TheReading Whisperer Read Australia - Reading by Six ! Reading and Spelling - Synthetic Phonics Plus
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Reading Whisperer- Cracking the reading and spelling code through Sound Pics!

" The greatest gift you could give to a child... "

Exceed Grade Level Desirable Outcomes with the Reading Whisperer™

Early Years Learning Framework- Outcome 5 /// National Curriculum (English) Foundation Year, Year 1 and Year 2- Reading, Writing and Spelling ///
Early Reading Groups and Workshops for Parents on the Gold Coast Queensland

The Reading Whisperer™
- Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons. MA Special Educational Needs
(Dyslexia, Behaviour Management, Counselling, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
is a former UK Government (Office for Standards in Education)
Inspector of Childcare and Early Years Education.

Emma will help you develop an exceptional early years learning facility, and offers training for state and primary schools, targeting the Foundation Years, Year 1 and 2 staff team.Triple L Training- Listen, Learn and LeadThe Reading Whisperer™ gives specific, detailed training, support and advice relating to early reading, writing and spelling acquisition. Outcome? ALL children reading by six.

A range of additional services are offered through Triple L Training (Listen, Learn and Lead) - for example 'Developing Social and Emotional Intelligence in the Early Years'

Triple L Training



Professional Training- the New Australian Early Years Learning Framework
(Targeting Outcome 5)

EYLF Support and Training - LiteracyChildren are taught to read and spell words within the first few weeks! Quickly moving on to 'real' books- which they love!

The Early Years Learning Framework is part of the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) reform agenda for early childhood education and care and is a key component of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care. It underpins universal access to early childhood education and will be incorporated in the National Quality Standard in order to ensure delivery of nationally consistent and quality early childhood education across sectors and jurisdictions.

The Early Years Learning Framework describes the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. The Framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning as play is the best vehicle for young children’s learning providing the most appropriate stimulus for brain development. The Framework also recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development.

The Reading Whisperer™ offers a range of professional development training courses and workshops for Early Years and Primary school educators, across Australia, even though based in Queensland.

'Belonging, Being and Becoming' relates to children from birth to aged 5 - with 'literacy' coming under outcome 5 (children are effective communicators) however 'reading, writing and spelling' is part of every outcome if using an integrated, child centred approach (ideally inquiry learning)

The teaching of reading and spelling comes under the heading of 'intentional teaching' because it must be taught - children are not inherently active, self-regulating learners who construct knowledge for themselves, with teachers needing to give little or no explicit decoding instruction.

What does 'literacy' mean within the Early Years Learning Framework?

Literacy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to use language in all its forms. Literacy incorporates a range of modes of communication including music, movement, dance, story telling, visual arts, media and
drama, as well as talking, listening, viewing, reading and writing. Contemporary texts include electronic and print based media. In an increasingly technological world, the ability to critically analyse texts is a key component of literacy. Children benefit from opportunities to explore their world using technologies and to develop confi dence in using digital media.

OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
• Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
• Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
• Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
• Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
• Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas
and represent their thinking.

Although the outcomes give some information, there is not enough to help early years educators give children the skills needed to be reading and spelling as early as they are able to do so. The Reading Whisperer™ has instigated the Reading by Six campaign however claims that most children can be reading and spelling by 5. This means giving them the skills to do so when 3 - 5 years of age. This is mainly to prevent literacy difficulties when they then start school. Most Australian teachers are not trained to indentify which children are likely to struggle, and many reach the age of 7 without being able to read and spell to their expected grade level. Therefore, as well as meeting the expected level regarding Early Years Learning Framework outcomes The Reading Whisperer™ will shows early years educators and childcare facilities how to go so much further- exceding expected levels. This will help to prevent many of the reading difficulties our Australia children face. They can begin reading to learn far earlier- because they will not need to spend so much time learning to read. And it's FUN!

You will read statements such as the following, found in Newsletter 18 - from the Early Years Learning Framework- Professional Learning Program - 'Becoming Literate'

" As children grow and develop in stimulating literacy environments, they begin to associate sounds with letters of the alphabet. This ‘alphabetic principle’ is very important for learning to read, write and spell, but the relationship is complex in English, because a letter often represents more than one sound. For example, ‘a’ is used for one sound in ‘cat’, another in ‘came’ and a different sound in ‘car’."

