Full Class Phonics

Summary

The video script addresses the challenges students face in acquiring phonics skills due to the complexity of the English alphabet and disrupted learning conditions. The language and literacy team introduces a series of foundational skills lessons, starting with full-class phonics instruction. The lesson plan includes auditory blending activities, explicit instruction on letter-sound correspondence, guided practice with peer collaboration, and strategies like 'tap it, map it, graph it' to reinforce learning. Differentiated instruction is emphasized to cater to various learning styles, ensuring inclusive teaching that reaches all students.

Takeaways

• 📚 English's alphabetic system can be confusing for students, leading to gaps in phonics acquisition.
• 🔍 The language and literacy team offers facilitated learning opportunities to address these gaps in foundational skills.
• 🎓 The first in a series of lessons focuses on full-class phonics, which involves matching spoken English sounds with letters.
• 📈 Phonics helps children decode unfamiliar words by blending letter sounds, aiding in reading fluency.
• 👂 The lesson begins with an anticipatory set to engage students in auditory blending activities.
• 📝 Materials needed include sound spelling cards, pictures, the Accelerated Phonics resource document, and a word chart for guided practice.
• 👀 Direct instruction involves showing concept cards and using picture cues to make connections for students with language access barriers.
• 🤸‍♂️ Engaging in kinesthetic activities like skywriting helps lock the sound-symbol relationship into students' brains.
• 👥 Guided practice involves peer collaboration and reading word lists with a connected pattern.
• 📊 The 'Tap it, Map it, Graph it' strategy is used for checking understanding and reinforcing phonics patterns.
• 📚 Independent practice with connected texts allows students to apply their new skills in reading.
• 🤔 Metacognitive questions are asked to ensure students are confident and can explain their thinking with the new phonics pattern.
• 📋 An exit ticket or dictation sentence can be used for assessment, with students highlighting the focus pattern.
• 🌟 Differentiation of instruction is crucial for reaching all learners, with strategies tailored to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.
• 🌐 Accommodations and advanced learning opportunities should be considered for EL students and those at risk or advanced in their learning.

Q & A

What is the main challenge students face with the English language as described in the script?

The main challenge students face is the struggle with basic phonics acquisition due to the confusing alphabetic system of English and the unusual learning conditions of the last few years, which have resulted in gaps in their encoding, spelling, and decoding skills.

What does the language and literacy team offer to address the identified need in students' language skills?

The language and literacy team offers foundational focused facilitated learning opportunities to build capacity with teachers to deliver full-class foundational skills lessons, starting with full class phonics.

What is the purpose of phonics in language learning as explained in the script?

Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters, which helps children blend the sounds of letters together to decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out.

What materials are needed for the phonics lesson as described in the script?

The materials needed include sound spelling cards, associated pictures for scaffolding, the Accelerated phonics resource document, a word chart for guided practice, a word list, and a template for the 'tap it map it' graphic strategy, as well as connected text.

What is the first step in the lesson delivery according to the script?

The first step is the anticipatory set, where students are engaged in an auditory blending activity to warm up and listen for specific sounds in words.

How does the script suggest sparking a child's love for word play?

The script suggests using phonemic awareness activities and engaging children in word play by asking them to change sounds in words and encouraging them to think about the sounds.

What is the significance of skywriting in the phonics lesson?

Skywriting helps students to lock the sound-symbol relationship into their brains by physically moving their arms to form the letters while saying the focus concept three times.

What strategy does the script recommend for checking students' understanding of phonics patterns?

The script recommends the 'tap it map it graph it' strategy, where students tap the word, map the sounds, and graph the letters, using a provided template and word list.

How should teachers ensure that students are feeling confident in their metacognition during the lesson?

Teachers should ask questions throughout the lesson to ensure students are confident in explaining their thinking with the new phonics pattern and to check for understanding.

What is the role of connected text in the independent practice phase of the phonics lesson?

Connected text provides students with the opportunity to practice their new phonics skills by reading in order to apply what they have learned in a more natural context.

How can the lesson be differentiated to accommodate different learning styles as per the script?

Differentiation can be achieved by providing picture cues for visual learners, engaging in phonological awareness activities for auditory learners, incorporating skywriting and body movements for kinesthetic learners, offering scaffolding like templates and visual cues for EL students, and providing extended learning opportunities for advanced learners.