Jolly Phonics Fidelity Checklist

Teacher: _________________________________ Class/Grade: _____________ Date: _______________________

This checklist is mainly for an administrator to use, perhaps with lesson o ser!ation, to e!aluate how faithfully Jolly Phonics is ein" used#

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1. General 1.1 Are the skills of learning the letter sounds, letter formation, blending and identifying sounds in words being taught from the beginning? Comments:

Further information
It is important that all these skills are taught from the beginning, and not just the letter sounds. The introduction of tricky words is delayed but is then taught alongside the other skills.

2. Learning Letter Sounds .1 Are the letter sounds being taught initially !not the letter names"? . Are the $ letter sounds being taught at a fast pace !%&' a week"? Introducing letter names is delayed until the third group of letter sounds has been taught to a#oid confusion. Teaching fewer than % letter sounds a week is not #ery stimulating and should be a#oided, if possible. It is important to pro#ide the class with some (uick practice in e#ery lesson. It is also important to monitor indi#idual performance.

.% Is there regular practice of the letter sounds taught so far? .$ Are the $ letter sounds being taught, including the digraphs? .) Are the main alternati#e spellings being introduced once the initial $ letter sounds ha#e been taught? Comments:

These should be introduced gradually !1& a week", at a pace that suits the class. *upport can be gi#en to the slower learners.

3. Letter Formation %.1 Is the class being taught how to hold a pencil properly, from the beginning? %. Is the class being taught how to form each letter correctly? +egular letter&sound dictation pro#ides the opportunity to check on the formation of letters. The tripod grip is recommended. This teaching is most important in the initial stages.

%.% Is the class being gi#en regular practice in letter formation?

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%.$ Is the class being monitored to ensure correct formation and neat handwriting? %.) Is the alphabet being introduced at an appropriate stage? %.' Is the class being taught how to form the capital letters correctly? Comments:

Further information

It is recommended that the class learns how to sing or recite the alphabet once the third letter sound group has been taught. ,apital letters are not introduced initially, but are taught once the alphabet has been introduced.

4. Blending $.1 Is the class being taught how to blend sounds into words? $. Are words, phrases and sentences being pro#ided for blending? +egular practice is important. In the initial stages, the teacher may say the sounds for the class to blend. -#entually, e#eryone should be able to read and blend the word themsel#es. +egular whole class and indi#idual practice is needed to de#elop .uency in this skill. The te/ts should only use the letter sounds and tricky words taught so far. 0ecodable books only use the letter sounds and tricky words taught so far. A wider choice of books can be gi#en to those in the class who ha#e .uency of reading and who blend new, unfamiliar words automatically.

$.% Are decodable books being used in indi#idual reading practice, once the skill of blending has been ac(uired? Comments:

5. dentif!ing the Sounds in "ords #Segmenting$ ).1 Is the class being taught to identify all the sounds in words? ). Are words being dictated to the class on a regular basis? 1or spelling, it is important that all the sounds in a word can be identi2ed, and not just the initial sound. Initially, words for dictation should a#oid double or silent letters and be restricted to those of the $ letter sounds that ha#e been taught so far. 3odel writing demonstrates how to write a gi#en sentence !eg starting with a capital letter, writing letters for the sounds in words, lea#ing spaces, spelling the tricky word, etc". A good time to start is when the tricky words are being taught. It works well to gi#e sentence dictation at least twice a week, in preparation for independent writing. 4owe#er, it is best to do this once most of the class can write words from dictation.

).% Are model sentences being written on the board for the class?

).$ Are sentences being dictated, using the letter sounds and tricky words taught so far? ).) Is the class being encouraged to write independently, once the initial $ letter sounds ha#e been taught? Comments:

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Further information

%. &ric'! "ords '.1 Is the class being taught the tricky words? '. Is the class being taught to identify the awkward bits of tricky words for reading and spelling? 5enerally, the tricky words are introduced once 6th6 has been taught. 1or e/ample, in the word 7said7, the 6s6 and 6d6 sounds are regular but it must be remembered that the 8ai9 spelling has an 6e6 sound.

'.% Is the class being gi#en regular practice in reading and writing the tricky words? Comments:

(. Struggling Students :.1 Are those who are struggling to learn the letters sounds being identi2ed at an early stage? :. Are those who are struggling with any of the other skills !letter formation, blending, segmenting and tricky words" being identi2ed as early as possible? It should be possible to identify strugglers by the time the second group of letter sounds has been introduced. *low learners of the letter sounds tend to ha#e a poor #isual memory. They need e/tra practice and support from the teacher or a buddy. -ach weakness needs attention. Those struggling to blend and segment ha#e poor auditory skills. They will need more practice than the rest of the class, either in small groups or indi#idually. The earlier the inter#ention, the more effecti#e it will be and the more likely that further dif2culties will be a#oided. Any impro#ement should be demonstrable, either in achie#ement !eg the number of letter sounds known, impro#ed motor skills, etc" or against something like the spelling6reading age.

:.% Is e/tra practice and support being gi#en to those who need it?

Comments:

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