02. Classroom

Classroom programs for learners aged ~5-7

US and Irish materials tend to be less applicable than UK ones in Australia due to accent differences (Australian English has no syllable-final “r” sound)

Blend Phonics (US, free program)
Code-Breakers by the Hamilton Trust (UK)
Dandelion Launchers and Dandelion Readers and workbooks (UK)
Doorway Into Practical Literacy (DIPL) (Aus)
EBLI (US)
Fitzroy Readers (Aus)
Floppy’s Phonics (UK)
Freereading (US, free resources)
Get Reading Right (Aus)
Hooked on Phonics (US)
Horizons 1998 (US, reading program)
Jolly Phonics (UK), also available in Australia from SPELD SA or Modern Teaching Aids, and there is a Jolly Phonics YouTube channel, and training is available from Jolly Phonics In Melbourne (Jacqui Tarquinio). Jacqui has also made videos for parents.
LEM Phonics (Aus)
Little Learners Love Literacy (Aus), who also run regular, affordable workshops. I’ve made a video about their books for beginners, which you can watch here, or watch their much more professional video here.
Phonics Bug (UK), but as far as I can work out Pearson Australia only sells the Bug Club books, not other components of Phonics Bug.
Phonics International (UK).
PhOrMeS (Aus) is a free primary years curriculum including phonemic awareness and phonics.
Promoting Literacy Development or PLD (Aus)
Pocket Rockets (AUS), or a video about them is here. Should be used with strategies from Phase 2 and 3 of the free Letters and Sounds guide, and resources following the Letters and Sounds sequence, available from Smartkids. I also have a Phase 2 (free!) and Phase 3 workbook.
Read Write Inc (UK), there is a video about this program here.
Reading Mastery (US)
Reading Teacher (US)
Snappy Sounds (Aus – available May 2019)
Sounds Good Phonics (Ireland), sold internationally by Gill Education
Sounds Together (UK)
Sounds~Write (UK), training and resources also available in Australia, here’s a video from the 2015 Melbourne Sounds~Write training.
Spalding (US), click here for Australian supplier
Wilson Reading Program (US)
Zoo Phonics (US)

Also, US Professor Janice Light has designed a literacy curriculum for learners who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication, so if your students have significant disabilities this looks well worth investigating.

11 thoughts on “02. Classroom”

Anna Linard March 11, 2018 at 10:39 am

I am a Primary Teacher in my 52nd year of teaching, working part-time as a Classroom Teacher Assistant, withdrawing the most needy Year 1 and 2 students, using strategies learnt in the training course of http://www.readingsimplified.com and using your letters!

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1. alison Post authorMarch 13, 2018 at 8:47 pm
  
  Wow, Anna, an amazing teaching innings, your students are very lucky to have you! Alison
  
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fleur.forster January 9, 2019 at 11:00 am

I have found the online Australian program ‘Sound Waves’ to be very good. Have you seen it?

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1. alison Post authorJanuary 10, 2019 at 9:08 am
  
  Yes, I have it (the publisher gave me a copy of the whole thing a few years ago, wow), so I show it to people and link to it from my website, but it’s a spelling program rather than integrating reading and spelling seamlessly as reciprocal processes, which is a better approach than teaching spelling and reading as though they are separate things. I understand they are doing, or have done, a rewrite of the Foundation level so that might address this problem, but as yet I haven’t had a chance this summer to take a closer look. If they can include a proper synthetic phonics teaching sequence that reflects or includes decodable books that will be excellent. All the best, Alison
  
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ADI SATRIA PANGESTU June 20, 2019 at 6:07 pm

oh me too, I have found the online Indonesian too. Have you seen it ?

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1. alison Post authorJune 22, 2019 at 6:35 am
  
  I don’t speak Bahasa (Sadly. My sisters both do, but it wasn’t offered at our school the year I had to choose a language) so I haven’t been looking for Indonesian things, and haven’t seen anything on how to teach phonics in Bahasa, I guess that’s what you mean.
  
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Jo June 17, 2023 at 2:42 pm

Hi Alison, Do you have any suggestions for older students who struggle with spelling, rather than reading? I would love to find a placement test to see where they may need to work on and then target that area. I hoped SPELD may have a free one.

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1. alison Post authorJune 20, 2023 at 11:44 am
  
  Hi Jo, I think most spelling/phonics programs/teaching sequences have informal, nonstandardised placement tests you could use, see for example https://www.phonicbooks.co.uk/advice-and-resources/advice-and-resources-for-teachers/where-to-start/ (but use it as a spelling test not just a reading one), or you could try my free low frequency word spelling test: https://www.spelfabet.com.au/materials/low-frequency-spelling-test. I have videos for each level on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJgLJ7MlsM0&list=PLPRCsGiF_tQs8LOfvXtqzcinf7-hj7G7h&index=10&t=8s. I don’t know of a free test from SPELD but there are also some free tests on the MOTIF website https://www.motif.org.au/. Hope you find something useful out of that! Alison
  
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