Jolly Phonics
Encyclopedia
Jolly Phonics is a systematic synthetic phonics
programme designed to teach children to read and write. Children learn the 42 letter sounds of the English language, rather than the alphabet. They are then taken through the stages of blending and segmenting words to develop reading and writing skills.
There are two main approaches to teaching phonics
: analytic and synthetic. Both approaches require the learner to develop the ability to hear and discriminate sounds in spoken words. Jolly Phonics is a scheme which comes under the Synthetic phonics
method.
The Jolly Phonics characters Inky Mouse, Snake and Bee are used throughout the materials. They often reflect the different speeds at which children learn to read and write. Inky Mouse teaches Snake and Bee the letter sounds and reading techniques. Snake picks up the literacy skills quickly, while Bee has more difficulty, but eventually understands.
Lloyd first developed the programme in order to support a small group of children in their school who were unable to progress in reading using the whole language
‘Look and Say’ approach popular in the 1970s. In 1977, as part of a research project these children were taught to listen carefully to the sounds in the words and identify them, while being taught the letter sounds separately. As a result, these students who were previously demonstrating difficulty in reading and writing had significant improvements in abilities. By the end of the year, their teachers’ believed these children were now a year ahead of where they would have been without the change in methods. This was confirmed by a standardized reading test.
After many years of teaching these methods, Sue Lloyd met Christopher Jolly (managing directory of Jolly Learning Ltd.) at a conference in 1989. After a few years of research and trials, Chris encouraged Lloyd and Wernham to compile The Phonics Handbook, which was published in 1992. Since then, the range of products has been developed, and Jolly Phonics has now been used in over 100 countries, with some countries such as Trinidad, The Gambia and the Seychelles adopting it as government policy.
Jolly Learning has also collaborated with NGOs and charities such as Absolute Return for Kids
to deliver Jolly Phonics resources for literacy programmes carried out in government schools in India and Nigeria.
The seven groups of letter sounds are:
Some sounds are written with two letters such as 'ee', and 'or' - these are known as digraphs. In the case of 'oo' and 'th', these can make two different sounds e.g. book vs. moon, that vs. thin.
In Jolly Phonics these digraphs are represented in two forms to distinguish between the two sounds.
Each letter sound has a corresponding action. By performing an action for each sound, students are using kinesthetic, auditory
, visual and speech
methods to help them remember the letter(s) representing each sound. It is suggested that one group of seven letter sounds is introduced a week.
The letter 'c' is introduced early on, as it forms the basic shape of other letters such as 'g' and 'd'. Lower-case formation is concentrated on initially, then the formation of capital letters is taught.
In the UK, the pre-cursive script version of the Jolly Phonics programme is generally used, as "exit" strokes on the letters are believed to help fluency of writing, encourage better spelling and easier progression into joined-up writing. However the Jolly Phonics programme has also been developed in print
script, which is preferred in the US and other areas of the world.
Jolly Phonics suggests several methods for easier blending, such as saying the sounds quickly to hear the word and saying the first sound slightly louder.
There are two main types of blends: consonant blends, and digraphs. In consonant
blends, two sounds can be heard e.g. 's' and 'n' in snug or 'n' and 't' in tent, whereas in a digraph
two letters are seen but only one sound is heard e.g. 'sh' in ship.
Jolly Phonics suggests several methods for learning tricky word spellings, such as saying the word as it sounds, and using the Look, Cover, Write, Check method. Using cursive
(joined-up) writing has also been suggested to aid spelling of memorized words.
sounds can be written. Initially in Jolly Phonics, only one way of writing each sound it taught, then the main alternative spellings are covered. For example 'ai' as in 'rain' is initially taught, and once this has been mastered, the alternatives 'ay' as in 'day' and 'a-e' as in 'came' are taught.
is introduced and the link is made between letter sounds to letter names.
skills with them. Extra practice at home and interaction with their parents will lead to greater fluency in the child’s reading and help them manage at school.
