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Introduction
Children are born ready to learn. They are naturally curious about everything around them, and
from the moment they are born, a lifelong process of learning begins. It is pertinent to note that
millions of children in Nigeria will never be availed of this opportunity.
The Statistics
Did you know that according to UNESCO (2015) less than 10% of children enrolled in school will
graduate from elementary school without the basics of reading and writing? That means that 9
in every 10 children will be struggling to read and write after spending 6-10 years in school?
It also means a huge number of our children will not be able to fulfill their potentials as a result
of this problem.
Suffice it to say that sadly a significant percentage of our children will not be too different from
the 10.5 million out of school children in Nigeria, both categories of children need serious help.
Imagine what the future holds for these children who are already starting life at a
disadvantaged position.
if children are not learning while enrolled in school, it is safe to state that teachers have not been
employing effective methods to teach them, all other factors been equal.
For this situation to change, deliberate steps of modifying or completely changing pedagogy
must take place, without which everything maintains status quo.
10 reasons why reading is important for the child
1. Reading is the gateway and foundational to all learning
2. It is the basis for creative, and imaginative thinking
3. It builds concentration
4. It enhances writing
5. It enhances spelling
6. Builds vocabulary
7. Nurtures analytical thinking
8. Builds understanding of the world -knowledge
9. Keeps brain cells healthy
10. Has a calming effect
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Reading Approaches
There are different reading methods teachers have employed to teach basic literacy of reading.
Some of them include whole-language approach; Look and Say method and Literature-based
approach.
The methods have their advantages and effectiveness in certain areas but one major
disadvantage is the fact that the learners have to be presented with hundreds of words which
are memorized and regurgitated on demand. Additionally, learners are most often not able to
read unfamiliar words or words that they haven't encountered before.
On the other hand, children that learn to read using phonics are able to decode unfamiliar words
and are able to spell better than their contemporaries.
What is Phonics?
A branch of linguistics that deals with the correlation of sounds and their symbols i.e the
relationship between phonemes and graphemes. It is a method for beginning reading
instruction and a simplified form of phonetics
Phonetics on the other hand is a branch of linguistics that deals with the study and classification
of speech sounds, esp. with regards to the physical aspects of their production;
What is Jolly Phonics?
Jolly phonics is a comprehensive programme based on the proven, fun and
multisensory synthetic phonics method that gets children reading and writing from an
early age.
It enables teachers to deliver fun and effective lessons embedding phonics, spelling,
grammar and punctuation concepts that will empower children become clear and
confident communicators.
Jolly phonics is used in over a 100 countries with millions of children already taught to
read using the method.
The programme came into being in 1975 and was developed by Sue Lloyd and Susan
Wenham practicing classroom teachers in the UK.
Chris Jolly is the founder and CEO Jolly Learning Ltd the publishers of Jolly Phonics.
Proven Results
Independent research shows that the progress made by children using Jolly phonics far exceeds
that of children not taught using a synthetic phonics approach. Reading and spelling ages of
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children who have used Jolly phonics for one year are usually a year above their chronological
age. Jolly phonics is effective across the ability range, with boys doing just as well as girls, while
those with English as their second language can do as well as children who have it as their first.
Why Jolly Phonics works?
1. It is child-centered
2. Teaching is multi-sensory and active, with fun stories, actions, games and songs.
3. It is systematic and a progressive teaching of phonics.
4. Independent research supports the outstanding results achieved around the world with the
programme.
5. Continues to revise and extend children's phonic knowledge as they advance in class.
6.Flexible and easy to implement in your school
7. Developed by teachers for teachers
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Over view of the Jolly phonics method:
1. Teaches the 42 main letter sounds
2. These sounds are divided into 7 groups of 6 sounds each,
3. Five different skills are taught.
4. A sound is delivered in 8 steps.
5. Grammar, punctuation, spellings, vocabulary and writing continues as Jolly Grammar..
Elements of the Jolly Method
1. Learning the Letter Sounds.
The main 42 sounds of English are taught in the following way–
A multisensory method is used to introduce the children to the letter sounds. There
is a storyline, action and ‘Sound Sheet’ for each sound. By doing an action associated
with the sound, e.g., rub tummy and say “mmmmm” for the /m/ sound, the children
remember it easily.
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Each child has their own ‘Sound Book’. Every day the letter sound taught is stuck
into the book and taken home. Parents are asked to help their children learn the
sounds, either by going through the Sound Book, or by cutting up the letters and
playing a game of ‘Pairs’ with their child.
