LEARNING YOUR ALPHABET SOUNDS
For the alphabet sounds abvove, play the above recording, pause it at intervals, look at the alphabet letter in question and, while looking at it, repeat back the sound up to nine times aloud. Varying the beat as the sounds are repeated helps.
Below are three documents that will be followed by sound videos. The first is all the common words, the second is letter blends and the third is words with different patterns that contain the same sounds. This is the sum total of material necessary when it comes to learning to read. Other words can be typed into dictionary.com as can the key sounds in those words.
The dyslexic will only learn if it is they who say back the sounds.
Suggested procedure for learning the sounds below (you may be able to simply listen, while humming and looking).
First see what you can work out for yourself and delete, leaving yourself only with what needs to be learnt.
Taking the words and sounds one line at a time
i) Listen and look (the word that contains the sound should be visible to your eye at the same time);
ii)Listen, hum and look;
iii)Listen, whisper and look;
iv) Listen while pronouncing the sound softly (in different ways or in different accents) and look;
v) Listen and write out from dictation, speaking the sound as you go.
Even adult dyslexics don’t necessarily know all their alphabet sounds. It has always puzzled me that, for over a century, schools still teach alphabet names before their sounds. The only reason synthetic phonics doesn't work well for the dyslexic is that they are not the ones saying the sounds and yet, if they don't fully engage their voices as they learn, all is forgotten by the next day. All the synthetic phonics teacher needs to remember to do is ensure the dyslexics are saying the sounds at the same time as they can see them written down. This can be emphasised as described above.
common words
Teaching the non-reader to read common words. Same drill as for learning alphabet sounds.
MORE Common words
*1 COMMON WORDS 1st21
Edward Fry,
Rutgers University Reading Centre
"The New Instant Word List" from The Reading Teaching.
The first 12 constitute 25% of all reading materials
100 words = 50% of all reading matter
300 words = 65% of all reading matter
Instant recognition and ability to spell rapidly and correctly is necessary.
Pupils normally knows these words by end of Year 3.
Can teach odd ones with flash cards, bingo games, etc. Also work with your learner to type out sentences that include the common words in question. What your learner can then do is dictate that same sentence onto Voice Memos on their iphone, type it up from dictation and mark themselves. The “Dictate” icon on their computer home page should transcribe it accurately. Periodically re-test your learner on recently taught words to assure mastery.
Here follows the most irregular of the common words followed by sentences that include them.
Is of the to was as are for his one said so they we about by call come could little my no only or our out right some their two who your old you be or one word said there use each about out many more could people oil know year around because house point answer don't few once enough eat music colour four.
The common word combinations below are based on a cat called Tom. The way to learn them is to recite them in the learner's own voice onto Voice Memo (on your iPhone) and then listen to them while you read, at the same time, the words and then look away and write them from dictation and then mark yourself.
Who is Tom?
He was and is our only cat. No. I mean, my cat
Tom is one or two years too old to go to nursery, maybe three or four.
He is and always was one of about four cats out of the original eight.
Tom is too old to get it right all the time
If they call Tom he won’t hear
Tom said he could come so I know he is about to
Tom was pleased enough with the colour.
Tom likes music but likes to eat more.
There are a few more things to point out that Tom goes about doing.
Tom’s answer to how much he has eaten is, a few.
Don’t expect Tom to give you the right answer.
Tom is shy because he is little.
Tom got a house point because he was once naughty.
The answer is because there were once just a few cats around.
Tom is as glad to be with people as he said.
Your cat has said some words about Tom that each of us heard.
Many more cats know what year it is.
Tom is glad for the people who own him to use olive oil but only on their
own food.
We stand by Tom. You are welcome to find some cats yourself.
Tom goes out and so do his friends.
As soon as Tom is hungry, he will eat.
