In the twenty-third episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Laila Sadler talks about the Phonics Screening Check and what educators can do to maximise the weeks leading up to the Check.

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The Sounds-Write Membership

Episode 8: Literacy Interventions with Jacinda Vaughan

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In the twenty-second episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Miriam Fein and Sherry Cramer discuss their roles and experience, the partnerships between parents and different education professionals in a struggling reader's life and talk about speech-to-print and how it's affected their practice.

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AET website
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In the twenty-first episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Ilona Sydney-Jones discusses the ins and outs of using Sounds-Write with high school students, the importance of supporting older learners with literacy and the specific adaptations she makes when using Sounds-Write with these learners. Enjoy!

Some helpful links:
SPELDSA
Train with SPELDSA
Base Camp article by John Walker
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In the twentieth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Caroline Hardisty is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for teaching polysyllabic words. Caroline discusses the rationale behind why we introduce polysyllabic words from simple to complex and in an explicit way, how to syllabify words, and how to implement differentiation techniques with polysyllabic word lessons. Enjoy!

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In the nineteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Donna Smith is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for Phonics Leads. This episode comes in celebration of the recent release of our Phonics Lead Handbook, a brilliant (and free!) resource that will be any Phonics Lead's guide to all things Sounds-Write. Enjoy!

Some helpful links:
Access the Phonics Lead Handbook and many more useful documents
Alex saying the sounds Sounds-Write Initial Code
Episode 3: Phonics With Fidelity with Naomi Hinton
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In the eighteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Helen Hampton talks about implementing Sounds-Write in small, rural schools. She discusses how to get started with Sounds-Write in this setting, how to maximise your resources and how to teach phonics to mixed-age classes. Enjoy!

Some helpful links:
Sounds-Write's Free Resources
Sounds-Write's Australian Shop
Train with Helen
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In the seventeenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Alex Bedford and Julie Sherrington talk about their recently released book 'EYFS: Language of Learning'. Alex and Julie are both experienced and passionate educators. They discuss the importance of language development, the impact of the pandemic on children's language and how to put their brilliant handbook into practice. Enjoy!

"This book will be the go-to resource for practitioners who want a clear, user-friendly way to develop children's language in the EYFS setting. Inspired by Joan Tough's language development framework, it offers educators a way to understand, plan and sequence high-quality conversations to help develop shared thinking, communication and language. We love the clarity of the writing and the illustrations, and the worked examples bring the approach to life. We can't wait to go into schools that use this approach and see the children thrive!" ― John Walker and Tita Beaven, Sounds-Write

Some helpful links:
EYFS: Language of Learning – a handbook to provoke, provide and evaluate language development
Alex's upcoming events and workshops
The Reading Together Collection
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Welcome to episode 3 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! Do you know the difference between a language, a pidgin and a creole? What would a writing system look like if it could convey tone of voice and stress? What are false cognates? Join us as we explore these questions and more in this episode. Enjoy!

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What is a language
What’s The Difference Between A Pidgin And A Creole?
Pidgin's etymology
History of Jamaican Patwa
Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music
How Deaf Children in Nicaragua Created a New Language
Pidgins and Creoles
BBC News Pidgin
Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg
False cognates

In the sixteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Kirsty Gibbs talks about all things business. Kirsty is an experienced businesswoman in the tutoring industry. In this episode, she lays out her top tips for growing a thriving tutoring business. Enjoy!

Some helpful links:
Kirsty's podcast episode with Jacinda and Alison
Kirsty's podcast
Kirsty's website
Kirsty's free resources
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Welcome to episode 2 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! What can we find out about towns and cities based on their suffixes and etymology? Why are some words spelt differently in US-English? And what's the difference between homonyms and polysemous words? Enjoy!

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Latin influence on English
The Origins of English Place Names
Etymology of ‘castle’
Place names stemming from ‘castrum’
More on place names
‘Mutha’
Wolverhampton etymology
Broome etymology
Brisbane etymology
More about Webster’s ideas in his political context
Webster’s changes to spelling
How is polysemy different from homonymy?
More on polysemy
Polysemy Versus Homonymy
More on Polysemy Versus Homonymy
Etymology of ‘dish’
Etymology of ‘bat’
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4