Children only begin to associate sounds with letters of the alphabet when we teach them this directly. To have a good understanding of the alphabetic code we must teach this systematically. The above statement implies that 'phonics' is difficult to teach ('complex') however The Reading Whisperer™ will show you how to make it very simple and straightforward- for the teachers as well as the children! She starts from our spoken language, with the children figuring out how to represent these sounds in paper. So she doesnt start with the 'symbol' ie 'a' - which would be confusing, as it can represent different sounds. Instead she focuses on sounds in our spoken language, calling the written representation 'sound pics'. Children 'get' that- and dont feel like they have to learn various 'rules'. They do not see the 'a' in the words given in these examples- they see the sound pics in the words. So they see 'a' as in cat, a-e (knowing the the letter in the dash tells them what sound to focus on) and 'ar'.

Contact the Reading Whisperer™ for Professional Development Workshops and Training - Reaching and Exceding the early Years Learning Framework Expectations for Outcome 5 - 'Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts'

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The New Australian Curriculum - English

Australian Curriculum

The Australian Government is committed to an education system that pursues excellence for all Australian schools and where every child receives the highest quality education. This commitment is part of the education reform agenda.

One of the Government’s reform priorities is the development of a rigorous and world class Australian Curriculum from Foundation to Year 12, beginning with the learning areas of English, mathematics, science and history. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is overseeing this important work, and is also responsible for the management of assessment and reporting at a national level.

The Australian Curriculum is being developed progressively, however this does not mean we should wait to see what is being asked of us, or wait until we are due to be assessed. We should be offering children the skills required to ensure that all are not only reaching their expected reading and spelling level but exceeding it.

The Reading Whisperer™ delivers professional development training courses and workshops relating to 'English' - specifically to ensure that all children are 'Reading by Six' and that any children not reading and spelling to their expected level according to grade, are given the opportunity to learn what has not yet been taught directly, systematically and explicitly. Usually this means developing phonological and phonemic awareness. If staff undertake training we can start to prevent these difficulties for older children in the future.

Therefore training in 2012 focuses on what can be achieved in the Foundation Year, Year 1 and 2. In-depth professional training is offered for all staff working within these years, so that teachers are working in partnership.
The Reading Whisperer™ delivers a wide range of training courses- including intensive 2.5 hour workshops, and also a full day whole school training program- working with the whole team for 2 hours, and then the Foundation, Year 1 and 2 teachers for 4 hours.

How will this fit in to the new Australian National Curriculum? Please view English- and focus on the information relating to the Foundation Year, Year 1 and 2.

The Reading Whisperer™ is concerned that there seems to be an emphasis on teaching 'sight words' and 'images that provide additional information'. She will show teachers that only a few words needs to be taught as sight words- and why (they are 'tricky' words- ie difficult to decode) and that children can learn to read even unfamiliar words, without needing picture clues. They can learn to read fluently, rather than having to guess. This will ensure that schools are exceding what is expected of them within every year level because they will be learning to read, write and spell much more quickly. In order to make sense of text, as outlined within the curriculum, they must first learn to read and spell. They will be able to 'identify lliteral and implied meaning, main ideas and supporting detail. Students make connections between texts by comparing content' etc if they are first taught to read the text.

Using a 'reading program' can be highly beneficial as resources are there 'ready made' and it is easy to follow a sequence - for example in what order to teach sounds and how to introduce new concepts. Actual 'readers' (decodable) enable the children to then start 'reading' books far earlier- putting their decoding skills to use, making the whole process more meaningful and enjoyable. They can share these books with parents and carers, but also develop independence as they do not need to rely on adults constantly telling them 'what it says'. Adults do not need to first read it to them so that they can memorise it.

If teachers within the Foundation Year, Year 1 and 2 are using the same program results can be even better as there is consistency and continuity, with the staff able to work in partnership. They can more effectively assess and monitor progress, and quickly see how well each child is faring. Examples of well-known program are Jolly Phonics or Read, Write Inc- please do ask about training in these programs. These are especially useful if teachers have previously had limited training in reading and spelling difficulties, and are unsure of how to identify children who are likely to find reading difficult and what to do to prevent this. If teachers have not had training in 'phonics', 'phonological and phonemic awareness development' etc then these programs are ideal, and are proven to work. Of course any program is only as good as the teachers using it, and so quality training is imperative. Please do ask about meeting your training needs relating to the teaching of reading and spelling. The Reading Whisperer™ is currently in talks with Ruth Miskin Literacy regarding Read, Write, Inc training in Australia. Keep watching this space!

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Local Reading and Spelling Groups with the
Reading Whisperer™ and her team of reading specialists,
Gold Coast Queensland.

