Phonics and Spelling Scheme

EdShed Phonics and Spelling is an innovative programme designed to accelerate students' reading, writing and English language proficiency while also minimising teacher workload.

EdShed Phonics and Spelling is:

Fully CAPs-aligned
Fully planned and fully resourced
Designed specifically for South Africa
Includes games that can be used online and offline
Suitable for the Foundation Phase through the systematic synthetic multi-sensory phonics programme
Suitable for the Intermediate Phase through the research-based spelling programme

In the Foundation Phase, synthetic, systematic phonics teaches early reading and writing. Building on these firm foundations, the Intermediate Phase is based on Science of Reading research and uses proven approaches to teach spelling, such as exploring spelling patterns, looking at morphology and etymology, as well as activities that support orthographic mapping. By equipping students with a comprehensive toolkit of word-understanding strategies, we empower them to improve their spelling, reading and writing skills.

Foundation Phase
Intermediate Phase

EdShed Phonics and Spelling provides a multi-sensory, systematic progression through synthetic phonics. It begins with recognising that words are made of phonemes and breaking words into their syllables in Grade R, then looks at more complex vowel-consonant combinations in Grades 2 and 3. This is in line with CAPS guidance, which recommends students spell words phonetically at this stage, with more accurate spelling patterns being focused on in Grades 4-6.

Joe is your guide in the Phonics Shed Garden, introducing you to all of our characters. Each character you meet will teach you a new grapheme-phoneme correspondence.

The weekly planning and overview documents are supported by physical and digital books, flashcards and all the supplementary resources needed to follow our comprehensive multi-sensory scheme. You even get a Joe puppet to introduce to the children and to support your teaching!

In the Foundation Phase, each lesson includes:

A full lesson plan and printable resources
A teaching book based around a new character for each new GPC (grapheme-phoneme correspondence)
Decodable books
Songs relating to the GPC character that follow a familiar tune
An action relating to the character or sound
Physical resources, including flashcards, word cards and posters
A selection of reading and writing activities

It is the coalescence of these elements that makes our programme so effective. The combination of our systematic approach with so many different learning "hooks" means children's learning is accelerated. The lessons can be taught with or without access to a computer, meaning our programme is suitable to be used in a variety of settings.

In addition to the fully-resourced lessons and plans, EdShed Phonics and Spelling gives you access to our Letter Tiles tool, digital flashcard tool, decodable eBooks, phonics games and assessments.

Flatlay of EdShed phonics resources: lesson plans, books, worksheets and presentation

Phonics Assessment

Choose whether to focus on specific graphemes, HFWs, word lists or use the Screening Check Simulator in preparation for the screening completed in Grade 1.

Choose either 'Grapheme Flashcards' or 'High Frequency Word (HFW) Flashcards'. Select the cards appropriate for your students and make use of this digital resource to quickly recap known graphemes or HFWs.

Our fully-decodable books are composed of words made of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) that your students have learned up to that point. The progressive nature of the sequence allows children to read independently at every stage of the programme. Practising with such decodable texts will help to make sure children experience success and effectively develop phonic strategies.We offer both ebook and physical book options. This enables you to send books home or assign them digitally.

Screenshot showing drag and drop letter tile tool

Drag and drop letters, graphemes and other useful tiles with our free letter tile tool.

Large selection of tiles: letters, graphemes, prefixes, suffixes, colour blocks, grammar and accented characters.
Drawing tool for free-hand annotation.
Tiles easily snap together to form words.
Integrated dictionary data with phonics notations, definitions and audio.

EdShed Phonics and Spelling is a programme designed upon reputable research into the Science of Reading and the Science of Spelling.

Scarborough's Reading Rope

Scarborough's Reading Rope highlights the intricate skills essential for proficient reading. It shows us that reading is split into two main aspects: word reading and language comprehension. Synthetic phonics focuses on the word-reading element, systematically teaching the connection between sounds and letters. This builds strong foundational skills, enhancing word decoding and comprehension, crucial for lifelong reading success.

EdShed Phonics and Spelling is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme that uses multi-sensory approaches to teach phonics. Multi-sensory instruction combines listening, speaking, reading and a tactile activity. Evidence suggests that this is the most effective way to teach phonics to students.

“Children's spelling of words improves when they read words in texts. However, the gains are modest, as anyone who has read a word like necessary many times but has trouble spelling it can attest. As a result, children who receive systematic multi-sensory spelling instruction generally spell more successfully than those who do not.” Treiman, R. (2018), Teaching and Learning Spelling. Child Dev Perspect, 12: 235-239

EdShed Phonics and Spelling also teaches speaking and listening to develop language comprehension skills. This is in line with the CAPS curriculum, which encourages the reading of picture books and story books alongside phonics to develop comprehension skills.

