The Reading Whisperer is sharing a range of reading and spelling resources, on the new RTT site www.ReadingTeacherTraining.com Enjoy !

1. Spelling Development using SSP
Children must be exposed to the whole of the alphabetic code from term 1
in Prep, in order for us to shape reading and spelling brains for EVERY child

2. An approach that helps adults work WITH
individual brains, before the child has a
chance to even know his brain processes
things differently to many.
Supporting adults so that inclusion is something that
happens, its not just included in a policy document.
To be fully inclusive we need to teach to EVERY child’s
needs, not expect them to thrive when taught in ways
that seem to ‘work’ for the majority. This means knowing
which children have poor phonemic awareness, within
the first term of Prep.
SSP is not just about ‘reading, writing and spelling’ it
is an approach that facilitates self-confidence for ALL
children, that embraces EVERY brain and personality,
and demands that we refuse to allow even ONE of our
children to leave primary school unable to read and spell.

3. The Speech Sound Pics Approach
empowers adults so that they can embrace, honour
and also meet the needs of ALL children from their
first day at school.
Some children are lucky. They can (seemingly) learn to read and spell using
any approach. Others aren’t. They do not have brains that naturally process
speech sounds, are able to identify the smaller parts in words, be able to segment and
order them and often cant even pronounce them with ease.
They cannot make sense of words without being explicitly taught why these words are
made up of these smaller parts- the sound pics - and their brains cant retain whole words
for the sake of remembering them.
Even if they remember them for a ‘spelling test’ they wont be able to transfer
knowledge to their writing, or reading, because it isnt knowledge, its short term
memory. Reading becomes guesswork, and something to dread. They arent being given
the skills THEIR brains need to crack the alphabetic code.
Do you find that acceptable? If not then please do join us for training, and let’s work
collaboratively. Let’s make change happen rather than talk about it. Rather than say
you want to promote inclusion, let’s DO it.

4. This could also be said for children with a Dyslexic brain etc
So choose update your knowledge of different operating systems , and
adapt your school curriculum!
Those lucky children who have brains that crack the code easily? They
will thrive also. New thinking. Smarter Teaching .

5. Always start with SPEECH
Spelling starts from speech, not print.
We created the written word to record our spoken words, not the other way around.
Words are spelt using sound pics™ – representations of the smaller parts of our words –
so children MUST be taught them all. All can be seen within the Speech Sound Clouds
This enables everyone (teachers and students) to work smarter, not harder.

6. Give this to
parents

7. Explicit teaching order can be covered
in Prep
‘How’ is shown
on the RTT Term 1
site.
Term 2
ReadingTeacherTraining.com
Term 3 and 4

8. Spelling without print comes first!

9. Children aren’t really ready to move to
print until they can listen to a word
and identify the speech sounds
sat = s a t and hear the word when
spoken in parts
If they can hear the speech sounds then they
are ready to progress to doing this with letters.
Help children order (number them) and build
words using their sound pics. You can use
magnetic letters or cards in Prep.
Here are words the children will spell within
the Green level – using s,a,t,p,I,n

11. Have a Speech Sound Spelling Table
Children can play bingo, snap, build
words, change words etc

12. Use whiteboards and magnetic letters in the
early years so that children aren’t held back
trying to use pencils to form letters, when the
activity is to spell (encode) words
Sort them into
tubs for easy access
s,a,t,p,i,n tubs
for green level
activities

13. Expose children to the whole code
through SSP songs
Green Level Songs- s,a,t,p,i,n

14. Ask for powerpoint, graphics are
animated. These will also soon be
on youtube with music
www.youtube.com/soundpics

15. In Prep and Year 1 use the letter
formation phrases so children learn to
write the sound pics more easily

16. Remember to link this with reading
• Their readers follow the same systematic
order of learning the letter sounds (sound
pics)

17. So after decoding her lists she could
write some of them

18. Children learn the speech sound to
sound pics link as they move through
the levels. Being able to hear the
speech sounds in words, know how
many lines are needed, and then find
. the sound pics is vital.
From Prep children have their own collection
of sound pics, and words created using just these
sound pics. Spelling development is scaffolded.

19. Speech Sound Harry (P-2)
• Have sound pics the children know and are
learning in the area you greet children, so that
you can include this within morning activities
– eg weather, day of the week etc.
Laminated on A5– add new sound pics and place sporadically
on sheet for easy access each morning.
Ask the children to silently spell words as you point to the
sound pics next to Harry.

