PHONICS
- Thread starter worry_mum
- Start date
Samantha Tan (bluemarinesg) wrote:<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>
Back then, I thought knowing phonics was THE way. Now I know better.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>True, phonics itself doesn't work, at all. We misunderstand that young kids learn from phonics; they actually learn due to "some other factors" (family background, prior book-knowledge because no TV at home, etc).
Why Phonics doesn't effectively teach reading? Because Phonics is an extreme knee-jerk reaction to traditional Whole Language teaching methods. (Call me for explanation of "Whole Language"). When your child starts spelling words wrongly, such as "cairless" for "careless", then you'll know your child was damaged by Phonics. The <font color="ff0000">Phonics code</font> (code that represents English sounds) for "are" is "air". Sounds and looks confusing? That's why Phonics failed for England. Read on.
<font size="+2">Sound and Spelling are 2 Different Things in English</font>
Why are we even talking about Phonics for English? Because English requires two sets of codes:<ul>[*]One for sounds (about 45 sounds altogether. Codes include "<font color="ff0000">air</font>" for the sound in "care", "<font color="ff0000">ai</font>" for the sound in "tray") <LI>One for writing (the 26 alphabets, a-z) [/list]
Why the 2? Because English spelling does not equal English sounds.
By contrast, in Spanish, the letter 'a' in "carro" and "caliente" sound exactly the same. The letter 'a' sounds the same for every word.
Phonics will damage your child's true ability to read English. But it might improve his/her ability to read Spanish, though. So are we learning English or Spanish?
Here are some words that your Phonics School will never use to show that your child has learned successfully with them!:
though, through, cough, rough, thought, bough
You see, Phonics here teaches your child to recognize the spelling "ough". But how many of the 6 million of us (Singapore) know that all the above words are pronounced differently?
Most (maybe all) Phonics schools here will never teach your child the actual sounds of English. They teach your child to recognize spelling patterns. They aim to teach them a small subset of spelling patterns that safely sound the same ("care", "mare", "bare", "hare"), but don't teach troublesome patterns that don't always sound the same ("though", "thought", "through").
So why does Phonics work in Scotland? (Yes, it failed in England, and Singapore happily followed suit. And private schools here happily say "goodbye, and thanks for all the fish/money". No Phonics school here dares to teach discerning adults.)
The Phonics taught overseas include the full 2 components involved: English sounds and English spellings.
<font size="+2">But my Phonics School Does Teach Sounds and Spellings</font>
Even if it does, traditional <font color="ff0000">Phonics codes</font> uses too many compounding letters to represent a single sound. Take the phonic code "<font color="ff0000">air</font>", for example. It is actually 2 sounds, but it has 3 letters!
In fact, the best sound codes are 1-to-1 symbols. Meaning, you should never have a code that represents more than 1 sound (1-to-many relationship), nor many codes to represent 1 sound (many-to-1). Each code must represent 1 distinct sound.
Does any Phonics school here teach the distinct 1-to-1 phonic codes? Not a single one. Why? Because the Phonics system originated from England, and they want to preserve the brand name ("hey, you better believe this works, cos it's from England!"). As mentioned, the Phonics system failed miserably in England.
And since the traditional phonic codes strictly only use conventional alphabets (a-z), your child can start to mis-spell words like "careless" as "cairless" (happens in England).
In short, learning English has no shortcut. You must learn BOTH systems: the sound system and the spelling system. Don't mix the 2 together, don't try to use a 2-in-1 system.
<font size="+2">Learning to read English through Phonics makes us laughing stock</font>
A simple example: raven and ravenous. "Mommy, I did well in soccer practice today, and I'm now raven-ous!". How many Singaporeans will confidently stand in front of international TV and speak to the world? We have known forever that we just "don't speak well", but we never knew that we actually do! It's the teachers that made us "not speak well".
So what does work? We must accept that English is not Spanish. Frankly, if Singaporeans spoke Spanish, their pronunciation will be perfect. Why? Because Phonics is taught island-wide! Phonics really work for Spanish, not English.
And for those parents who think "my child can read because of Phonics", you may want to check your own pronunciation of certain words like "present" and "presentation". Truth is Singlish is really only understood well in Singapore, just like Creole in Mauritius. You want your child to reach out to international arenas, right? Singapore is too small an island to be stuck in.