Email The Reading Whisperer™ to ask about teaching young children to read and spell!
Teaching young children to read and spell as quickly and easily as possible.
A Focus on Phonics can be FUN!

Riley with the Reading WhispererInitial sound groupJasmine, Emma and PyperRiley and Nikau play sound bingo

'Discovering Reading and Spelling Through Sound Pics' fun classes.

Not only will your child start to enjoy learning to read, write and spell even before Prep but we can identify which children will struggle in the current education system (QLD is the worst state for reading and spelling in Australia) - and tell parents what they can do to prevent this. The Reading Whisper or a member
of her team will visit the Kindy once a week - taking 3 - 4 and 4 - 5 year olds for 30 minute sessions
- over 5 weeks.
Children will be given folders and will build up their 'sound pics' - and parents will be able to access video messages and clips about what to do at home and most sessions will be videoed for parents to watch progress. Their room leaders will also be given info about quick and easy ways to reinforce their learning during 'carpet' time, and each child will have things to do in their folder.
Rory and Lara building words
At the end of the 5 weeks every child will receive a report regarding progress- and areas to work on. If she has identified potential problems she will volunteer to chat with the child's teacher if due to start Prep,
so that a preventative approach can be taken.

The Reading Whisperer™ and her team must have access to a
separate room with tables for the children to sit at and can take up
to 10 children per session.
Total cost: $75 per child- includes folder and resources plus free follow up support for parents after program.

Early Reading- Spelling and Reading before Prep! - Thursdays throughout the year starting February, in 6 week blocks. $10 per child when booked up front (currently subsidised by Read Australia) . Parents also attend and learn!
27 Crescent Avenue, Hope Island Gold Coast QLD.

2 - 3 year olds 9.10 - 9.30 / 3 - 4 year olds - 9.40 - 10.10 / 4 - 5 year olds 10.15 - 10.55

Book Now


Improving Reading and Spelling - Children already at school- 5 - 9 year olds. Wednesdays throughout the year starting Feburary, in 6 week blocks. 30 minute sessions- $25 per child.
27 Crescent Avenue Hope Island Gold Coast QLD.
Yellow Group, Blue Group, Red Group - starting on Yellow. These groups are ability led, not age. The session before starting the child is assessed (takes 5 minutes) at a pre-agreed time, and then told which group to start in. If you have a child older than 9 and not reading and spelling confidently please email us as we are currently organising groups for these older children also.
Weds Yellow - 4.40 - 5.10 Blue 5.15 - 5.45 - Red 5.50 - 6.20pm
Book Now

Introduction to the Teaching of Reading and Spelling in the Early Years. Saturday Feb 4th 2- 4pm
Gold Coast Queensland Workshops for parents, carers, Kindy staff, Prep teachers - $87 per person
Book Now


Photo of kindy aged children with their word bank - words they have been learning by blending the sound pics they have been playing with,

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The Reading Whisperer with Caitlin and children at Koala Kindy

We love to read!

What is a 'Reading Whisperer'?



Emma Hartnell-Baker insists that to teach ANY child, teenager or struggling
adult you need more than just a knowledge of teaching 'reading and spelling'. To really 'reach' individuals who are already often lacking in confidence and motivation you need an excellent rapport and empathy with each individual and be able to start by listening and learning.

The 'method' is much easier once you have this relationship, often seen in inspirational teachers. Emma believes we need to offer educators more support in 'how' to teach rather than just 'what' to teach.This is what helps an educator become a 'whisperer'.

The Reading Whisperer™ Emma Hartnell-Baker claims that ANYONE who can hear and speak can learn to crack the reading and spelling code using 'Sound Pics', for quicker understanding and skill acquisition. She teaches using a direct and systematic approach - ie phonics taught directly, systematically and explicitly combined with quality training in phonemic awareness- the element many, who struggle, have difficulties with. She starts with spoken sounds and builds on this, with children (and struggling adult readers) discovering much about the English Alphabetic Code themselves through guided instruction. Using this approach children can usually get 10/10 in spelling tests with no practising at home- because they will understand the code! She focuses on teaching the skills needed to decode combined with developing fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, at all times recognising the individual she is teaching.

Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons. MA Special Educational Needs, Cert Life Coaching
Also known as The Child Listener™- A Voice for Kids. 'I was born with a passion for kids and a gift of being able to 'hear them', even when no words are being spoken.'

Join the Reading Whisperer™ on facebook!