20. Children need easy access to their sound
pics when writing, especially in P-2
Also display the clouds
on walls for easy access
and allow children to
have their own Speech
Sound Cloud Albums

21. Children need ‘trying’ books
on tables, so that they can use the
process and then write the King word
in their writing books

22. Build confidence putting their sound
pic words into sentences
• Use familiar sentences in the
early stages eg
Pat sits in the tin
the ant sat in the pan
Pat sat in the sand pit
You could use their readers, and write sentences from
these books (they have the right sound pics according
to their level )

23. Find ways (with children) to remember
how to spell tricky words (words that
they can’t decode easily yet as they
haven’t reached the level in which
they will learn these sound pics)

24. Put tricky words and sound pics
needed for that activity on their tables
in Prep if a spelling activity as they
don’t want to struggle because they
know how to spell it but not how to
form that letter!

26. Consider sound pic banks so that Prep
and Year 1 children can get the sound
pic card when spelling
So in previous activity Heidi could then
write the words to accompany her
collage, by asking the teacher which
sound pic she needed to represent that
speech sound within the words.

27. Children from Year 1 need testing on
these. Every child from year 1 should
be confident with all of these pics

28. Plan lessons to help children learn the
code in fun ways
I have a range of power points you can use with whiteboards or on laptops, to
introduce variations – with follow up activities such as this one. All will be accessible on
the SpeechSoundPics.com web site (free of course)

29. For example discovering 4 sound pics
for this speech sound

30. Spelling tests should mean code knowledge
testing- not whole word testing. Getting the word
‘right’ is only part of the process; a process that
helps the brain understand not only the meaning
of the word but why it is spelt as it is.

31. Alongside systematic teaching is
guided learning of the code
• The procedure remains the same however,
whether in Prep or Year 7
Say the word, hear the speech sounds, work
out how many lines you need, find the speech
sound cloud, try the sound pics. Check for the
King word, underline, write out 7 times.

32. Show discoveries using the clouds
Grain Waves

33. Have fun with them and make
meaningful !

35. Use phonics games and apps
• Refer to www.SpeechSoundPics.com web site
when completed as I will list all that are
suitable, and link to the levels
•
Children are far more likely to want to practise
spelling if they are having fun while doing so.
•

36. When children enter year 1 they can have
covered all levels
If not, spend term 1 (and 2 if necessary)
getting them all up to speed

37. Spelling Activities Explicit Teaching
Order – Years 1 - 3
•
Focus on double letters – when it’s a short vowel sound (clap – clapping)
Focus on ay a-e ai eigh a plus suffixes s,ed,ing,er,est
Focus on ee, ea, e, y, plus suffixes
s,es,ed,ing,er
Focus on igh, i-e,ie,y,I plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,y,er
Focus on ow, o-e, oa, o, plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing
Focus on oo, u-e, ew, ue, oe plus suffixes
s,ed,ing,er, est
Focus on ou, ow, plus suffixes ed,ing,ly,er,est
Focus on ar plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,er,est
Focus on ir, ur, er, plus suffixes s,es,ed,ing,y,er,est
Focus on air, are, ear, plus suffixes ed, ing, y, er, est
Focus on or, oor, ore, aw plus suffixes ed,ing,s,er,est|
Focus on oy, oi plus suffixes ed, ing, es,y,er,est
Focus on ear, eer, ere/ and also ire - plus suffixes ed,ing,s
Student workbooks that compliment these are Read, Write Inc Get Spelling Book 1

38. Focus on …
• c city race
g gentle cabbage bridge
Unusual plurals – knives, potatoes, babies, sheep, women
Endings –
le - cuddle battle
il, el, al – pupil parcel medal
en, an, on, in – garden iron woman
tion, sion - attention, television
ent, ant - transparent, imporant
ence – patience / ance – extravagance
ous , cious, tious – famous, delicious, cautious
ible, ibly, able, ably – horrible, horribly, comfortable, comfortably
ful, fully – cheerful, thankfully
Negative prefixes – un, in, dis, ir, il

39. Continued here shortly

40. Years 3 - 7
• As a school choose when you will focus on the speech
sound clouds during a 10 minute speedy spelling session
each morning, regardless of other spelling activities (eg
explicit teaching of skills)
Teachers focus on a speech sound and investigate all of the
sound pics (spelling variations) that can be used to
represent this speech sound in words.
You could do this activity straight after registration, with
children completing their album over 4 terms.
Let them add to it as they discover new sound pics. If they
have used SSP previously they will be used to this, and keep
expanding on their knowledge.

47. There are a couple missing- will add shortly
Please also look at special ending clouds

48. This document is a work in progress, however with
planning sessions for 2013 well underway this may
at least offer some ideas. Please download the
speech sound clouds (including special ending
clouds) from facebook.com/readaustralia – go to
Photos and then browse Albums
Feel free to contact me
– Emma@ReadAustralia.com
“Together we can give every
child a love of literacy, and the
skills to enhance their lives. “

49. Please also ask
for SSP Reading
Notes for
Parents and
Teachers