*2 First 12 words
A and he I in is it of that the to was
*3Next 20 words combined with the above constitute 33% of all reading material
All as at be but are for had have him his not on one said so they we with you
*4Next 68 words, combined with the previous 32, constitute approximately 50% of all reading material
i About an back been before big by call came can come could did do down
ii first from get go has her here if into just like little look made make me more
iii much must my no new now off only or our other out over right see she
iv some their them then there this two when up want well went were what
v where which who will your old.
*5 Group 1 the of and a to in is you that it he was for on are as with his they I at be this have from.
*6Group 2 or one had by word but not what all were we when your can said there use an each which she do now their if
*7Group 3 will up other about out many then them these so some her would make like him into time has look two more write go see
*8Group 4 number no way could people my than first water been call who oil now find long down day did get come made may part over.
Common suffixes: s. ing. ed.
*9Group 2(1) new sound take only little work know place year live me back give most very after thing our just name good sentence man think say
*10Group 2(2) great where help through much before line right too mean old any same tell boy follow came want show also around form three small set
*11Group 2(3) put end does another well large must big even such because turn here why ask went men read need land different home us move try
*12Group 2(4) kind hand picture again change off play spell air away animal house point page letter mother answer found study still learn should America world high
*13Common suffixes s. ing. ed. er. ly. est.
Group 3(1) every near add food between own below country plant last school father keep tree never start city earth eye light thought head under story saw
*14Group 3(2) left don't few while along might close something seem next hard open example begin life always those both paper together got group often run important
*15Group 3(3) until children slide feet car mile night walk white sea began grow took river four carry state once book hear stop without second late miss
*16Group 3(4) idea enough eat face watch far Indian real almost let above girl sometimes mountain cut young talk soon list song leave family body music colour.
letter blends
NB The dyslexic learner will not learn by looking and thinking. The only way to learn is look and speak: speak the sound or word up to eight or nine times WHILE LOOKING at the letters.
I have provided a word each for the letter blends. Once you can say the blend without the word you can apply that to the many other words that include that blend.
To give you a sense of the power you have once you know what sound a blend makes, so from speaking it, in this experiment you will work out how to pronounce this word: epithalamion, which means marriage poem. The magic of speaking aloud each part of the word makes it easy for you to read “epithalamion” unaided. Try it: first read epi, then epithal, then epithalam and now epithalamion.
Suggested procedure for learning the sounds below (you may be able to simply listen, while humming and looking)
First see what you can work out for yourself and delete, leaving yourself only with what needs to be learnt.
Taking the words and sounds one line at a time
i) Listen and look (the word that contains the sound should be visible to your eye at the same time);
ii)Listen, hum and look;
iii)Listen, whisper and look;
iv) Listen while pronouncing the sound softly (in different ways or in different accents) and look;
v) Listen and write out from dictation (don't look until you've finished).
1ash(dash) 2aby(baby) 3abby(tabby) 4ate(fate) 5ain(train) 6ar(bar) 7ay(day) 8au(autumn) b 9br(brick) c 10ch(chat)
