THE OVERVIEW AND GUIDANCE BOOKLET– This is where you start!
As new resources are constantly being added, please refer to the Phonics International Message Forum for any up-to-date additions to the programme. This booklet will be updated periodically.Please note that the detailed information for introducing each new letter sound correspondence is included on every ‘Sounds Book Activity Sheet’.

**CORE** HOW TO SET UP AND USE YOUR CORE AND ESSENTIAL PHONICS INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES
It is highly recommended that you read this information and guidance document including the information via the electronic links (all links lead to guidance documents except for the links which go to the ‘shop’):

Very helpful teacher-led ‘lesson introduction’ material for every new, or focus, letter/s-sound correspondence in Units 1 to 12:
This resource was originally provided only in Units 1 to 6 of the Early Years Starter Package webpage (alongside a pupil-version with line drawings). It has proved to be such a helpful and popular resource for adults to introduce the new or focus letter/s-sound correspondence that it has now been added to the full Phonics International programme and extended to Units 7 to 12.
The CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS’ include the same key pictures and example words which are used on the Phonics International English Alphabetic Code Charts. The ‘teacher’ is advised to point to the focus sounds and graphemes on the preferred version of the Alphabetic Code Charts as part of the introduction to the lesson. Then the CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS provide the ‘teacher’ – whether for whole classes, groups or individuals – with a comprehensive all‐in‐one resource to introduce the new or focus letter/s-sound correspondence/s whilst also providing the word examples to model the three core skills of:
1. sounding out and blending all‐through‐the‐printed‐words for reading (decoding: this is a print-to-sound process)
2. orally segmenting all‐through‐the‐spoken‐words for spelling (encoding: this is a sound-to-print process)
3. handwriting the new letter/s‐sound correspondence and, further, applying handwriting to spelling
[Please refer to the following pdfs for information about the phonics routines for the ‘core’ skills:
Three Posters for Phonics Routines – Reading, Spelling, Handwriting
Guidance for Phonics Routines]NOTE: AVOID OVER-MODELLING! As soon as learners are picking up the code knowledge and the phonics routines for the skills of blending for reading, and oral segmenting for spelling, the teacher can encourage the learners to go through the information and processes on the CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS with the teacher, and then ahead of the teacher to increase the engagement and participation of the learners. So, the teacher can point under the graphemes of the words to be blended, but the learners ‘say the sounds’ and then the ‘whole spoken word’ and so on. Teachers need to be excellent at modelling the phonics routines BUT KNOW WHEN TO HOLD BACK AND LET THE LEARNERS DO THE WORK!

Suggestions: Providers in school and pre‐school settings can use this as a paper or laminated resource (reduce to half-size in the home if preferred or view on screen, use as the original A4 size or enlarge to A3 if required with whole classes – or view on a screen or project onto a whiteboard during the introduction). After using paper or laminated CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS to introduce the new alphabetic code and three core skills, the cards can be immediately transferred to the main display wall to systematically build up a set of posters to support continuous learning. In addition, you could create a browse-book of this resource which learners can access in a book corner or library.The CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS can be used as a stand‐alone lesson introduction resource or used alongside other Phonics International multi‐sensory aids. The PICTURE POSTERS (visual resource) and online ‘HEAR THE SOUNDS’ (audio‐visual resource) in Units 1 to 6 provide picture/word examples with the focus letter/s‐sound correspondence (especially helpful when English is being taught as a foreign language by teachers who are non-native speakers).

IMPORTANT: Aim to follow the teacher-led lesson introduction with each learner using his or her own paper copy of the core SOUNDS BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS alternating with the matched ‘SENTENCES’ (In Units 1 to 5) and/or the ‘I CAN READ’ TEXTS and QUESTIONS in Units 1 to 12.

Go to the Early Years Starter Package webpage if you require additional sentence level material ‘SIMPLE SENTENCES’ and text level material ‘BOOKLETS’ for Units 1 to 6. The Early Years Starter Package also has different versions of the multi-skills ACTIVITY SHEETS – very good for younger learners and/or for beginners when English is a new language.

Note: You can hear about the use of the CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS in this 8 minute video clip entitled: ‘Demonstrating the power of synthetic phonics teaching with the Phonics International Early Years Starter Package’:

ALPHABETIC CODE FRIEZE POSTERS
A4 frieze posters for every new grapheme (letter or letter group) introduced. Lower case grapheme is highlighted. Relative sizes and position of capital letters and lower case letters are shown on a writing line. In units 1 – 12.

