In the twentieth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Caroline Hardisty is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for teaching polysyllabic words. Caroline discusses the rationale behind why we introduce polysyllabic words from simple to complex and in an explicit way, how to syllabify words, and how to implement differentiation techniques with polysyllabic word lessons. Enjoy! Some helpful links: The Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the nineteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Donna Smith is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for Phonics Leads. This episode comes in celebration of the recent release of our Phonics Lead Handbook, a brilliant (and free!) resource that will be any Phonics Lead's guide to all things Sounds-Write. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Access the Phonics Lead Handbook and many more useful documents Alex saying the sounds Sounds-Write Initial Code Episode 3: Phonics With Fidelity with Naomi Hinton The Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the eighteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Helen Hampton talks about implementing Sounds-Write in small, rural schools. She discusses how to get started with Sounds-Write in this setting, how to maximise your resources and how to teach phonics to mixed-age classes. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Sounds-Write's Free Resources Sounds-Write's Australian Shop Train with Helen Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the seventeenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Alex Bedford and Julie Sherrington talk about their recently released book 'EYFS: Language of Learning'. Alex and Julie are both experienced and passionate educators. They discuss the importance of language development, the impact of the pandemic on children's language and how to put their brilliant handbook into practice. Enjoy! "This book will be the go-to resource for practitioners who want a clear, user-friendly way to develop children's language in the EYFS setting. Inspired by Joan Tough's language development framework, it offers educators a way to understand, plan and sequence high-quality conversations to help develop shared thinking, communication and language. We love the clarity of the writing and the illustrations, and the worked examples bring the approach to life. We can't wait to go into schools that use this approach and see the children thrive!" ― John Walker and Tita Beaven, Sounds-Write Some helpful links: EYFS: Language of Learning – a handbook to provoke, provide and evaluate language development Alex's upcoming events and workshops The Reading Together Collection Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

Welcome to episode 3 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! Do you know the difference between a language, a pidgin and a creole? What would a writing system look like if it could convey tone of voice and stress? What are false cognates? Join us as we explore these questions and more in this episode. Enjoy! Some helpful links and sources: Visit our website Sign up to our mailing list Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram What is a language What’s The Difference Between A Pidgin And A Creole? Pidgin's etymology History of Jamaican Patwa Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music How Deaf Children in Nicaragua Created a New Language Pidgins and Creoles BBC News Pidgin Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg False cognates

In the sixteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Kirsty Gibbs talks about all things business. Kirsty is an experienced businesswoman in the tutoring industry. In this episode, she lays out her top tips for growing a thriving tutoring business. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Kirsty's podcast episode with Jacinda and Alison Kirsty's podcast Kirsty's website Kirsty's free resources Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

Welcome to episode 2 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! What can we find out about towns and cities based on their suffixes and etymology? Why are some words spelt differently in US-English? And what's the difference between homonyms and polysemous words? Enjoy! Some helpful links and sources: Visit our website Sign up to our mailing list Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Latin influence on English The Origins of English Place Names Etymology of ‘castle’ Place names stemming from ‘castrum’ More on place names ‘Mutha’ Wolverhampton etymology Broome etymology Brisbane etymology More about Webster’s ideas in his political context Webster’s changes to spelling How is polysemy different from homonymy? More on polysemy Polysemy Versus Homonymy More on Polysemy Versus Homonymy Etymology of ‘dish’ Etymology of ‘bat’ Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4

In the fifteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Jacinda Vaughan is back and answering listeners' questions about teaching phonics in intervention settings. She covers a range of topics including making adaptations for English Language Learners, correcting articulation, accent variation and much more. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Jacinda's first podcast appearance Shop the Reading Together Collection in Australia Shop the Reading Together Collection in the UK Shop the Reading Together Collection in the US EEF Teaching Assistant Interventions Charlotte Wigham Alternative Pencils Ann Sullivan's book 'Access to Phonics' Phonics for SEN Alison Perry's video on b d confusion Sounds-Write Symposium 2023 access Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

