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GETTING PARENTS ON BOARD WITH READING: INSIGHTS INTO PHONICS

Lynette T. Noel, University of Trinidad and Tobago

Activity 1 A Supermarket Trip
Before leaving
Copied from Clip Art

Parent: Tomorrow, we are going to the supermarket. I have some things to buy. What do we need?
Child: Ketchup, bread, butter, sausage, banana, cake, milk, oranges
Parent makes a list of these items. She also gets pictures and labels of these items, and sticks them on a
chart.

At the supermarket
Parent: Jody, do you remember what we had to buy? Help me find them.
(As the child finds a familiar item, he/she points to it, says what it is and puts it in the cart or is helped
by the parent to do so. The parent ticks off the item on the list.

Benefits:
The child associates the real object with the pictures and the names of the items
This enhances recall, visualisation and visual discrimination
He/she gets to touch the item and will connect that sense of touch to it.

2

Unpacking at home
Parent: As we unpack, let me see if you remember the names of the items that were on the chart.
The child picks an item, names it and then points to it on the chart.
(He/She again makes the connection with pictures, names and objects. This reinforces the learning of
these words.)
The parent makes name cards/labels for these and any new items that were not on the chart.

Later : at home
Parent: Lets look at the chart we made. I want you to say the name of the item and then point to the
word.
Example:
bananas

Parent: Is there any other thing that has a name beginning with b? Point to it and say the word.

The child chooses butter and says the word.
butter

Parent: Jody, say: Banana and butter begin with b.
Jody repeats what the parent said.
Parent: This week, I want you to tell me, and show me, any items you see that begin with b. This is our
b week!
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NB. This can be done according to the letter and letter-sound that the teacher has introduced for that
week.
Activity 2 - As we travel
Parent: Jody, we are going to ------- today. I want you to look at the different things, and also people in
uniform, and tell me what you see. I cant look at them because Im driving, so well talk more about
them at home.
Back home
Parent: Did you enjoy the drive?
Jody: Yes. It was fun!
Parent: Lets hear about what you saw that made it so much fun.
Jody: I saw ----------

As Jody calls out what was seen, the parent writes each word carefully on one side of a page (My
Phonics Log),while the other side will be for pictures of those objects and the persons Jody saw.
Example:
Child: Jody Date:
I saw yellow oranges

I saw a postman
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Parent and child work together, at another time, to find pictures of these persons (in magazines and
newspapers). They cut them out and paste them next to the correct words.
Those with computers can go to Clip Art

and search for suitable pictures. As they identify some, the
parent questions the child about which ones are most suitable. These can be printed and stuck next to
the word/s.

In all of these activities, the parent is helping the child to be observant, to identify items and people in
familiar settings, and also to re-enforce the phonic elements (e.g. This begins with a b - /b/ sound.
When this becomes a weekly routine, the child can relate to what Miss or Sir is teaching. He/she may
even mention some new words that he/she learnt. The child can be encouraged to use words in
sentences and so re-enforce his/her understanding of what the word means.
Lynette T. Noel, M. Ed (Literacy), MSVU 7 June 2014

Bibliography

Beck, I. L., & Beck, M.E.(2013). Making sense of phonics: The hows and whys (2nd ed.) New York, NY:
Guilford Press.
Cunningham, A. E., & Zibulsky, J.(2014). Book smart: How to develop and support successful, motivated
readers. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Strickland, D.S. (2011). Teaching phonics today: Word study strategies through the grades (2nd ed.)
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

On-line resources
http://jollylearning.co.uk/gallery/
http://jollylearning.co.uk/parent-teacher-guide/
http://jollylearning.co.uk/2010/11/03/jolly-phonics-actions/
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/reading