GROUPING THE SPELLING ALTERNATIVES POSTERS – WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
These A4 posters (62 throughout the 12 units) group the spelling alternatives for the focus sounds in each unit. They can be used to complement the main ALPHABETIC CODE OVERVIEW CHART and THE ALPHABETIC CODE FRIEZE POSTERS. From unit 7 onwards, a spelling alternative is occasionally included on a poster in advance of its formal introduction in a later unit. This helps with raising awareness of spelling alternatives for reading and writing activities in the wider curriculum. (Please see the DRAW THE PICTURES resource which provides an optional activity for the learner to embed the Alphabetic Code information in memory.)

GROUPING THE SPELLING ALTERNATIVES POSTERS – DRAW THE PICTURES – (no illustrations included)
These optional ‘activity sheets’ are the same design as the A4 posters which group the spelling alternatives for the focus sounds in each unit – but they do not include the illustrations. The learner draws the illustrations for the key words and this activity helps to embed the Alphabetic Code information in memory.

MINI-POSTERS
Simple posters to track the sounds in spoken words with the letters in written words. The words start off being non-cumulative – but after the first few posters, all the words are cumulative. A good time to introduce each poster is just before you introduce and use each Sounds Book Activity Sheet. This strand continues throughout the programme in units 1 – 12.

**CORE** SOUNDS BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS
Debbie’s programme is built around these essential activity sheets. With each successive sheet, a new letter/s-sound correspondence is introduced; cumulative words are provided for blending; handwriting practice links shape to sound; picture drawing provides phonemic awareness rehearsal, pencil control, vocabulary development and a personal mnemonic system; and a segmenting, handwriting and editing routine rehearses spelling. Thus, all the necessary knowledge and skills teaching and learning is focused on one activity sheet! Each sheet includes detailed guidance and, when used in school, these activity sheets can be sent home to inform parents and guardians. This strand runs throughout units 1 – 12.

COLOUR-IN SOUNDS BOOK
The A5 Colour-in Sounds Book sheets include a key word (non-cumulative) with a key colour-in picture and three cumulative words to blend (some non-cumulative words in unit 1). ‘Tracker font’ provides some handwriting practice for the focus grapheme. These can be used when new letter/s-sound correspondences are introduced. They can be collated in a scrap book to make a ‘Code Book’ or ‘Sounds Book’. Provided in units 1 to 12.

BOOKMARKS
There are several different BOOKMARKS available to print throughout the programme. These useful resources can be used as ‘bookmarks’ and also for supporting the teaching and learning of letter/s-sound correspondences (from print-to-sound for a reading sub-skill and from sound-to-print for a spelling sub-skill). Print on paper, or card – or laminate paper copies for additional durability.

GRAPHEME TILES (BLACK/GREY)
Ideal sized grapheme tiles for manipulating words (making and breaking). These can be used for various spelling activities including making up independent spelling games with selected Picture Cards. They would be better printed on card or laminated. Ideally laminated Grapheme Tiles could be made into magnetic tiles with sticky-backed magnetic tape. They can then be used on the teacher’s main magnetic board or with A3 magnetic board for pairs or individual work. The Grapheme Tiles are printable in all ‘dark teal’ (which can be black if printed in monochrome) and they are available in sets with grey graphemes for consonant phonemes and black graphemes for vowel phonemes. These are also suitable for sending home for additional word making and breaking rehearsal. They would be suitable for ‘fridge magnets’. Provided as sets per each unit 1 to 12.

**CORE** SAY THE SOUNDS POSTERS
Three ‘Say the Sounds’ Posters per unit for units 1 – 5. The first three are included in unit 1. These are very useful cumulative resources. They can be A4 or A3 posters displayed in the classroom for learners to point and ‘say the sounds’ (subskill of reading) or the teacher can say the sound and ask the learner to ‘point to the grapheme’ in response (subskill of spelling). In addition, paper versions of the Say the Sounds Posters can be used as assessment sheets for each learner. Name, date and mark in a different coloured pen for ongoing assessments. Provide an unmarked copy for the learner to use for actual assessment. Beginners will benefit from a copy of a Say the Sounds Poster used alongside the Alphabet Mini Poster to support writing activities during the STAGE ONE phase of learning. These posters are also available in the STAGE TWO phase of learning in units 6 to 12.