I have successfully taught many adults to speak well. In USA, many immigrants (China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan) learned General American (USA's 普通话) within 3-4 months.
<font size="+2">So What of the brand name Phonics Schools in Singapre?</font>
Ever wondered why all the Phonics Schools in Singapore only allow young kids to attend? Adults would instantly know the difference between real medicine and placebos. Adults actually learn faster than young kids, frankly. So don't let anyone tell you that "older dogs can't learn new tricks".
Let's take a quick look at "I Can Read", I looked into their systems recently:<ul>[*]Based on Dr Diane McGuiness' research <LI>McGuiness is from USA, not England, stressed consistent sounds to teach reading <LI>School hires teachers from England, Scotland, Australia, Singlish <LI>Students get inconsistent sounds, harder to match sounds to words, harder to memorize[/list]In short, if your child is not getting a set of "properly spoken English sounds" from the teacher, he will start to mispronounce just as badly as the rest of 6 million of us (in Singapore).
Note that Singlish sounds different from different Singlish speakers, inconsistent. Some of us are more Malay, some are more Hokkien, others more Cantonese. And recently, we even get Eurasian-lish. NEVER let your child learn English with Singlish sounds.
So Phonics Schools have started using notable names from USA now, not just UK. Interesting? If at first we don't succeed, change our name and address, and try again with a fresh new reputation. Recognize this business motto/practice?
<font size="+2">So What Does Work?</font>
I teach older children and adults only (8 years of age and above). Taught successfully in USA, now using the method here. For pre-schoolers to benefit from my program, parents/guardians must promise to take an active involvement (kids just wanna play, no discipline, easy to bluff).
Website: www.speakrealenglish.com
Or call or sms me at 96387450 (international callers: +65-96387450)
Why don't I teach pre-schoolers? For your pre-school kids, spend more time with them. Develop their character:<ul>[*]integrity (handle money and free time honestly), <LI>tenacity (hard work or house chores), <LI>curiosity (mind games, chess, colors, art)[/list]"Overload" them with character-building (bad habits formed now are hard to break). Don't overload them with academic stuff their brains are not even ready to grasp.
Serenade (serenade) wrote:<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>
Yes, life skills is one area most parents deem not as important as academic skills.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Can't agree more with Serenade.
I'm also desperately looking for teachers (to replicate myself, I'm just 1 teacher).
My method requires teachers with very keen ears. To let you have an idea of the difficulties in my desperate search for teachers: out of 100,000 Singaporean piano and music teachers here, not a single one can write you the music (score, "bean sprout") you hear on the radio. I used to teach pop-piano. Yes, know what you're paying for with piano teachers. Piano teachers are good with fingers, but bad with music. Things are a little different overseas. though.
More explanation about the method and my search for teachers at here:
http://sg.linkedin.com/pub/jon-wong/54/47b/293
About England's failing, a recent report says that:
- Phonics is useless without a good teacher executing the program.
- Phonics still requires teacher to observe and understand student.
- Phonics must adapt to individual students, not a one-size-fits-all
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/19/phonics-child-literacy
For any Singaporeans wanting to complain about the beaurocracy in Singapore governance, be thankful you're not in England. Makes our Prime Minister look like a "hands-on, amiable guy-next-door".
Back then, I thought knowing phonics was THE way. Now I know better.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>True, phonics itself doesn't work, at all. We misunderstand that young kids learn from phonics; they actually learn due to "some other factors" (family background, prior book-knowledge because no TV at home, etc).
Why Phonics doesn't effectively teach reading? Because Phonics is an extreme knee-jerk reaction to traditional Whole Language teaching methods. (Call me for explanation of "Whole Language"). When your child starts spelling words wrongly, such as "cairless" for "careless", then you'll know your child was damaged by Phonics. The <font color="ff0000">Phonics code</font> (code that represents English sounds) for "are" is "air". Sounds and looks confusing? That's why Phonics failed for England. Read on.
<font size="+2">Sound and Spelling are 2 Different Things in English</font>
Why are we even talking about Phonics for English? Because English requires two sets of codes:<ul>[*]One for sounds (about 45 sounds altogether. Codes include "<font color="ff0000">air</font>" for the sound in "care", "<font color="ff0000">ai</font>" for the sound in "tray") <LI>One for writing (the 26 alphabets, a-z) [/list]
Why the 2? Because English spelling does not equal English sounds.
