Monster Phonics outline of teaching and learning

The Monster Phonics Approach

Monster Phonics is an enhanced systematic synthetic phonics scheme. It teaches phonics in a comprehensive structured progression but provides additional multi-sensory support to make learning more memorable and engaging. It uses colour coding and monster sound cues to support learning when children encounter long vowels, silent letters, and tricky letters. This additional support is used consistently and then cleverly phased out, creating confident independent readers. And, it’s not just about the colours; the monsters themselves each represent a sound which brings phonics to life. This creates engagement, and speeds up the learning process for everyone.

 

 

There is no plenary in the EYFS sequence as learning is moved forward in their continuous provision.

A Monster Phonics lesson should be daily 20-30 minute lessons for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. Lessons are taught whole class and follow a keep up not catch-up approach. All children should be given support within the lesson and lessons should be well resourced using flashcards, sound mats, magnetic letters and phoneme frames.

 

This enables the teacher to model articulating the phoneme ensuring correct pronunciation, show the grapheme to show the GPC and then help the children to form the grapheme providing opportunities for practice. 

 

Teaching Blending

Blending involves merging the sounds (phonemes) in a word together to pronounce it. The teaching strategy for teaching blending follows this format:

When teaching segmenting, the teacher counts the number of phonemes on fingers, uses the teaching strategy of ‘My Go, Our Go, Your Go’. They then highlight starting at the left and models writing/showing individual graphemes in sequence. They then blend to check spelling.

Teaching High Frequency Words

Teaching High Frequency words follows a different format. The teacher will show and say the word. Then as a class, they would look at the word, identify GPCs and blend all whilst using the strategy of ‘My Go, Our Go, Your Go’. The teacher would then put the word into a sentence for context. 

 

Teaching Common Exception Words

Some High Frequency Words cannot be sounded out easily. These are known as Common Exception Words or Tricky Words. ‘Common Exception Words contain grapheme-phoneme correspondence which have not yet been taught as widely applicable’ (DfE 2013).

When teaching the Common Exception Words, the teacher will show and say the word. These words will include graphemes that are colour-coded in gold. The teacher will then look at the word and identify the GPCs children know. Together with the class, they will look at the ‘tricky part’ in gold and explain what Tricky Witch has done! They will do all of this using the strategy of ‘My Go, Our Go, Your Go.’ The word will then be put into a sentence for context and the class will practise reading the word fluently. 

 

Both the teaching of High Frequency Words and Common Exception Words follow the same format of:

Monster Phonics Progression

 

Foundation in Phonics (Phase 1)

Aspect 1 – General sound discrimination – environmental sounds

The aim of this aspect is to raise children’s awareness of the sounds around them and to develop their listening skills.

Aspect 2 – General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds

This aspect aims to develop children’s awareness of sounds made by various instruments and noise makers.

Aspect 3 – General sound discrimination – body percussion

The aim of this aspect is to develop children’s awareness of sounds and rhythms.

Aspect 4 – Rhythm and rhyme

This aspect aims to develop children’s appreciation and experiences of rhythm and rhyme in speech.

Aspect 5 – Alliteration

The focus is on the initial sounds of words.

Aspect 6 – Voice sounds

The aim is to distinguish between different vocal sounds and to begin oral blending and segmenting.

Aspect 7 – Oral blending and segmenting

The main aim is to develop oral blending and segmenting skills.

 

Reception progression map

The progression maps below can be found on the Monster Phonics website

 

Year 1 Progression Map

Year 2 Progression Map

 

Assessment and Intervention

 

Effective Formative Assessment

 

Effective formative assessment is at the heart of the Monster Phonics programme. By quickly identifying children that are struggling or who have misunderstood, and then taking immediate action, can make all the difference in supporting children to achieve and progress with early reading and writing.

It is so important to assess and respond quickly, whether that is using scheduled summative assessments or through ‘on the spot’ assessments made during the phonics lesson itself.

Early identification of children at risk of falling behind, together with an effective intervention programme is paramount to ensure that every child learns to read and write. Using formative assessment will help children to keep pace with the teaching and the phonics programme and allow them to reach yearly expectations. Considering elements like where a child is seated, using targeted questioning during the lesson, providing adult support and having resources to support the children readily available will maximise the child’s learning opportunities and support them to remain on track and focused with their learning.

 

 

 

Same Day Interventions

 

 

Using the flowchart above as well as observations and formative assessments made during the phonics lesson and discussions with any additional supporting adults, teachers will have identified children who still require further support and are at risk of not keeping up. These will include any child who has not met one or more of the learning objectives for the lesson. They may have struggled retaining the particular GPC, had difficulty applying it when reading or spelling words or struggled to use a spelling rule taught in the lesson.

These children should then have a ‘Same Day Intervention’ session. Where possible, the intervention session should be delivered on the same day as this will allow gaps in phonics knowledge to be addressed before the next phonics session. It is also important that these sessions are routinely timetabled and happen.

Same Day Intervention sessions can be delivered one to one or in small groups and must be delivered by a trained member of staff. These interventions are recommended to be 10 to 15 minutes. There is a Same Day Intervention for every GPC and spelling rule covered in the programme. All the materials can be found under the interventions tab on the Monster Phonics website. 