 

 

Sound Pics™


Many struggling or non-readers are very confused with terminology and concepts. We give them a 'Fresh Start' to reading and spelling, and make everything as easy to understand as possible. In our English language we use a range of sounds, when speaking, to create words. In order to move away from the concept of alphabet 'letters' (the names do NOT help a child to read or spell) we call these 'Sound Pics™'. Simply put we teach the pictures of sounds that are used to represent the spoken sounds of our words. We start with the spoken language - as this is the foundation for reading and spelling. Reading and spelling are simply used to record our spoken words. So our teaching start with the child and what they already know.

We help the child 'crack the code' by working it out for themselves through quality instruction, by inspirational, patient, dedicated teachers using
quality resources.

'Sound Pics™' help children better understand the concepts and skills required to read and spell with confidence. In this photo a 'tricky word' is underlined in red- these are words taught as sight words as used frequently (so worth memorising) and difficult to decode. There are far less 'tricky' words in the English language than you would think! So most of the time children are taught to actually decode words.
Please note that there are 2 lines in the word yellow- a line to show the ll is one sound pic and a line under 'ow'. For some reason I cant get the line to have a space using my software. I also use 'bolded' text- instead of underlining the sound pics I might bold them. With my readers I use spacing to show children where the sound pics are, really easily.

The clip below shows a 10 / 11 year old who is not spelling (and therefore struggle to write) and why learning the 'sound pics' will help him. It shows that teachers often confuse children by teaching 'sounds' incorrectly - eg that in the word 'frog' there are 3 sound fr + o + g. There aren't. There are 4 sound pics - f+r+o+g. The word 'ship' has 3 sound pics however- sh + o + p
The Reading Listener™ explains ;



Many teachers also teach letter names when children are first starting to read and spell. This can confuse many children and is not necessary. In this clip the Reading Whisperer™ asks - 'Do letter names help you to read or spell? Or are they simply labels that we can learn when we have already cracked the reading and spelling code?'


 

Professional Development for Schools Across Australia

These are our most popular options - if you are looking for something else for your school please email Emma. She offers bespoke training to suit the needs of your teaching staff and students.

* Whole School Workshop- $975 - $1475 (2.5 hour workshop- 'Why do so many children find reading and spelling difficult- and what can we do to prevent this?' How can we identify children at risk (this is not linked with intelligence) and ensure that they succeed and never even realise they have difficulties! How would 'every child reading by 6' change your school community? Putting a plan into place, developing a whole school approach- training Prep, Year 1 and 2 staff - involving parents.
 
* Prep, Year 1 and 2 Staff Training (two x 2.5 hour intense phonemic awareness & phonics training workshops (with time between to let the new info sink in and to try activities with the children) with free 12 month ongoing support following training – including lesson plans, free resources (including decodable readers) and individual child monitoring (reports sent to the Head Teacher each term) $2475
 
* Whole School Training in House (full day 9 - 4pm) - 2 hour workshop for all staff followed by a 4 hour workshop for teachers working with Prep, Year 1 and 2 children. Within this 4 hour workshop teachers will learn how to teach phonics directly, systematically and directly- including planning lessons, resources, how to assess and monitor progress - and how to develop phonemic awareness and check for early difficulties. Learn how to pick up on these from the first term- and how to ensure that every child is reading by 6.
$2475
 
*Parent/ Carer Workshops- subsidised by Read Australia™ as part of the Parents Aboard programme- $275 for a 90 minute interactive session with parents of children due to start prep, as well as those already enrolled in prep, year 1 and 2 at your school. During the session even the least confident of parents (regarding literacy) will understand how best to help their child develop 'auditory discrimination' and how to help them read and spell quickly and with confidence, rather than guessing form the pictures or memorising.

Email Emma for more info and to schedule professional development training in your school with the Reading Whisperer herself or experienced members of her team.

The Reading Whisperer allows quiet achievers to turn the page
Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons. MA Special Educational Needs