EdShed Phonics and Spelling applies a research-based and proven approach to teaching spelling. Elements of orthography, morphology and etymology are at the core of each lesson.

Each lesson has a main objective for spelling. This may be split across multiple bullet points.

We know that many schools' timetables are bursting at the seams, and with this in mind, we have designed each lesson as a number of modular components that can be taught as a single lesson per week or split into a number of sessions to be delivered over the course of a week.

Each week, a set of words is provided; these words are examples of the spelling pattern. Each lesson contains a revision section. Children will revisit sounds and spelling patterns taught in earlier weeks. In the introduction, children will be acquainted with the words of the week. There will be an explanation of how the words are linked. The lists are organised by spelling patterns, sounds or affixes.

The Main Teaching Input section explores the words of the week. Teachers and students will examine aspects such as the number of syllables, unfamiliar sounds and the morphology of the words.

The Independent section is designed to be carried out by students with minimal instruction. They can be carried out immediately after the teaching input in class during an extended spelling session or can be carried out later in an additional session.

In the Consolidation section, a recap of the objectives will be carried out.

In the Intermediate Phase, each lesson includes:

A detailed lesson plan
Lesson presentation
Printable worksheets
Word lists focusing on spelling patterns (or Spelling Rules as listed in the CAPS curriculum)
Digital games to support spelling practice and vocabulary acquisition

In addition to the fully-resourced lessons and plans, EdShed Phonics and Spelling gives you access to our interactive Letter Tiles tool.

Lesson Plans

Full lesson plans for each small step complete with graphics for schools without tech.

Flatlay of intermediate phase lesson plan

Lesson presentations

Our lesson presentations follow a planned sequence and logical progression of skills and knowledge. Lessons focus on teaching spelling patterns and strategies. They incorporate phonics, morphology, etymology and activities that support orthographic mapping.

Lesson presentation introduction slide for syllables, phenomes, homophones and near homophones

Lesson presentation slide for using sound buttons

Lesson presentation slide word meanings for homophones and near homophones

Lesson presentation slide for homophone words accept and except, knot and not

Lesson presentation slide for homophone words peace and piece, plain and plane

Lesson presentation slide for homophone words weather and whether

Lesson presentation slide for etemology of the word peace

Lesson presentation slide for sorting words based on number of syllables

Lesson presentation slide for syllable maps and sound buttons

Lesson presentation slide for segmenting words into syllables and phonemes

Lesson presentation slide for answers of segmenting words into syllables and phonemes

Lesson presentation slide for using the correct homophone in sentences page 1

Lesson presentation slide for using the correct homophone in sentences page 2

Lesson presentation slide for answers of using the correct homophone in sentences page 1

Lesson presentation slide for answers of using the correct homophone in sentences page 2

Lesson presentation slide for sentence writing with homophones knot and not

Lesson presentation slide for segmenting words and alphabetising

Lesson presentation slide for answers of sentence writing with homophones knot and not

Lesson presentation slide for answers of segmenting words and alphabetising

Lesson presentation slide of Word Shed for accept

Lesson presentation slide of answers for Word Shed for accept

Lesson presentation Word cards for independent extended learning

Lesson presentation Picture cards for independent extended learning

Worksheets

Our worksheets complement our click-and-go lesson presentations and lesson plans. They are printable, allowing online and offline teaching to take place. They give students the opportunity to practise skills taught and knowledge learned in the corresponding lesson.

Interactive Letter Tiles Tool

Drag and drop letters, graphemes and other useful tiles with our free letter tile tool.

Large selection of tiles: letters, graphemes, prefixes, suffixes, colour blocks, grammar and accented characters.
Drawing tool for free-hand annotation.
Tiles easily snap together to form words.
Integrated dictionary data with phonics notations, definitions and audio.

Our programme tracks student game plays along with their responses. Teachers can monitor weekly activity in order to advance or remediate as needed. Data from gameplay feeds directly into your data report. Our platform enables learning to happen anywhere and everywhere, giving educators the peace of mind that students can learn and practice unhindered.

Screenshot of assesment grid for tracking progress of students

Our administration tools also allow groups of schools to manage school data centrally.Our administration tools also allow groups of schools to manage school data centrally.

EdShed Phonics and Spelling is a programme created using the most -to-date research into the Science of Reading.