Intervention activities are simple with reduced cognitive load and targeted using a multi-sensory approach to facilitate learning. All the graphemes and spelling rules are

revised in the same way and activities are routine for efficient learning. Each intervention session focuses on GPC recognition, grapheme formation, blending and segmenting.

 

Delivering a Same Day Intervention

The sequence of a same day intervention is as follows:

 

1. Use flashcards to review recently taught GPCs/HFWs.

2. Use the PowerPoint to practice formation, blending and segmenting. Use scaffolded

teaching strategies to support learners e.g. ‘my go, our go, your go’ and ‘phoneme fingers’.

3. Add extra blending as segmenting practice if needed.   

4. Complete downloadable activity.

 

5. Re-assess the Learning Objective and record progress using Same day Intervention Record sheet below.

 

Always ensure that these sessions are well resourced with supplementary teaching and learning resources available e.g. magnetic letters, phoneme frame, sound charts, coloured pens.

If a child has not met 3 or more recent learning objectives it is paramount that these children receive either individual or group Rapid Intervention to ensure that they do not fall further behind

 

Daily Repeated Practice

Always reinforce the phonics learned in the daily lessons through other subject areas whenever the children are reading, writing and spelling. Encourage children to check their learning with a focus on GPCs, HFWs and spelling rules recently taught.

Continue to use the phonics strategies for blending and segmenting in other subjects. Encourage children to use ‘phoneme fingers’ or ‘sound buttons’ and blending if they need support to spell or read a word.

Make time for additional practice using flashcards and PowerPoints. Use these to review recently taught GPCs and reading of decodable words as well as ensuring repeated practise of older learning. With blending of decodable words use the scaffolded reading strategies to move children from overt blending to reading words fluently and with automaticity.

Use simple dictated sentences for children to practise and apply their secure phonics knowledge. Always choose short sentences that practise words the children can read with ease.

 

Incidental Learning Opportunities

Providing lots of incidental phonics learning opportunities throughout the day will also help consolidate learning. Taking phonics beyond the phonics lesson will mean that children can practise skills in all subjects and aspects of their daily routines.

Some suggested Ideas for incidental activities:

• Passwords to access the classrooms or different areas of the classroom

• Using Monster Phonics songs as part of a daily routine for line up, tidy up time

• Access to decodable books in provision

• Magnetic letters and phoneme frames available

• Well-equipped writing areas and book corners

• Interactive working walls

• Lunchtime phonic games, rainy day phonics games

• Monster Phonics sound charts, posters and interactive displays

• Sign and labels around the classroom/ school.

 

Effective Summative Assessment

It is only through assessment that we can find out whether what has happened in the classroom has produced the learning we intended. Summative assessment is only effective, however, if we use it to identify those children who need additional support and then provide high quality ‘rapid’ targeted interventions.

 

The year group progression documents seen above show when the scheduled assessments are to happen. All assessment resources can be found on the Monster Phonics website

 

Under the Assessment tab. Using the Online Assessment Tracker, teachers will be able to highlight those children who require ‘Rapid Intervention’. They will be able to clearly identify gaps in children’s learning whether that be GPCs, blending/segmenting skills or HFWs. It is important, however, to note that providing interventions should not solely rest with the outcomes of scheduled summative assessments. Any children at risk of not keeping up should be identified immediately from classroom observations and Same Day interventions and then Rapid Intervention started immediately. If children have more than one area of concern, teachers will need to deliver separate interventions for these needs.

 

Whole Class Rapid Intervention

Group Intervention

Group intervention can be used for children who have similar needs in terms of the key skills of blending and segmenting, or who are not secure with the same GPCs or HFWs.

 

Group Rapid Intervention sessions should be daily ten minutes sessions and be delivered by trained members of staff. If children have more than one area of concern, teachers will need to deliver separate interventions for these needs. Interventions should run up to 6 weeks, with children being reassessed after 3 weeks. Teachers do not need to complete all weeks of the intervention if a child is confident and maintaining pace with their peers.

Group Rapid Intervention will cover.

• Oral Blending & Segmenting

• Grapheme Phoneme Correspondence

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• BLending to Read

• Segmenting to Spell

• HFWs & CEWs

All guidance, planning and record sheets for each type of intervention can be found on the Monster Phonics website.

Individual Interventions

Individual interventions can be used for children to fill in their individual knowledge gaps of the GPCs and HFWs, they have previously been taught but not secured, and for developing the key skill of blending.

These children should continue to have the same teaching in class and be introduced to the new GPCs, with interventions running alongside.

 

Individual Rapid Intervention sessions should be daily 5 to 10 minute sessions and be delivered by trained members of staff. Interventions should run for 6 weeks, with children being reassessed after 3 weeks. Teachers do not need to complete all 6 weeks if a child is confident and maintaining pace with their peers.

 

Intervention focus will be on one of the following.

• Grapheme Phoneme Correspondence

• Blending to Read

• HFWs & CEWs

• Precision Teaching can be used to support the teaching of GPCs and HFWs building up fluency and automaticity.

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All guidance, planning and record sheets for each type of intervention can be found on the Monster Phonics website.