By contrast, in Spanish, the letter 'a' in "carro" and "caliente" sound exactly the same. The letter 'a' sounds the same for every word.
Phonics will damage your child's true ability to read English. But it might improve his/her ability to read Spanish, though. So are we learning English or Spanish?
Here are some words that your Phonics School will never use to show that your child has learned successfully with them!:
though, through, cough, rough, thought, bough
You see, Phonics here teaches your child to recognize the spelling "ough". But how many of the 6 million of us (Singapore) know that all the above words are pronounced differently?
Most (maybe all) Phonics schools here will never teach your child the actual sounds of English. They teach your child to recognize spelling patterns. They aim to teach them a small subset of spelling patterns that safely sound the same ("care", "mare", "bare", "hare"), but don't teach troublesome patterns that don't always sound the same ("though", "thought", "through").
So why does Phonics work in Scotland? (Yes, it failed in England, and Singapore happily followed suit. And private schools here happily say "goodbye, and thanks for all the fish/money". No Phonics school here dares to teach discerning adults.)
The Phonics taught overseas include the full 2 components involved: English sounds and English spellings.
<font size="+2">But my Phonics School Does Teach Sounds and Spellings</font>
Even if it does, traditional <font color="ff0000">Phonics codes</font> uses too many compounding letters to represent a single sound. Take the phonic code "<font color="ff0000">air</font>", for example. It is actually 2 sounds, but it has 3 letters!
In fact, the best sound codes are 1-to-1 symbols. Meaning, you should never have a code that represents more than 1 sound (1-to-many relationship), nor many codes to represent 1 sound (many-to-1). Each code must represent 1 distinct sound.
Does any Phonics school here teach the distinct 1-to-1 phonic codes? Not a single one. Why? Because the Phonics system originated from England, and they want to preserve the brand name ("hey, you better believe this works, cos it's from England!"). As mentioned, the Phonics system failed miserably in England.
And since the traditional phonic codes strictly only use conventional alphabets (a-z), your child can start to mis-spell words like "careless" as "cairless" (happens in England).
In short, learning English has no shortcut. You must learn BOTH systems: the sound system and the spelling system. Don't mix the 2 together, don't try to use a 2-in-1 system.
<font size="+2">Learning to read English through Phonics makes us laughing stock</font>
A simple example: raven and ravenous. "Mommy, I did well in soccer practice today, and I'm now raven-ous!". How many Singaporeans will confidently stand in front of international TV and speak to the world? We have known forever that we just "don't speak well", but we never knew that we actually do! It's the teachers that made us "not speak well".
So what does work? We must accept that English is not Spanish. Frankly, if Singaporeans spoke Spanish, their pronunciation will be perfect. Why? Because Phonics is taught island-wide! Phonics really work for Spanish, not English.
And for those parents who think "my child can read because of Phonics", you may want to check your own pronunciation of certain words like "present" and "presentation". Truth is Singlish is really only understood well in Singapore, just like Creole in Mauritius. You want your child to reach out to international arenas, right? Singapore is too small an island to be stuck in.
I have successfully taught many adults to speak well. In USA, many immigrants (China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan) learned General American (USA's 普通话) within 3-4 months.
<font size="+2">So What of the brand name Phonics Schools in Singapre?</font>
Ever wondered why all the Phonics Schools in Singapore only allow young kids to attend? Adults would instantly know the difference between real medicine and placebos. Adults actually learn faster than young kids, frankly. So don't let anyone tell you that "older dogs can't learn new tricks".
Let's take a quick look at "I Can Read", I looked into their systems recently:<ul>[*]Based on Dr Diane McGuiness' research <LI>McGuiness is from USA, not England, stressed consistent sounds to teach reading <LI>School hires teachers from England, Scotland, Australia, Singlish <LI>Students get inconsistent sounds, harder to match sounds to words, harder to memorize[/list]In short, if your child is not getting a set of "properly spoken English sounds" from the teacher, he will start to mispronounce just as badly as the rest of 6 million of us (in Singapore).
