Phonics
Our phonics programme is designed according to the UK phonics' development framework. The programme introduces synthetic phonics systemically to the students. As students progress in the programme, they learn how to read (decode) and spell (encode) on their own. It is the first step of literacy and form a solid foundation of English learning.
Phonics
The Key Elements
Accurate sounds
Learning accurate sounds is paramount. All our teachers are trained to teach British pronunciation consistently in class.
Identify sounds
In order to spell by sounds, students must learn how to listen and identify sounds in a word quickly and accurately.
Blending
To read using synthetic phonics, students must be able to put the sounds together (blend) to pronounce the words.
Spelling
All of our students are taught to spell early on. Once they have learnt how to identify sounds, they learn how to encode words.
Sight words
Sight words cannot be read or spelt using synthetic phonics. We teach common sight words to aid our students' literacy.
Vocabulary
The programme includes the teaching of vocabulary. It also covers the concept of homophones and heteronyms.
Levels
Suitable for new phonics learners (or learners who cannot blend and spell)
Phonics Introduction focuses on all single letter sounds. Students would learn to correctly sound each single letter as well as its formation. Students start to practise blending and sound identification very early on in the course. Most of our students learn how to blend 3-letter words within the first 4-6 lessons. We also train our students to use their ears to identify the sounds in words. Our students can progress very quickly as we teach decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) in the same lesson. Once the students have mastered blending and spelling skills, our teachers would introduce common sight words to help the students read on their own. To apply their newfound reading and spelling skills, we strongly recommend students to enrol in our comprehensive programme to further solidify their literacy foundation.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to blend single sound only words confidently
- be able to spell single sound only words on their own
- have experience in segmenting multi-syllable words
- have a good knowledge of common sight words
- be able to read independently on their own
- be able to write simple sentences on their own
Suitable for students who have completed the Introduction course (or learners who can blend and spell with single letter sounds)
Phonics Intermediate introduces common digraphs and trigraphs to students. Students would learn to recognise common digraphs and trigraphs, and to blend and spell with them. Students would learn both digraph vowels and consonants. They would learn the concept of long and short vowels as well as alternative sounds and spellings. Homophones are introduced which would help the students’ comprehension and writing. In addition, spelling rules are taught to help students pick the right alternative spelling when they spell. This level would also introduce more sight words to promote independent reading. We strongly recommend our students to complete this level before they enter primary school.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read much higher level books on their own
- be able to spell words with common digraphs and trigraphs
- be aware of homophones and the need of picking the right alternative spelling
- have expanded knowledge of sight words
- be able to promote to higher level class in the comprehensive programme
- be ready to deal with the reading and spelling demand of primary schools
Suitable for students who have completed the Intermediate course (or learners with similar phonics knowledge)
Advanced I covers split digraphs and introduces more digraphs and trigraphs to students. Students would learn more advanced alternative spellings and sounds, and to blend and spell with them. Students would have a good understanding of the entire synthetic phonics system by the end of the course. They can list all the alternative spellings for the long vowels and common digraph vowels. Heteronyms are introduced which would further help students to read and spell. At this level, students would not only learn more sight words, but have the chance to write sentences with them.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- have learnt almost all phonemes in synthetic phonics
- be able to read more advanced text independently
- be able to spell most words without aid
- be able to write sentences with more advanced words on their own
- be able to promote to higher level class in the comprehensive programme
Suitable for students who have completed the Advanced I course
Advanced II completes the entire synthetic phonics system. Students will learn all the phonemes and all of their common graphemes by the end of the course. Students would be very proficient in segmenting words as well as reading and writing words that can be deciphered with synthetic phonics. They excel in unseen dictation and can spell both phonics and sight words accurately. Students would continue to practise sentence writing to ensure they know how to use more advanced sight words correctly. All graduates have accumulated a rich bank of vocabulary which really boosts their abilities in comprehension and writing.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- have learnt the entire synthetic phonics system
- have learnt all the common graphemes for all phonemes
- be able to dictate advanced text proficiently
- be able to write sentences with advanced vocabulary on their own
- be able to promote to higher level class in the comprehensive programme
FAQ
Each class would have a maximum of 5 students.
Each level usually lasts 6 to 7 months.
Instead of memorising words by sight, students who know synthetic phonics can read most English words phonetically. Most countries whose first language is English teach children to read using synthetic phonics. It also helps with writing as children can easily spell using phonics.
Reading involves two elements, decoding and comprehension. Our students can start reading words on their own within 4-6 lessons and can usually read age-appropriate phonics readers within three months. Our phonics class centres on decoding and our comprehensive class expands on comprehension and other skills.
Students often come to us knowing only phonics sounds but not blending or spelling. There are also many instances where we noticed inaccurate sounds in students. In these cases, we would ask students to enrol in an Introduction class that suits their needs. Our Introduction level course covers a lot more skills compared to kindergartens and other English schools. Our students must know how to blend and spell before they can go to the next level.
Most Hong Kong primary schools expect children to be able to read on their own by some extend. Arming students with knowledge in common digraphs and trigraphs really improves their reading level. Students would also feel more confident in dictation and writing if their schools include these early on in the curriculum.
In order to place your child in the most appropriate level and class, we have to know how much prior phonics knowledge he or she has. We do not accept any students in our intermediate or advanced levels without a detailed evaluation.
Our phonics curriculum was developed by a UK Jolly Phonics trained teacher. We also have all the Jolly Phonics teaching materials for our disposals. However, we do not use their materials in our day to day teaching as they are not tailored to Hong Kong students’ needs. Instead, our classes use Spark English’s proprietary materials that are tailored to Hong Kong students’ specific needs while adhering to UK standards.
We use our own proprietary materials that are designed based on UK phonics’ development framework. Our system teaches all the British phonics sounds and their related graphemes. Our courses include ample practice in all areas of synthetic phonics as well as sight words. They are specifically designed for effective phonics learning on a weekly basis. This is why our students progress markedly quicker than students following other programmes.
All reputable phonics programmes were designed to be used in primary schools, where students have daily practice and exposure. UK teachers usually only use certain elements of a programme to introduce concepts and mainly use their own materials for practice. As a UK trained phonics teacher, our course developer believed using these programmes on their own would not be effective for Hong Kong students.
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available from 9:00 – 18:00 (Mon – Sat)
Address 602 Park Commercial Centre, Tin Hau
Email info@spark-english.com
