Twenty-four editable practitioner cards and six blank templates support short, carefully selected word-dictation practice. Children hear a word and apply their taught grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) to spell it. The cards remain with the adult; they are not child reading cards or a fixed spelling test.

Use only taught correspondences

Do not dictate words containing untaught GPCs. Check every correspondence in the intended word against what the child has been taught through your systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme. If any required GPC is untaught, choose another word.

Use a short dictation routine

1. SELECT  Choose a small, manageable set from any bank, using the audits on pages 2–3. Banks A to D organise adult preparation; they are not a teaching sequence. Primarily for Reception learners applying taught code, with adaptation for other learners.

2. SAY  Keep the written word and GPC sequence hidden. Say the whole word naturally, establish its meaning orally and repeat it when helpful. Do not initially give the segmented answer if you want the child to do the segmenting.

3. SPELL  Invite the child to segment and write the word using the SSP’s familiar routine. If needed, use the card’s prompt: “Say the word slowly. What phonemes can you hear?” Keep pronunciation natural, without an added “uh” or an artificial extra syllable.

4. SUPPORT  Pause and allow thinking time. If the child needs a model, provide one, then acknowledge that the attempt was supported. Hearing the phonemes alone does not always reveal the conventional spelling; use the spelling support already taught through the SSP.

5. READ BACK  Invite the child to blend through what they wrote. Check for an appropriate grapheme for every phoneme, in order. Give specific feedback, then show a checking model if useful. A plausible spelling may show successful segmenting while still needing help with conventional spelling.

DOWNLOAD (DOCX) 📝

DOWNLOAD (PDF) 📄

DOWNLOAD (Zipped JPEGs) 📂

← Back to ‘Phonics & Early Reading’