Note that Singlish sounds different from different Singlish speakers, inconsistent. Some of us are more Malay, some are more Hokkien, others more Cantonese. And recently, we even get Eurasian-lish. NEVER let your child learn English with Singlish sounds.
So Phonics Schools have started using notable names from USA now, not just UK. Interesting? If at first we don't succeed, change our name and address, and try again with a fresh new reputation. Recognize this business motto/practice?
<font size="+2">So What Does Work?</font>
I teach older children and adults only (8 years of age and above). Taught successfully in USA, now using the method here. For pre-schoolers to benefit from my program, parents/guardians must promise to take an active involvement (kids just wanna play, no discipline, easy to bluff).
Website: www.speakrealenglish.com
Or call or sms me at 96387450 (international callers: +65-96387450)
Why don't I teach pre-schoolers? For your pre-school kids, spend more time with them. Develop their character:<ul>[*]integrity (handle money and free time honestly), <LI>tenacity (hard work or house chores), <LI>curiosity (mind games, chess, colors, art)[/list]"Overload" them with character-building (bad habits formed now are hard to break). Don't overload them with academic stuff their brains are not even ready to grasp.
Serenade (serenade) wrote:<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>
Yes, life skills is one area most parents deem not as important as academic skills.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Can't agree more with Serenade.
I'm also desperately looking for teachers (to replicate myself, I'm just 1 teacher).
My method requires teachers with very keen ears. To let you have an idea of the difficulties in my desperate search for teachers: out of 100,000 Singaporean piano and music teachers here, not a single one can write you the music (score, "bean sprout") you hear on the radio. I used to teach pop-piano. Yes, know what you're paying for with piano teachers. Piano teachers are good with fingers, but bad with music. Things are a little different overseas. though.
More explanation about the method and my search for teachers at here:
http://sg.linkedin.com/pub/jon-wong/54/47b/293
About England's failing, a recent report says that:
- Phonics is useless without a good teacher executing the program.
- Phonics still requires teacher to observe and understand student.
- Phonics must adapt to individual students, not a one-size-fits-all
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/19/phonics-child-literacy
For any Singaporeans wanting to complain about the beaurocracy in Singapore governance, be thankful you're not in England.
Makes our Prime Minister look like a "hands-on, amiable guy-next-door".NOTE: <font size="+1">I just started this teaching method in Singapore, so need all your feedback!</font>
Tell me what works for you in other schools, what you think you'll need but is not catered for, etc. Tell me what's wrong with my methods.
Please keep all feedback strictly and brutally honest. What works marvelously in USA may not work 100% here. I'll be using this method for new members of my family too. So alert me to problems in my methods asap!
Yes, the method works. If you wanna know the result of this method, just call and listen to my spoken English and Mandarin. Yes, it's all in the teacher. Can the "Ang Mo" teacher hear your Singlish, catch the errors, and prescribe correctional drills/practice? Can the "Singlish" teacher even know that she's pronouncing the English sounds all wrong?
Why am I interested in catching errors in methods, especially in my own methods? I've been teaching a long time (first, teaching myself. then others). It's remarkable, even comical, how formal education is messed up by policy makers, national educators, etc. Like I said, the Phonics revolution totally crashed in England (but worked wonders in Scotland). <font size="+1">The main reason education fails is our unwillingness to continually adapt education to students</font>. So many different kinds of students. Students change. Economies change.
And on the side, I'm still desperately trying to figure out why I can't replicate myself (as a teacher). I can't produce a teacher like myself. If you have good ears, please call me. I desperately need to produce teachers like myself. Hospitality industry contracts need a team of educators (backups).
Tell me what works for you in other schools, what you think you'll need but is not catered for, etc. Tell me what's wrong with my methods.
Please keep all feedback strictly and brutally honest. What works marvelously in USA may not work 100% here. I'll be using this method for new members of my family too.
So alert me to problems in my methods asap! Yes, the method works. If you wanna know the result of this method, just call and listen to my spoken English and Mandarin.
Yes, it's all in the teacher. Can the "Ang Mo" teacher hear your Singlish, catch the errors, and prescribe correctional drills/practice? Can the "Singlish" teacher even know that she's pronouncing the English sounds all wrong? Why am I interested in catching errors in methods, especially in my own methods? I've been teaching a long time (first, teaching myself. then others). It's remarkable, even comical, how formal education is messed up by policy makers, national educators, etc. Like I said, the Phonics revolution totally crashed in England (but worked wonders in Scotland). <font size="+1">The main reason education fails is our unwillingness to continually adapt education to students</font>. So many different kinds of students. Students change. Economies change.