The Jolly Phonics programme recognizes that many parents do not know how to help their children whilst learning how to read and write, and offers suggestions and guidance to provide parents with the tools to help them.
classroom with minimal resources or training. The Phonics Handbook is a comprehensive resource covering all areas of the programme and photocopiable practice sheets for each of the letter sounds. In addition to the Handbook, are a variety of other resources to support and engage students.
Children in their first year at school (aged 4–5) are often able to learn the letter sounds at the suggested teaching rate of 5 sounds per week, although some teachers prefer to teach the sounds at a slower pace.
Critics have argued that not all children benefit from the synthetic phonics method. Some people's views are that more time should be spent teaching children how to write whole words and say the alphabet
in the traditional manner instead of breaking words down into letter sounds then blending them to read.
One of the major concerns regarding synthetic phonics is that it is taught in isolation and is boring for students. However, within effective literacy instruction, neither of these assumptions is true. Phonics instruction is part of a balanced literacy approach (which is very different from whole language) and should never be taught exclusive of meaningful connections to text. In addition, many teachers find that the interactive premise behind Jolly Phonics makes it fun for kids.
for students who have completed the Jolly Phonics programme successfully.
Jolly Grammar teaches the structured side of literacy and covers spelling rules, punctuation, parts of speech, dictionary use and tenses. Parts of speech are taught using actions and colours to help children with parsing
(identifying parts of speech). For example, the colour for verbs is red and the action is to clench fists and move arms backwards and forwards as if running. These methods help students remember grammar rules. Jolly Grammar developed from the belief that it is helpful for children to be taught the structured side of language separately from the more creative side of writing.
Synthetic phonics
Synthetic phonics is a method of teaching reading which first teaches the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of whole words...
programme designed to teach children to read and write. Children learn the 42 letter sounds of the English language, rather than the alphabet. They are then taken through the stages of blending and segmenting words to develop reading and writing skills.
There are two main approaches to teaching phonics
Phonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
: analytic and synthetic. Both approaches require the learner to develop the ability to hear and discriminate sounds in spoken words. Jolly Phonics is a scheme which comes under the Synthetic phonics
Synthetic phonics
Synthetic phonics is a method of teaching reading which first teaches the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of whole words...
method.
The Jolly Phonics characters Inky Mouse, Snake and Bee are used throughout the materials. They often reflect the different speeds at which children learn to read and write. Inky Mouse teaches Snake and Bee the letter sounds and reading techniques. Snake picks up the literacy skills quickly, while Bee has more difficulty, but eventually understands.
History
Jolly Phonics is a commercial programme developed by UK primary/elementary teachers Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham, and published by Jolly Learning Ltd.Lloyd first developed the programme in order to support a small group of children in their school who were unable to progress in reading using the whole language
Whole language
Whole language describes a literacy philosophy which emphasizes that children should focus on meaning and strategy instruction. It is often contrasted with phonics-based methods of teaching reading and writing which emphasize instruction for decoding and spelling. However, from whole language...
‘Look and Say’ approach popular in the 1970s. In 1977, as part of a research project these children were taught to listen carefully to the sounds in the words and identify them, while being taught the letter sounds separately. As a result, these students who were previously demonstrating difficulty in reading and writing had significant improvements in abilities. By the end of the year, their teachers’ believed these children were now a year ahead of where they would have been without the change in methods. This was confirmed by a standardized reading test.
After many years of teaching these methods, Sue Lloyd met Christopher Jolly (managing directory of Jolly Learning Ltd.) at a conference in 1989. After a few years of research and trials, Chris encouraged Lloyd and Wernham to compile The Phonics Handbook, which was published in 1992. Since then, the range of products has been developed, and Jolly Phonics has now been used in over 100 countries, with some countries such as Trinidad, The Gambia and the Seychelles adopting it as government policy.
Jolly Learning has also collaborated with NGOs and charities such as Absolute Return for Kids
Absolute Return for Kids
Absolute Return for Kids is an international children's charity based in the United Kingdom.ARK is a registered charity under English law and is based in London...
to deliver Jolly Phonics resources for literacy programmes carried out in government schools in India and Nigeria.