11ca(can) 12cl(click) 13cr(crust) 14cu(cup) 15ci(circle) 16cious(spacious) 17cient(ancient) 18cial(special) 19cian(magician)
20cy (cycle) 21ce (once) 22cue (barbecue) 23co (company)
d 24dge (badge) 25dw (dwarf) e 26ea(tea) 27ee (free) 28er (her) 29ew (few) f
30fl (flow) 31fr (friend) g 32gy (gyroscope) 33gu (gut) 34ga (gas) 35gi (give) 36go (got) 37gh (rough) 38gl (glow) 39gr (grow) h i
40ie (lie) 41ion (lion) j k l m 42mp(lump) n 43nd (end)
44nce(once) 45nch(inch) 46nt(lent) 47nk (think) 48ng (thing) o 49oa(boat)
50ote(note) 51oe (toe) 52ow (tow) 53oy(boy) 54oi(noise) 55ou(out) 56oise (poise)57or(nor) p 58pr(present) 59pl(please)
60ph(phone) q r s 61sc(scene) 62scr(scrape) 63st(stick) 64str(straw) 65sw(swat) 66spl(splash) 67sh (shut) 68sion (television) 69shr (shred)
70sl (slip) 71sm(smack) 72sn (snow) 73sp (spin) 74squ (square) 75st (stone) 76str(straw) 77tr(tray) 78tw(twenty) 70th(this)
80thr(three) 81tient(ancient) 82ough(tough) 83tion(station) 84tial (spatial) 85tious (nutritious) 86ture (miniature) u 87us (bus) 88ue (cue) 89ute (cute)
90uate (extenuate)91une(prune) 92udge(fudge) 93utch(hutch) 94ury (jury) v w 95wh (when) x y z
The Big Sounds: SOFT C/HARD C
1cynic 2cygnet 3crisp 4clamp 5citizen 6circle 7cinema 8certain 9cereal 10centre 11cell 12cedar 13cup 14crunch 15cot 16coffee 17coat 18clip 19clap 20civil 21city 22circus 23cider 24cent 25cement 26cellar 27cape 28cat 29cake 30can 31cease 32cut
Final Big Sounds: SOFT G/HARD G
1gasp 2gin 3gyrate 4gypsy 5gymnastics 6gym 7guy 8guide 9guest 10guess 11grub 12green 13grass 14grape 15grand 16goat 17glove 18glass 19giraffe 20ginger 21giant 22German 23germ 24geography 25gentleman 26gentle 27gent 28genius 29general 30gender 31gem 32gate 33gash 34gas 35gang 36game
WORDS WITH THE SAME SOUNDS
1. Sounds like “a”
Cat; mat; fat; bat
2. Sounds like “O”
Note; boat; tow; toe; grow; though; soul; bowl
3. Sounds like “A”
Ape; rain; say; stake; they; eight; paper; vein; straight
4. Sounds like “ar”
Glass; jar; far; bar; car
5. Sounds like “aw”
Fraud; law; walk; fork; fought; fort; taught
6. Sounds like “o”
Pot; swat; not; got
7. Sounds like “ee”
Chief; meet; seat; funny; she; petite; variation; receive; Eve; key
8. Sounds like “I”
Kite; pride; wild; night; fly; height
9. Sounds like “er”
Faster; turn; girl; work; learn; dollar; favour; centre
10. Sounds like “u”
Tub, touch, some, Monday
11. Sounds like “ow”
Ow; cow; out; drought.
12. Sounds like “oy”
Boy; soil; boil; foil
13. Sounds like ”U”
Mule; pupil; few
14. Sounds like “e”
Bed, bread, said, friend
15. Sounds like “i”
In; myth; within, trim
16. Sounds like “oo”
Boot; blue; new; super; suit; flute; soup; shoe; do; through
17. Sounds like “oo”
Cook; would; put
18. A words: any, all, at, after
19. B words: big, rubber
20. C words: circle can cider certain could
21. Ch words: chip, match
22. D words: dude, rubbed, dove
23. E words: every eat
24. F words: fat, stuff, phone, tough
25. G words: rag; haggle; ghost
26. H words: hot, home
27. I words: in, it, lip
28. J words: jet, jelly, gentle, barge fudge
29. K words: kite; cut; duck; Christmas
30. L words: lip, full, sample, label, people, navel
31. M Words: man; simmer; numb; autumn
32. N words: know; nut; pneumonia; sinner; gnat
33. O words: often, otter, other
34. P words: help; happy; hope
35. Qu words: Queen
36. R words: rat, right, carry, rhino, there
37. S words: sip, glass, cent, voice, house, castle, science
38. Sh words: shop, machine, sugar
39. T words: top, tip, table
40. Th words: Thursday, thing, they
41. U words: us, undo, up
42. V words: very, nerve
43. W words: wig, when
44. X words: fox, exit, Xmas, kiss (the letter X sounds like the word “kiss”)
45. Y words: yes, yesterday, yipee
46. Z words: zip, buzz, is, choose, snooze, xylophone and literature.
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