Welcome to this bonus mini-episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast! In this short episode, the host shared three nuggets of language nerdiness. Why do we sometimes spell the sound /r/ as < wr >? What do the words punch, shampoo and bungalow all have in common? And what are contronyms? Enjoy! Some helpful links and sources: Root word 'wer' Examples of the < wr > spelling of /r/ Punch's etymology Shampoo's etymology Bungalow's etymology More about contronyms Some examples of contronyms Visit our website Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the fourteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast Kelly Cross talks about her son, Freddie's, journey to becoming a proficient reader and speller. Freddie has Moderate Learning Difficulties and Kelly struggled to find the help that he needed to learn to read and write. Since finding Sounds-Write, Freddie has gone on to become the avid reader his parents always knew he could be. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Help Your Child to Read and Write course Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the thirteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast we hear from Gemma Pierson, headteacher at Princecroft Primary School in Warminster, UK. Gemma discusses the literacy strategy that Princecroft have implemented across the school and talks about how her team cultivate a love of reading amongst their student. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Princecroft Primary School's website Gemma's Twitter Princecroft's Sounds-Write Success Story Talk for Writing Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the twelfth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast Donna Smith, one of Sounds-Write's In-House Trainers, gives advice and guidance for parents and carers of children who are being taught phonics. She gives an overview of what Sounds-Write is and how best to support students who are learning to read and spell. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Help Your Child to Read and Write course Bruce Robertson's book St. Thomas Aquinas Primary School directory of sounds The weekly spelling list blog post Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the eleventh episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's Business Manager for the US and Canada, Jill Nunez, talks about the future of phonics in the US. She discusses the spread of phonics in North America, some of the challenges we’re facing as we expand to the US, and how to advocate for an evidence based literacy programme in your school. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Sold a Story Podcast Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the tenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast two of the most prominent champions of speech to print phonics, Nora Chahbazi and John Walker, discuss their strikingly similar backgrounds in the world of phonics, the similarities and difference between their approaches and, of course, speech to print. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Sounds-Write Symposium on Speech to Print EBLI's website Episode 9 of The Sounds-Write Podcast on phonics research Find out more about Sounds-Write Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal! Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the ninth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's Head of Research and Development, Dr. Anna Comas-Quinn, talks about the trials and tribulations of conducting research in the field of phonics. She talks through some of the research that Sounds-Write has conducted, what we can learn from that and why context is essential when evaluating schools' results. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Condensed version of our longitudinal study Systematic synthetic phonics: case studies from Sounds-Write practitioners Sounds-Write’s Success Stories Learning to read is vital: here’s why Episode 8: Literacy Intervention with Jacinda Vaughan Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal! Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list

In the eight episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's newest in-house trainer, Jacinda Vaughan, talks about literacy interventions. She discusses the difference between 'keep up' and 'catch-up' interventions and gives some really practical guidance for setting up intervention sessions for struggling readers. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal! Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list Free Initial Code e-books Free Extended Code e-books Free course for parents and carers

In the seventh episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, John Walker talks about the past 20 years of Sounds-Write. He discusses some of the highs and lows and talks about the future of Sounds-Write. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal! Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list What is Sounds-Write podcast episode Pamela Snow and Tanya Terry's op-ed Pamela Snow's blog The Teaching Delusion book series

In the sixth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, trainer Caroline Hardisty gives advice for schools who are new to Sounds-Write. She gives tips for practitioners who are just starting out, and discusses some of the considerations when implementing Sounds-Write as a whole-school approach. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Sounds-Write's Facebook Sounds-Write's Instagram Sign up to our mailing list Learn more about teaching Sounds-Write with fidelity Learn more about Sounds-Write

In the fifth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Alison Perry and John Walker discuss all-things speech pathology. Alison talks about the intersection of her work as a speech therapist and as a Sounds-Write trainers. She talks about her passion for teaching and the joy of teaching children to read. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Alison's website John's Twitter John's blog Learn more about Sounds-Write

In the fourth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, John Walker discusses the sound to print approach to teaching reading and writing. He talks about the rationale behind using this orientation, how this approach differs to print to sound methods and the results we’ve seen from schools using the sound to print approach. Listen to the end of the episode for an exciting sneak peak into one of our upcoming projects. Enjoy! Some helpful links: Our case studies book John's Twitter John's blog Learn more about Sounds-Write