Programme
The Jolly Phonics program teaches five basic skills for reading and writing. The five basic skills are all taught at the same time throughout the programme.Learning the Letter Sounds
The 42 main sounds of English are introduced first. Children learn each letter by its sound, not its name (for instance ‘a’ is learnt as it is heard in ‘ant’, not ‘ai’ as in ‘aim’). The sounds are not introduced alphabetically, but are in seven carefully-selected groups. The first group (s, a, t, i, p, n) can be combined to create the largest number of simple three-letter words. Letters that are easily confused, like "b" and "d", are presented in separate groups.The seven groups of letter sounds are:
- s, a, t, i, p, n
- c/k, e, h, r, m, d
- g, o, u, l, f, b
- ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or
- z, w, ng, v, oo, oo
- y, x, ch, sh, th, th
- qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar
Some sounds are written with two letters such as 'ee', and 'or' - these are known as digraphs. In the case of 'oo' and 'th', these can make two different sounds e.g. book vs. moon, that vs. thin.
In Jolly Phonics these digraphs are represented in two forms to distinguish between the two sounds.
Each letter sound has a corresponding action. By performing an action for each sound, students are using kinesthetic, auditory
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
, visual and speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
methods to help them remember the letter(s) representing each sound. It is suggested that one group of seven letter sounds is introduced a week.
Learning Letter Formation
Children are taught how to form each letter in the correct way. They first use their finger to imitate how the teacher forms the letter in the air or on the board. They then move on to form letters using a pencil, held in the Jolly Phonics “froggy legs” grip between thumb and first finger.The letter 'c' is introduced early on, as it forms the basic shape of other letters such as 'g' and 'd'. Lower-case formation is concentrated on initially, then the formation of capital letters is taught.
In the UK, the pre-cursive script version of the Jolly Phonics programme is generally used, as "exit" strokes on the letters are believed to help fluency of writing, encourage better spelling and easier progression into joined-up writing. However the Jolly Phonics programme has also been developed in print
Block letters
Block letters are a form of writing in which the letters are upright, separated, and usually made without serifs. In English-speaking countries children are first taught to write in block letters , and later may advance to cursive writing...
script, which is preferred in the US and other areas of the world.
Blending
This is the process of saying the individual letter sounds in a word, then running them together to make a word e.g. sounding out 'd-o-g' makes dog, which is automatic for literate adults but difficult for young children, as they might not know the sounds well enough and can lose track of the word if the letter sounds are not emphasized correctly.Jolly Phonics suggests several methods for easier blending, such as saying the sounds quickly to hear the word and saying the first sound slightly louder.
There are two main types of blends: consonant blends, and digraphs. In consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
blends, two sounds can be heard e.g. 's' and 'n' in snug or 'n' and 't' in tent, whereas in a digraph
Digraph
Digraph may refer to:* Digraph , a pair of characters used together to represent a single sound, such as "sh" in English* Typographical ligature, the joining of two letters as a single glyph, such as "æ"...
two letters are seen but only one sound is heard e.g. 'sh' in ship.
Identifying Sounds in Words
This basic skill focusses on students hearing and identifying the sounds in a word to spell it correctly. Jolly Phonics suggests several methods for identifying sounds in words, such as beginning with simple three-letter C-V-C (consonant, vowel, consonant) words like cat, and say the word while tapping out the sounds and using rhyming games and poems to attune the ear to sounds in words.Spelling the Tricky Words
Some words in English have irregular spelling and cannot be read by blending, e.g. 'said', 'was' and 'one'. These irregular words are called "Tricky Words" in the Jolly Phonics programme, and have to be memorized separately to increased reading fluency. This is begun once the students are able to recognize the 42 sounds and blend them into simple words.Jolly Phonics suggests several methods for learning tricky word spellings, such as saying the word as it sounds, and using the Look, Cover, Write, Check method. Using cursive
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
(joined-up) writing has also been suggested to aid spelling of memorized words.