And on the side, I'm still desperately trying to figure out why I can't replicate myself (as a teacher). I can't produce a teacher like myself. If you have good ears, please call me. I desperately need to produce teachers like myself. Hospitality industry contracts need a team of educators (backups).
Hi Pam, nice of you to share a good reading program with us.
There is actually a real phonics program in this world, but it's got some rather complex rules to memorize (need to count syllables), and may only be suitable for teenagers and older. In short, just because UK and the rest of the world did not create phonics programs correctly doesn't mean there aren't actual phonics rules for English.
When students are younger (preschool, primary), the education product is more towards psychological services, not actual English or reading lessons. Look at the testimonials. They all talk about kids loving to go to that school.
So what's wrong with young students loving to go to an education program? Nothing. For the most part, keen interest brings dedicated effort, which means the student does/practices more. However, it may not mean they actually learn more. Do realize that your kids will grow up speaking exactly like the teachers here: Singlish.
Why is Singlish scary in the business world? Because only Singapore can understand it. You know why Singaporeans are mostly mid-level managers and below in Singapore? Know why top management are mostly USA/UK or Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan)? This trend will continue, relegating all typical Singaporeans to mid-level or lower. Typical Singaporeans are neither good in English nor proficient in Mandarin. Strong communication/comprehension abilities require utmost proficiency in a language, any language.
My programs are real, no fluff, no psychological services thrown in. Just English enunciation and reading (phonetic rules and composition). And that's also my biggest problem. My students need to be teenagers and older; any younger, and I will feel bad that the parents are wasting money. I may need an experienced preschool teacher to help me bring this program to kids.
For a simple yet stark comparison, consider this. I teach adults to blend into USA within 3-4 months. That is, they speak exactly like Americans, even able to slip past immigration. Conventional programs teaches adults to blend into USA within... 20 years?.
The analogy is similar to gyms in Singapore. There are "show" trainers, different from real trainers. "Show" trainers just look good, and stand beside you to motivate you. Real trainers actually control your diet, your form, your psychology, everything. Of course, real trainers cost hundreds of times more than "show" trainers. That's a fact of life. Either you are observant enough to know the actual techniques, or you pay lots to get cheated by fake teachers.
Then the next question you may ask is this. "Going by the bell curve, your customer base will only be the top/richest 1-5%, right?". Yes, that is also another of my program's problems. The inability to target mass market. My day job isn't teaching English; it's blending field agents or managers into any country on this planet. It is true that only the top 1-5% of the population (either knowledgeable enough or rich enough) can afford such services, and afford to be put up as viable candidates for the most demanding jobs.
For the rest of us (me included), we can just Singlish (muddle) our way into the working world, learn a bit here, a bit there, English so-so, Mandarin can-lah, and probably earn 5-8K a month for the rest of our lives. It's a good life, really.
My point is that we should not be blind consumers. Be aware. Even if (suppose) your kids are born the poorest in Singapore, given calm and observant minds, they'll learn English faster and better than any other kids paying $500/mth for all sorts of enrichment programs. I teach adults to blend into USA within 3-4 months. But I learned that myself within hours.
Your most valuable resource is your mind, not your money. Remember that.
There is actually a real phonics program in this world, but it's got some rather complex rules to memorize (need to count syllables), and may only be suitable for teenagers and older. In short, just because UK and the rest of the world did not create phonics programs correctly doesn't mean there aren't actual phonics rules for English.
When students are younger (preschool, primary), the education product is more towards psychological services, not actual English or reading lessons. Look at the testimonials. They all talk about kids loving to go to that school.
So what's wrong with young students loving to go to an education program? Nothing. For the most part, keen interest brings dedicated effort, which means the student does/practices more. However, it may not mean they actually learn more. Do realize that your kids will grow up speaking exactly like the teachers here: Singlish.
