KIDS INPERTH
The
Born & Bred in WA
APRIL 2013
,
Parents Paper
www.kidsinperth.com
PRICELESS
Great reading • Great competitions • Free ever y month
Support for our STARS!
The Phonics Alternative
(Students At Risk)
By Victoria Carlton, International Centre For Excellence cademic results do matter and your children know that! For too long we have been meandering in mediocrity in education and not setting the bar high enough.
A
All children want to succeed and all children want to get better each year. Every year the staff at ICE work with hundreds of STARS: Students At Risk. Children feel insulted when teachers accept work and efforts that are not their best. They think you genuinely feel they’re not smart and they stop trying. It’s human nature to get by with the least effort but it is a totally uplifting experience to know you have “thrown your heart over the bar” and truly done your best! Children need to feel the rush of joy that comes with trying your hardest. This means that you need to continuously set the bar a little higher and make sure children do their best. Of course you need to provide a nurturing environment that stimulates and helps children to learn.
by Julia Solomon
environments that help them feel relaxed and affirmed. Academic results will rise and efforts increase if children are enjoying the learning.
om looked at the word ‘school’. He began to sound out the letters, using the phonetics he had been taught in class. ‘S’ as in ‘snake’, ‘c’ as in ‘cat’, ‘ h’ as in ‘hat’. But what about ‘o’? Its phonetic sound is the same as in ‘top’ and is followed in this word by another ‘o’. How do you sound that? Tom had not yet registered words such as ‘too’ and ‘door’, which have a double ‘oo’, but different sounds. As for the ‘c’ and the ‘h’; he had learned they say ‘ch’ as in ‘chair’.
T
Children have many different learning styles and, as much as possible, teachers need to cater for all these. This is why a “one size fits all” approach does not work for these children. The curriculum needs to be clear so teachers know exactly what they must teach. Children need to know exactly what they should be doing and then be expected to do their best.
So far Tom had sounded out ‘sch’ wrongly and the short vowel ‘o’ followed by another of the same: or perhaps it was the long vowel ‘o’ as in ‘coat’? He couldn’t be sure so he avoided reading the word ‘school’.
For this to happen, teaching must be explicit and focused on important skills. Teaching and learning can be an enjoyable experience that draws on creativity and is given in a nurturing environment but structure of curriculum and explicit teaching/practice must take place.
Tom’s parents were concerned that he was in year two and, although he seemed able to sound out letters, he didn’t know what to do if the letters could not be blended into a word, because the speech sound of the letter was not the same as the printed letter.
Teachers at ICE are trained in the Victoria Carlton method to teach the basic literacy and numeracy skills in an effective manner that requires all students to do their best. The ICE teachers know about the 8
Children learn best in friendly, encouraging
It is true that the vast majority of
Continued page 07
people who are unable to process the ‘irregular’ words in English (words that cannot be blended after sounding out) will stop reading. These are the students who don’t benefit at all from memorising whole words or are given the ‘rules’ of ‘word family’ phonics. Recent reports confirm that literacy levels in our schools are declining. An increasing number of students are entering high school or the workforce, and even universities, without the ability to read or write at the expected level. Tom’s parents worry that he might be in that risk category. “Reading for Sure”, a coded phonics program, is the alternative that works instantly for these students, as it does for those who are capable of more advanced reading. To learn to read with Reading for Sure, phone 9276 9060. Parent and teacher seminars are scheduled for 11 April and 30 April. Email info@worldliteracy.com.au or visit www.worldliteracy.com.au
©Disney
New show 5pm Sunday S 21 July - ON SALE MARCH 26!
Perth Arena, 19 -21 July
Book Now! Follow us on
i i i i
132 849 www.ticketek.com.au www.disneyonice.com.au
*Additional discounts apply on select performances. Credit card and transaction fees may apply.
TICKET FROM S $28.50 *
Ferry and glass bottom boat cruises Dolphin Watch Adventure Cruise Penguin feeding Only 45 minutes south of Perth and a five minute ferry ride away
penguinisland.com.au
(08) 9591 1333
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @PARENTSPAPER
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/KIDSINPERTH