In order to blend efficiently it is important to know the letter sounds fluently. Every
day flash cards of the sounds that have been taught should be held up for the
children to call out the sounds as they do the actions.
Some sounds called digraphs, are represented by two letters. The children need to recognize
digraphs in words, e.g., the ‘ng’ in ‘strong’. The digraphs ‘oo’ and ‘th’ each have two
sounds, e.g., ‘book’ and ‘moon’, ‘thin’ and ‘that’. In Jolly Phonics they are initially
written in two sizes to help the children understand that there are two sounds.
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STOP: ONLY FOR COMMITED PEOPLE.
Children will need to practice over and over for this to stick. Get a free software
that will make this process easier and add excitement to learning. Learn how to
pronounce the 42 sounds correctly in a live class.
Send a whatsapp message to Book for a live class.
2. Learning Letter Formation
As the letter sounds are introduced, the children are shown exactly how to form each
letter correctly. Initially, the children form the letters in the air at the same time as
the teacher. By regularly feeling the formation of each letter, and then writing it using jingles,
most children should form their letters correctly after the first ten weeks or so. It
is also important to teach the children to hold their pencil correctly, in the tripod grip.
Feeling letter formation in the pulpils books or tracing over dotted letters gives
good practice
The Jolly Phonics material uses the Nelson script with joining tails. This
makes it easier for the children to transfer to joined-up (cursive) writing when the
time comes.
In a Live class we delve deeper into letter formation. Gain mastery writing in
Nelson handwriting after following our simple step-by-step method. You will also
learn how to implement the programme in your school and how to help children
write without holding their hands. Find that out in our Nelson Hand Writing.
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3. Blending
As well as learning the sounds, the children need to be taught how to blend them
together to hear a word. This teaching starts on the first day. The aim is to enable
the children to hear the word when the teacher says the sounds, e.g., “Listen carefully,
what word am I saying … ‘d-o-g’?” A few children will hear ‘dog’. Try a few more
words, e.g., ‘s-u-n’, ‘b-oy’, ‘m-ou-se’.
Once the children can hear the word when an adult says the sounds, they are ready
to try and blend words for themselves. Initially, being able to blend letter sounds
fluently is the essential skill for reading and should always be the first strategy for
working out unknown words. Children must also be able to recognize consonant blends
and digraphs in words such as ‘fl-a-g’ and ‘sh-o-p’.
After the letter sounds have been taught and the children can read simple, regular
words, they start taking home the ‘Word Boxes’ for extra practice. The Word Boxes
start with simple words made from the first group of letter sounds. Invariably, the
children who are the fastest at learning to blend sounds become the more fluent readers.
At first, one way of spelling each vowel sound is taught, e.g., ‘ai’ as in ‘rain’. The
children should have practice blending these spellings in words before the alternatives
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are introduced, e.g., ‘ay’ as in ‘play’ and ‘a-e’ as in ‘lane’.
Once the children have worked their way through the Word Boxes, and learned some
irregular common keywords, they should be given storybooks to read for themselves.
Explain to parents that their child may not bring home a storybook until they have
mastered the skill of blending. Parents should then encourage their children to talk
about what they have read.
Children will need a lot of practice through interesting games and hands-on
activities for this to stick. Get a software at the live class that will make this
process easier and add excitement to learning.
You will learn a fun ways to teach blending using kinesthetic means quickly and
easily
Learn to make your own word boxes, flash cards plus be shown how to get
recyclable or low-cost materials for games.
All in our live class, call to book a class now..
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STOP: (ONLY FOR THE COMMITED)
At the live class you will discover a kinesthetic way to teach blending that works like magic.
Find out why some children will find it very difficult to read and what you can do about it.
4. Identifying Sounds In Words
It is essential that children can hear the individual sounds in words, especially for
writing. Initially, the children are asked to listen carefully and say if they can hear
a given sound in words. Start with words that have three sounds in them, for example,
“Is there a ‘s’ in ‘sun’ … ‘mouse’ … ‘dog’?”; “If there is a ‘s’ where does it come – the
beginning, middle or end?”. Then the children are encouraged to say the sounds they
hear. Practice by saying a word like ‘hat’. The children should respond by saying
‘h-a-t’. As they say each sound they hold up a finger … ‘h-a-t’ three fingers, three
sounds; ‘sh-i-p’ three fingers, three sounds, etc. Progress to more complicated words
such as those with initial and final consonant blends.