Spelling
When students have learnt the Jolly Phonics letter sounds, they can start writing independently, although their spelling will be phonetic.Alternative Spelling
Once students have learned the 42 letter sounds they need to be made aware of alternative ways that some vowelVowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
sounds can be written. Initially in Jolly Phonics, only one way of writing each sound it taught, then the main alternative spellings are covered. For example 'ai' as in 'rain' is initially taught, and once this has been mastered, the alternatives 'ay' as in 'day' and 'a-e' as in 'came' are taught.
Letter Names
When the first three groups of Jolly Phonics letter sounds have been taught, children can be told that letter have names as well as sounds. This is when the alphabetAlphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
is introduced and the link is made between letter sounds to letter names.
Parental Involvement
The Jolly Phonics programme encourages parental support because of the beneficial effect of praise and encouragement to all children whilst learning. It advises parents to be guided by the pace at which their child wants to go, and to practice letter sounds and literacyLiteracy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
skills with them. Extra practice at home and interaction with their parents will lead to greater fluency in the child’s reading and help them manage at school.
The Jolly Phonics programme recognizes that many parents do not know how to help their children whilst learning how to read and write, and offers suggestions and guidance to provide parents with the tools to help them.
Classroom Implementation
The Jolly Phonics program can be implemented into the early primaryPrimary
The word Primary when used alone may refer to any of the following:* Primary , the larger of two co-orbiting bodies* Primary is used for the name of the primary mirror in a telescope.* Primary , from Australia...
classroom with minimal resources or training. The Phonics Handbook is a comprehensive resource covering all areas of the programme and photocopiable practice sheets for each of the letter sounds. In addition to the Handbook, are a variety of other resources to support and engage students.
Children in their first year at school (aged 4–5) are often able to learn the letter sounds at the suggested teaching rate of 5 sounds per week, although some teachers prefer to teach the sounds at a slower pace.
Criticism
Jolly Phonics has attracted much controversy over the years. At one point, it was being used in 68% of UK primary schools when government policy advocated the opposite method of 'whole word' learning, indicating that support to retain previous policy had been lost. A research project in Clackmannanshire also demonstrated a large difference in pupils' learning.Critics have argued that not all children benefit from the synthetic phonics method. Some people's views are that more time should be spent teaching children how to write whole words and say the alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
in the traditional manner instead of breaking words down into letter sounds then blending them to read.
One of the major concerns regarding synthetic phonics is that it is taught in isolation and is boring for students. However, within effective literacy instruction, neither of these assumptions is true. Phonics instruction is part of a balanced literacy approach (which is very different from whole language) and should never be taught exclusive of meaningful connections to text. In addition, many teachers find that the interactive premise behind Jolly Phonics makes it fun for kids.
Jolly Grammar
The Jolly Grammar programme was developed to follow Jolly Phonics. It offers a comprehensive spelling and grammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
for students who have completed the Jolly Phonics programme successfully.
Jolly Grammar teaches the structured side of literacy and covers spelling rules, punctuation, parts of speech, dictionary use and tenses. Parts of speech are taught using actions and colours to help children with parsing
Parsing
In computer science and linguistics, parsing, or, more formally, syntactic analysis, is the process of analyzing a text, made of a sequence of tokens , to determine its grammatical structure with respect to a given formal grammar...
(identifying parts of speech). For example, the colour for verbs is red and the action is to clench fists and move arms backwards and forwards as if running. These methods help students remember grammar rules. Jolly Grammar developed from the belief that it is helpful for children to be taught the structured side of language separately from the more creative side of writing.
External links
- Jolly Learning, publishers of the Jolly Phonics series.
- Jolly Phonics Videos
- Stuart, Morag. 'Getting ready for reading: Early phoneme awareness and phonics teaching improves reading and spelling in inner-city second language learners'. British Journal of Educational Psychology. The British Psychological Society (1999), 69, 587–605
- Criticism of synthetic phonics
- The Jolly Phonics Story - History, Research and Development
- Stepping Stones Nigeria Read and Write Now literacy project, Niger Delta
- Jolly Phonics usage in Malaysia, The Borneo Post
- 7-year study of Synthetic Phonics conducted in Clackmannanshire
- The Telegraph, 12th Feb 2005
- Study of Jolly Phonics in Bristol (1997)