 6:4 6:5 Jolly Phonics.

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87.5% of the children were ahead in reading and 96.4% were ahead in spelling!

TB UT UD AH AN

b g g g b

6:0 5:4 5:11 6:0 6:2

7:8 6:4 6:8 7:0 7:4

8:0 6:1 6:4 8:3 8:3

NB NK GK HN HF OT AR

Average:

5:8

6:8

6:9

Boys: Girls:

5:9 5:8

6:9 6:7

6:11 6:7

92.6%

100%

% above Actual Age:

% above Actual Age:

b b g g b g b

6:1 5:6 5:9 6:2 5:6 5:4 5:11

7:3 6:1 6:3 6:0 5:8 6:6 5:2

7:9 6:1 6:5 6:7 6:5 6:8 6:8

Average:

5:9

6:3

6:11

Boys: Girls:

5:9 5:8

6:5 6:1

7:2 6:8

79.3%

93.1%

Reading Test: Daniels and Diack Standard Test of Reading Skills Spelling Test: The South Australian Spelling Test (NS, or no score, considered as 5.8) All ages shown in years and months.

Jolly Phonics in a balanced literacy programme

by Angela Hassarati, Reading Recovery teacher t the start of the year, as part of our minimal. The children were In reading, unfamiliar words new Reading Recovery successful in transferring their were sounded out slowly with Programme, I adknowledge to their minimal teacher support. The ministered Observ“The children’s writing. Dominant only danger, as with any phonicsation Surveys to vowel and con- based literacy programme, was those Year One writing is fluent and sonant sounds of the children’s seeing reading children who were at were represented purely as a word-decoding independent” risk of becoming poor correctly with the exercise. Emphasis should also readers.The results showed the success appropriate graphemes, and be placed on reading for of the Jolly Phonics programme in were almost always sequenced meaning. Ideally Jolly Phonics kindergarten, especially on in the right order. should be used to phonics-based tests. The children Thanks to their easy “Remarkable provide the phonics had few problems identifying recall of consonant component of a results!” letters by their names or sounds, blends and digraphs, school-based Balanced and confusion over letters with the children’s writing was fluent Literacy Programme. In the two similar sounds or shapes was and independent. years since its implementation

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here, Jolly Phonics has certainly helped us to produce some remarkable results!

The children now begin to read and write in their first year of school, and continue to develop these skills in Year One. Parents

by Sister Irene Boughosn, Principal have begun to notice a difference children’s level of literacy has have now seen the kindergarten between the skills their older often been a concern. When two children growing in confidence children had acquired in their early of my kindergarten teachers and literacy achievement in years of schooling, with younger approached me, I welcomed ways I had never ones who have their suggestion that we try a seen before. It just completed “I am delighted with kindergarten new phonics programme, is also a blessprovided that a trial period ing to see the the new literacy level” or Year One proved it to be beneficial.

Year One teachers with Jolly Phonics.

Jolly Phonics was noticeably implement the programme, I am delighted with the level of different from our old phonics allowing this success to continue literacy achieved by teachers programme. Now I have seen and develop. Jolly Phonics has and children over the past two what the children can achieve, I given our children the chance to years with Jolly Phonics. I hope realise that the old programme succeed in reading and writing. that the benefits can be did not equip them with the Our teachers become more maintained as the children necessary tools for becoming confident each year they use it, progress onto the higher grades efficient readers and writers. I and the results are astonishing. of their schooling.

Welcoming beneficial changes

s principal, I encourage the staff to explore and implement changes which may benefit the children’s learning.

Due to our non-English-speaking school community, the

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Jolly Phonics and my children

by Emilie Khoury, mother of two s a parent, I believe reading learned to decode new words by and writing are two of the working out all the sounds, but most basic skills for life. Thanks can also recognise a wide to Jolly Phonics both my children repertoire of words by sight. As have made an excellent start her kindergarten year has towards acquiring these skills. progressed, I have seen Chantal The programme gives children develop in reading and writing an understanding of the and maintain high levels of alphabetic code, introducing the achievement in both. What is 42 main sounds of more, thanks to English, includJolly Phonics “My son, 7, enjoys ing digraphs she enjoys such as “ch”, the challenge of reading reading and “ow”,“ai” and “er”. writing, and difficult books” Each sound has a does not see related action which makes it them as tedious chores. memorable. Through the actions, Jolly Phonics was also taught to my daughter Chantal has learnt my older child Charbel, who has the sounds of letters, and when just completed Year One. Charbel to use which combination of is seven, but has an abovethem. Jolly Phonics also shows average reading age. He reads at how to use the sounds to decode a level similar to many children in words – Chantal has not only the grade above, who did not

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receive Jolly Phonics at the start of their schooling. Charbel’s comprehension and vocabulary skills have also progressed dramatically, along with his story writing. He finds reading difficult books an enjoyable challenge.

I am amazed at the eagerness with which both my children read the words around them, and the enjoyment they display as independent readers and writers. Jolly Phonics has helped them both enormously.