“An effective speller draws upon the entire rich linguistic tapestry of a word to spell it correctly. The threads of this tapestry can be identified as phonological knowledge (including phonemic awareness), orthographic knowledge, morphological knowledge (which includes semantic knowledge), etymological knowledge and visual knowledge (Apel et al., 2004a, b; Henry, 1989; Masterson and Apel, 2010)." Adoniou (2014, p. 145)

This image from Oakley & Fellowes depicts some elements of the rich tapestry Adoniou discussed and how the mastery of these elements produces successful spellers. Our programme uses these elements to teach a strong foundation of linguistic knowledge, which can then be successfully applied by your students.

Phonics

Phonics remains key to spelling success in the Intermediate Phase. While initial phonics instruction in the Foundation Phase focuses on sound-symbol relationships, continued application helps children recognise and apply spelling patterns and irregularities in written language. Phonics empowers students to decode and encode words, facilitating a deeper understanding of spelling patterns and enabling them to tackle new and unfamiliar words with confidence.

The multi-sensory approach to phonics is the most effective, as it engages the whole brain. According to the whole brain learning theory(pdf), the human brain has evolved to learn most effectively in a multi-sensory environment.

A study in 2018 showed that the stronger a child's literary skills, the more interactivity between parts of their brain, thus suggesting that a multi-sensory approach is the most effective way to teach phonics.

Orthology

Orthography is the spelling system of a language. It is the patterns the language can use.

“Alongside phonological knowledge, students must have orthographic knowledge, that is, understanding which letter sequences are both possible and plausible in English.” Adoniou (2024, p. 146)

In the Intermediate Phase, through adult-led discussion and investigation, students will become more secure in their knowledge of English orthography based on the frequency and position of the sounds within words.

"Orthographic mapping is the cognitive process by which readers associate speech sounds with written letters (phoneme-grapheme associations) in a written word to store it for immediate retrieval “on sight.” Mather & Jaffe (2021, p. 15-16)

As it is a cognitive process, it is not something that can be directly taught; however, there are methods that support orthographic mapping. This might include breaking down words in different ways: sound buttons, Elkonin boxes, syllables and looking at the positional best fit of words.

Orthology syllable maps and sound boxes presentation slide

Orthology segmenting task for syllables and phonemes

Morphology

Morphology is the study of the 'form' of words. Words are made of morphemes, the smallest unit of meaning in a word.

Morphology aids children in spelling by teaching them to recognise and apply common word components such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots. This knowledge enables young learners to break down and understand the building blocks of words, facilitating improved spelling skills as they grasp the fundamental elements that contribute to correct spelling patterns.

Children will study words, word parts and their meanings. Throughout the programme, children will learn about common morphemes such as root formations, prefixes, and suffixes. The programme explores spelling patterns, helping students remember the regular patterns. It also looks at irregular spelling patterns and the possible reasons for them.

Morphology for irregular spelling patterns presentation slide

Etymology

“Etymology describes the origins of words, which can lead to certain patterns of spelling.”

Most lessons in the scheme include an etymology element that allows educators to teach children the origin of the words that they are learning about.

Children will be able to see how the English language has, over time, borrowed and integrated words and spellings from a range of source languages. For example, 'fraction' comes from the Latin word 'frangere' which means 'to break'. From this, it is easy to see the relationship between the words fracture, fragile and fragment.

$Etymology presentation slide for the definition of fraction$

Studying etymology can greatly assist in spelling by providing students with valuable insights into word structures and patterns. Understanding the roots, prefixes, and suffixes of words not only enhances children's spelling abilities but also empowers them to decipher unfamiliar words more effectively.

Morphology and etymology are intrinsically linked, as morphology examines the structure and form of words, while etymology explores their origins and historical development. Understanding the morphology of a word can often provide insights into its etymology, revealing how its components have evolved over time. Remembering these patterns leads to successful spelling. Understanding the meaning behind the patterns increases the likelihood of the student being able to remember the pattern, which leads to successful spelling.

Visual Memory

“Visual memory is dramatically better when meaning can be attached to the to-be-remembered pattern” Bowers & Bowers (2017, p.132)

As Bowers & Bowers explain, children's visual memory of a word is enhanced when meaning can be attached to the pattern.

We build up a mental lexicon, a store of words we know and are committed to our visual memory.

Some people justify memorising whole words instead of focusing on spelling patterns. However, there are 171,000 words in common usage. The phonology, morphology, etymology and orthography of the words help us build this bank of memorised words.

The phonology, morphology, etymology and orthography of the words help us build this bank of memorised words.

It is wonderful to see the children remembering the sounds, mainly because of their actions. The pace and clarity of the lessons are good. There is the perfect number and range of resources—we love the big and little flash cards, as well as the games and the practice writing sheets.

Head of School, Ilketshall St Lawrence