Using 'Read Australia™' Trained 'Reading Coaches in Schools

The Reading Whisperer™ believes that is is not possible for us to expect many classroom teachers to be able to teach every child in their Prep or Year 1 class to read. Other than most teachers not having received training or understand fully why so many fail and what we can do about it, they simply do not have the time or resources. They often have upwards of 30 children and often with little classroom support. Many of the children are not ready for school; there are tears, they take a long time to settle, and many have a short concentration span, little motivation in 'learning' things outside of their own 'interest zone'. So the teaching of reading and spelling has to be 'short and sweet'- helping the child learn as much as possible in as short an amount of time as possible- and to gain confidence as quickly as possible. This needs specialists. Specialists who can get to know each child, and work with them individually and in small groups without worrying about managing another 25 children! Read Australia™ Accredited Reading Coaches can be employed through Read Australia™ on a contract basis- which can be terminated with 4 weeks notice. If schools do not see a MASSIVE difference we give you the opportunity to opt out quickly and inexpensively. However the Reading Whisperer™ does not intend for that to happen. In fact she will be giving every Reading Coach an end of year bonus - out of her own pocket!- if at least 90% of the Prep children are reading to at least the age level of a 7 year old. Imagine the difference, on numerous levels, if every child enters Year 1 already reading and spelling with confidence. This is also far more cost effective for schools as there is no more need for any 'Reading Recovery' type support services and behaviour across the school will be drastically improved.


Read Australia™ Reading Coaches have specific targets for every child. When they first start Prep these are the targets for each child, for term 1.

Children will be :

* 'hearing' sounds in words - beginning, middle end

* recognising letter sounds in print - and knowing what (oral) sound they correspond with.
First sound group- s,t,p,n,i, a

* blending sounds orally into words- and as they sound words on paper (knowing they do this from left to right)

* 'reading' words by decoding from left to right- and blending the sounds into words- also exploring what the word means and how we use it in our language.

* 'spelling words by listening for sounds in order - and (the next step) knowing how to order / blend them on paper (using letters and also by forming the letters themselves - can use a pencil and also keyboard with lower case letters)  

* 'reading' the words and then comprehending the meaning of the word and sentence if the words are written within a sentence (and in this case knowing that we read the words from left to right)

* learning some 'tricky' words eg the, I, was

They will be able to read and spell words such as sat, it, at, in, pin, tin, sit, pat, nip, spin, tan etc

They will also be able to read sentences using decodable readers such as those recently released from SPELD- that are in line with the sounds groups from Jolly Phonics.  http://www.speld-sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&book_id=4 and those offered for free from Fantastic Phonics and also Read Australia™™

If ready they are moved on to digraphs - learning that 2 or more sounds can make a new sound (s, h and sh- 3 sounds)
We use bolded text- to show children where the 'chunks' are in words- or 'pictures of sounds'. So shop would be shop  so that early on children understand, for example, that 'shop' has 3 sounds . 

After the first sound group children move on to learn that sounds in our spoken language can be represented in several ways ( f could be ff as in gruff, ph as in phone etc)
And that some sounds on paper can represent more than one sound in our language- ow- as in cow or as in tow.

Reading Coaches focus very much on auditory discrimination at first- rather than what's on paper- and have been trained to listen to each child and to assess their learning styles, emotional and verbal intelligence. This is part of the training offered by Triple L Training- how to Listen, Learn and to Lead!.

You can see how quickly children can learn to read and spell by following free videos on youtube showing real life teaching situations. For example this pre-school aged child who started not even hearing the first sound in her name, and 4 weeks later (and with only 3 hours of group work with the Reading Whisperer™) is well on her way to docoding and developing great phonemic awareness - the basis reading and spelling!

When Reading Coaches are working in schools every child is tested 3 times a term - at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. This testing is fun! It lasts about 3 minutes- and includes checks for code knowledge, blending skills, phoneme segmentation and manipulation. These results are recorded confidentially using a unique code for each child, that only the head Teacher and parent/ carers knows. They can track progress as all test results are recorded into the Read Australia™ central database. This enables the Reading Whisperer™ to see which children are doing well, and if any Reading Coaches need more support and mentoring to help them help every child reach their potential. Assessments and monitoring of individual children before 7 means we can catch every child, to ensure that they do not slip through the cracks. Every child MUST be reading by 7. (if you are unsure of why this is so important please do email the Reading Whisperer™.


Please note that Read Australia™ Accredited Reading Coaches generally focus on the teaching of reading and spelling and NOT writing, although information about letter formation is sent home to parents in line with the 'font' used in that state.
Writing is left to the parents and classroom teachers, however children will have the skills to know how to spell words and create sentences. Reading Coaches focus purely on teaching children to read and spell using intensive but fun and innovative methods.
Children will be able to spell words using magnetic letters etc.
This is because time is of the essence with 200+ children to teach, assess and monitor just in Prep and Year 1 !

 

 

(when the children were figuring out 'melon' the Reading Whisperer had a board with _ _ _ _ _ on it and was filling in the sound pics on this until the children heard and read the word.)


Involving Parents and Carers- Parents Aboard !

