Jolly Phonics is a popular program used to teach phonics and early reading skills to young children. Here’s a suggested sequence to teach Jolly Phonics:
Teach the letter sounds: Start by introducing the 42 letter sounds of the English language systematically. You can use multisensory approaches, such as showing the letter, saying the sound, and associating it with an action or a picture. For example, for the letter “s,” show the letter card, say the sound /s/, and make a hissing sound like a snake.
Teach letter formation: Once the letter sounds are introduced, teach children how to form each letter correctly. Demonstrate the correct letter formation on a whiteboard or paper and encourage children to practice writing the letters using their finger, pencil, or other materials.
Teach letter names: After introducing the letter sounds and formations, teach the letter names associated with each sound. For example, for the sound /s/, you would say, “This is the letter ‘s,’ and it makes the sound /s/.”
Teach letter actions and songs: Jolly Phonics incorporates actions and songs to make learning more engaging and memorable. Introduce the associated actions and songs for each letter sound to reinforce the learning. Encourage children to participate in the actions and sing along to the songs.
Introduce blending and segmenting: Once children are familiar with a set of letter sounds, start introducing blending and segmenting activities. Blend sounds together to form simple words, and segment words into their individual sounds. For example, using the sounds /s/, /a/, /t/, blend them together to form the word “sat.” Then segment the word “cat” into its sounds /k/, /a/, /t/.
Teach tricky words: Alongside the letter sounds, introduce and practice common tricky words that cannot be easily sounded out. These are often high-frequency words that children encounter frequently in their reading. Examples include “the,” “was,” and “said.” Teach these words by sight recognition rather than decoding.
Introduce alternative spellings and digraphs: As children progress, introduce alternative spellings for certain sounds and digraphs (two letters representing one sound), such as /ee/, /oa/, /ai/, and /ch/. Teach the associated sounds, actions, and formations for these spelling patterns.
Continue with regular practice: Regularly review and practice the letter sounds, blending, segmenting, tricky words, and spelling patterns. Provide opportunities for children to read and write words, sentences, and simple texts using the phonics skills they have learned.
Remember to make the learning experience fun and interactive by incorporating games, activities, and resources from the Jolly Phonics program. Adapt the pace and activities based on the needs and progress of your students.