Why is Singlish scary in the business world? Because only Singapore can understand it. You know why Singaporeans are mostly mid-level managers and below in Singapore? Know why top management are mostly USA/UK or Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan)? This trend will continue, relegating all typical Singaporeans to mid-level or lower. Typical Singaporeans are neither good in English nor proficient in Mandarin. Strong communication/comprehension abilities require utmost proficiency in a language, any language.
My programs are real, no fluff, no psychological services thrown in. Just English enunciation and reading (phonetic rules and composition). And that's also my biggest problem. My students need to be teenagers and older; any younger, and I will feel bad that the parents are wasting money. I may need an experienced preschool teacher to help me bring this program to kids.
For a simple yet stark comparison, consider this. I teach adults to blend into USA within 3-4 months. That is, they speak exactly like Americans, even able to slip past immigration.
Conventional programs teaches adults to blend into USA within... 20 years?. The analogy is similar to gyms in Singapore. There are "show" trainers, different from real trainers. "Show" trainers just look good, and stand beside you to motivate you. Real trainers actually control your diet, your form, your psychology, everything. Of course, real trainers cost hundreds of times more than "show" trainers. That's a fact of life. Either you are observant enough to know the actual techniques, or you pay lots to get cheated by fake teachers.
Then the next question you may ask is this. "Going by the bell curve, your customer base will only be the top/richest 1-5%, right?". Yes, that is also another of my program's problems. The inability to target mass market. My day job isn't teaching English; it's blending field agents or managers into any country on this planet. It is true that only the top 1-5% of the population (either knowledgeable enough or rich enough) can afford such services, and afford to be put up as viable candidates for the most demanding jobs.
For the rest of us (me included
), we can just Singlish (muddle) our way into the working world, learn a bit here, a bit there, English so-so, Mandarin can-lah, and probably earn 5-8K a month for the rest of our lives. It's a good life, really. My point is that we should not be blind consumers. Be aware. Even if (suppose) your kids are born the poorest in Singapore, given calm and observant minds, they'll learn English faster and better than any other kids paying $500/mth for all sorts of enrichment programs. I teach adults to blend into USA within 3-4 months. But I learned that myself within hours.
Your most valuable resource is your mind, not your money. Remember that.
ugly_witch
Member
Hi
I Want to buy Phonics Flash Cards
Do you have phonics flash cards to let go? If not, may i know where can i get it?
Thanks
I Want to buy Phonics Flash Cards
Do you have phonics flash cards to let go? If not, may i know where can i get it?
Thanks
precious_angel
Member
Hi
Can any kind soul recommend good phonics english literacy teacher for my K1 kid?
Thanks
Can any kind soul recommend good phonics english literacy teacher for my K1 kid?
Thanks
candymom
Member
Hi...I'm a mother of 2 and phonics Montessori trained. Montessori method of teaching phonics uses multi sensory approach. Our children learn phonics and reading at the same time. I use moveable letters, objects and picture cards to reinforce learning and reading . jts, my 20mth dd can pronounce all 26 alphabets phonetically. I'm giving phonics Montessori lessons at my house (due to the bulkiness of movable letters and objects )
Location: woodlands blk 830
every Sunday Morning, 10-11am
Fee: $120 every 4 lessons
Suitable age: 4-6 years old
pls pm me for details. Thanks: )
Location: woodlands blk 830
every Sunday Morning, 10-11am
Fee: $120 every 4 lessons
Suitable age: 4-6 years old
pls pm me for details. Thanks: )
lovely0315
Active Member
I bought preschool prep dvd from US and let my kids to watch since young, both of them can read well..
Thanks for your reply. Can you let me know the name of the DVD and if it is available locallay in Singapore ?
lovely0315
Active Member
Found this https://www.lamkins.com.sg/preschool-prep-collection-dvd-pack-p-128.html you may try to see is available...
The DVD quite boring, no fastastic cartoon, usually if kids used to watch cartoon one, they might not interested to watch?
You may try want to try to google for video and try to watch some to see if suitable for your kids?
At what age can we start phonics with the kid?
lovely0315
Active Member
I let my kids watch the phonics DVD when they started to learn to talk ba..
Hi, thanks for all your replies. My son is in nursery now. They are teaching all the sounds now and I try to go through again at home. I did find some phonics materials on google with word building and reading materials and I have ordered. Will update once I try it for a couple of months. It's called "English Reading kit" - http://learningkits.sg/