PROFORMAS FOR PICTURES, WRITING AND SEQUENCING
Simple proformas with various formats of lines and grids for story writing and sequencing activities. The same pack is provided in each unit 1 to 12.

GRAPHEME FLASH CARDS WITH PICTURES
These are OPTIONAL picture mnemonic (aid to memory) flash cards in units 1 to 12. When the learner can recognise a letter shape (or letter group) WITHOUT the picture mnemonic, replace that card with a flash card of the letter/s (graphemes) only. Start off by BUILDING UP the pack of flash cards as you introduce each new letter/s-sound correspondence. In unit 1, for example, at first there will only be ‘s’ in the pack, followed by introducing ‘a’, then ‘t’, then ‘i’ and so on (follow the order of the programme). The aim is for the learner, as soon as possible, NOT to use the picture cues. Focus on the AIM of saying the sound in response to the letter/s without the need for the pictures. Make it clear to the learner whether the corresponding ‘sound’ represented by the focus letter/s (graphemes) is at the beginning of the word (as in ‘s-nake’) or in the middle of the word (as in ‘n-igh-t’) or at the end of the word (as in ‘du-ck’). In units 1 to 5, the dashes on some cards represent the number of ‘sounds’ in the spoken word and NOT individual letters – this is just to support the ‘mapping’ of initial-medial-final sounds to their position in the spoken word. The Flash Cards with no pictures are included as part of this resource. In units 1 to 12.

WORD FLASH CARDS
This strand of large WORD FLASH CARDS is available in all the units 1 to 12 as an optional resource. It is not intended that the words on these flash cards are taught as ‘whole global shapes’. These words are ‘cumulative’ and can be used to model and rehearse the sounding out and blending process as learners are introduced to the letter/s-sound correspondences in each unit. Eventually, familiarity from blending these words will lead to learners recognising them automatically. The same words can be found on other PI resources. Teachers can model the words in simple spoken or written sentences and describe the meanings of the words if the learners do not know them. This will increase the vocabulary bank of the learners. These WORD FLASH CARDS may make a useful ‘hard copy’ resource for the ‘simple code’ units when learners are total beginners. Teachers can use them in front of groups and whole classes. In these circumstances, teachers should track under the graphemes (with the index finger) from left to right in the printed words whilst the graphemes are sounded out. When the whole word is said, the teacher should return to the beginning of the printed word to track under the whole word in time with the spoken word. Learners can have access to hard copies of the cards for reading them independently. When computers are available, learners can read the words ‘online’ with support or independently or they can be projected onto white screens for whole classes to read. To make ‘hard copies’ of the words in the earlier units, print on card or laminate paper copies.

**CORE** I CAN READ
This is a piece of text for every new correspondence after the introduction of the first few letters. Delay the use of this strand until learners can blend. There are many different ways to use the text from teacher modelling, supported reading, independent reading followed by a focus on vocabulary and comprehension. The texts can be read on-screen or, where available, projected onto a whiteboard or screen for groups and whole-class work. When used as a paper-based activity, the learner can undertake grapheme searches for previous and current learning and circle words where the meaning is not known. These sheets are ideal for making into booklets of several pieces of text for ongoing use. When learners are able to write reasonably confidently, these texts can also be used for dictation exercises or for re-writing in joined handwriting on writing lines. This strand runs throughout units 1 – 12 with a change of fonts in units 11 and 12.

**CORE** QUESTIONS
The Questions sheets provide a starting point for class discussion linked directly to the ‘I Can Read’ decodable texts. These can be used in any way that the teacher feels is appropriate – or not used at all if the teacher does not wish to pursue the texts further than the actual decoding of them. They are provided as options for teachers if required. In units 1 to 12.

‘I CAN READ’ STORYLINES – FULL COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS
Use these illustrations only after the ‘I CAN READ’ texts have been read by the learners so that the pictures are not used as ‘clues’ for the words. Add these illustrations to the main wall display area to help learners become familiar with the storylines so that they can memorise the words with the specific spelling patterns associated with each storyline.

‘I CAN READ’ STORYLINES – BLACK AND WHITE PICTURES WITH WORD BANKS
These provide activities for learners to do to help them recall spelling word banks. Learners can label and colour the pictures and do ‘memory’ activities. Read the words, spell and write the words – then ‘remember’ which specific words are in the word banks. Play ‘memory games’ revisiting storylines and their associated word banks.