The Reading Whisperer™ trains all Reading Coaches herself. Included in this training is a strong emphasis on engaging and involving parents, carers and Grandparents. As many do not enjoy coming into school all correspondence takes place OUTSIDE of the school. Social networking is used- facebook, youtube etc- and messages uploaded to parents (including personal messages that are NOT visible to the public) regarding individual children. It is often far easier for parents and carers to understand how to best help their child by listening to video messages and watching the Reading Coach explain the activities.

 


Adult Non-Readers and Those Wishing to Improve Reading & Spelling Skills


The Reading Whisperer also offers to help and support adult non-readers, and offers a range of
workshops and training courses relating to adults. A staggering 1 in every 5 adults are estimate to have poor literacy skills.

To a large extent adult non-readers remain hidden, hard to identify, difficult to reach and, above all, reluctant to enroll in courses that could help them. The Reading Whisperer tries to address the issues she knows are attached to poor reading and spelling skills, using innovative and creative ideas.This includes not using resources used with children as a way to respect her students, and honour their courage by seeking help.

As with struggling readers in schools, low level students need direct, systematic, sequential instruction in phonemic awareness & word recognition skills. However The Reading Whisperer™ is insistent that this be done as if teaching adults and not children!
Intermediate students need to increase fluency, develop a more literate vocabulary, and acquire greater background knowledge. Classes are designed to cater for the current level of each student, and allow them to progress at their own pace.

The Reading Whisper™ reports that many adult students have reading skills similar to those of children at risk for reading difficulty, and after experiencing feelings of failure and frustration for many years are far more reluctant to look for help changing this. Many think this is something inherently 'wrong' with them and cant be 'fixed'. The Reading Whisperer insists that there is hope and encourages adults to step forward, in confidence so that she can support them. She does not believe however that all 'adult literacy' classes are going to meet the needs of every adult. Her concern is that this will further reinforce their poor self-image. .

The key to success with adults (and also teenagers) is to create an emotionally safe and kind environment in which to learn. Self-confidence is often very low, with many panicking and giving up before even trying. The Reading Whisperer™ is especially sensitive with this group of individuals and creates learning situations where every student can succeed even though he is always reinforcing skills and learning new ones. It is important that each work at their own level and are able to work at their own pace- and not be in a position of comparing themselves to other group members.
Emma- The Reading Whisperer™ uses he knowledge and training in 'life coaching' to help students 'learn to learn' and to begin to develop emotional resilience even in the face of difficulties.

Although adult non readers need to start crawling before they can walk, and will need to read decodable text that may seem 'babyish' Emma tries to make it as meaningful as possible, to maintain interest. There will always therefore be activities that the individual sees at important- during each lesson- not something that can be achieved 'in the future'. So if they are frustrated at not being able to read a shopping list- or spell the items they wish to write down- Emma will make sure that this is included in even the first session. How does she know what her students want to be able to do - their purpose for attending classes? She asks them. Sounds simple enough but she believes that many who teach adults focus on the curriculum and lesson plans, and not the person they are teaching.

 

 

Emma supports a range of products and resources, including 'Touch-type Read and Spell'
TTRS is a multi-sensory computer learning course for those with dyslexia, reading, writing and spelling difficulties, and other learning differences.
Click here for a free trial

 

Parent and Early Years Educators- Latest DVD - from The Reading Whisperer™


'How to teach ALL children to Read and Spell with Confidence by 7
- Special offer for a limited time - $79- normal price $147 (plus P&P)


If you are a parent who wants to help in the classroom- or to help your own children- please order
this new DVD. It has been created by Emma and is not a commercially created DVD as she wanted to keep costs down and make it accessible to all. Along with the DVD you will receive a Jolly Phonics info booklet, lists of all the sounds in our English language and the sound pics used to represent them, and simple tests to check blending, segmenting, phoneme manipulation and code knowledge with children aged 4 plus. Have fun with phonics!

This is a DVD version of our most popular in-service training workshop and shows anyone how to teach ANY child to read and spell quickly - without the need to buy expensive resources or programs. Teach your child to read and spell with confidence (to at least the age of a 6 year old) even before they start Prep.

This is also suitable for low cost school staff in-service training
- just sit back and watch as a group! Free follow up support available.


For more information about reading and spelling, or to learn how to become a Reading Coach, or contracting a Reading Coach with Read Australia please email the Reading Whisperer Emma Hartnell-Baker- Director of 'Read Australia™'
Emma@ReadAustralia.com