The teacher writes the letters on the board as the children say them. Then the children
look at the word, say the sounds and blend them to read the word. This gives a good
understanding of how reading and writing work. A few examples every day helps to
develop this skill.
As soon as the children can hear the sounds in three letter words they can start their
dictation homework
Once a child can hear the sounds in words, and knows one way of writing each sound,
they can write independently. Initially, the children will not spell accurately but
their work can be read, for example, ‘I went hors riedin that wos fun’. Most children,
by the end of their first year, should be able to write their own news and simple stories
independently. It will be exactly what they want to say as they are not restricted
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by writing only the words they have learned by heart. Accurate spelling develops
gradually from reading books, knowing the alternative vowel sounds and following a
spelling scheme.
Children will need to practice over and over for this to stick.
Get a free software that will make this process easier and add excitement to
learning.
Participate in lots of other fun activities to reinforce the skill.
Get a scheme for your home, class or school.
Book for a live class :
Our 2-day Intensive and
comprehensive Jolly Phonics
Training and Workshop
Why you must not miss this class..
Comprehensive and intensive.
Learn exactly the way you will teach.
Training by a certified by Uk trainer
and
Early Childhood Educationist.
Free e-giveaways
Certificate
Refreshments
No stone is left unturned
Free Software
Practical and Interactive class
Lots of hands-on activities
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5. Tricky Words
After their first month at school, when the majority of the children know about 18 letter sounds
and have been blending regular words as a group activity, they can begin to learn the tricky
words.
Tricky words are words that cannot always be worked out by blending. These can be introduced
gradually using the Jolly Phonics Tricky Word Cards (These can be easily made).
Look at what is ‘tricky’ in each word, e.g., ‘was’ has an /o/ sound in the middle instead of an /a/
sound. Try and teach 2–3 a week, continually revising for reading and spelling.
Tricky words teaching techniques:
• Look (identify the irregularity and say the letter names), Copy-Cover-Write-Check-Have
another go. (Learn a hand movement to remember this technique in a live class)
• Say It As It Sounds, e.g., pronounce ‘mother’ with a short /o/ sound so that it
rhymes with ‘bother’.
Learn other techniques to teach tricky words in a live class.
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6. Conclusion:
Aims to Achieve in the First Nine Weeks
All the children can:
• Read and write the 42 letter sounds automatically,
• form the letters correctly, holding their pencil in the tripod grip,
• blend regular words fluently, for example, ‘leg’, ‘flag’, ‘shoot’ and ‘bringing’, and
• write simple, regular words by listening for the sounds, for example, ‘bed’, ‘flat’,
‘band’, ‘ship’ and ‘spoon’.
What next ? Our live Classes will
show you exactly how to
put the programme to
work.
Come let us save you
time, money and energy.
Get to know what works
and what doesn't.
Enough of google
downloading. Get the
definitive training that
will get all children
reading quickly, easily
and in fun ways.
We have added lots of
activities using
recyclable materials or
competitively sold store bought items.
Lets stop the learning crisis in our classrooms and schools!
Be part of the solution not the problem.
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"Let it not be heard that a child leaves
your class without learning to read
and write." Lizzy Ohaka
(For Elementary school teachers)
Make a real difference today.
Sign up for the level 1 & 2
2-Day INTENSIVE and
COMPREHENSIVE JOLLY PHONICS
TRAINING and WORKSHOP.
Send a Whatsapp message to 08033229546
to book a training.
You will be glad you did
Thank you for your time,
Lizzy Ohaka
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About the author
Lizzy Ohaka is the co-founder Redwood Academy
Nursery and Primary School, Isolo Lagos and the
principal Consultant at Redwood Learning
Alliance. She is a Professional teacher registered
with TRCN. An Early Childhood curriculum
expert with an M.Ed from University of Lagos,
Akoka, Nigeria and a member of Early Childhood
Association of Nigeria (ECAN).
She is a certified results, performance and
transformational Coach and practitioner of NLP
trained by the prestigious international
consulting firm - Innocent Minds and also an
alumni of the foremost Mabysgold Coaching
Network and Nursery Institute.
She has multiple certifications in Jolly Phonics & Grammar Certified by UK trainers;
She is a Nelson handwriting trainer and Play strategist.
Mrs. Ohaka has trained nearly 200 teachers since July 2018 and conducted bespoke
trainings in the area of Mental Utilization Efficiency and 21st Century Learning.
She is happily married with children.
Reach her on: Whatsapp 08033229546
Facebook @Elizabeth_ohaka
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