© Debbie Hepplewhite Nov 2010
© Debbie Hepplewhite Nov 2010
The Two Stage Teaching Model (Debbie Hepplewhite, 2005 – compatible with the Simple View of Reading)
These diagrams illustrate how teaching the English alphabetic code knowledge (the letter/s-sound correspondences) and the three core skills, of 1) blending (synthesising) for
reading, 2) segmenting for spelling, and 3) handwriting, fit into the larger picture for language and literacy. Learners are not required to write, or read books independently,
which are beyond their level of alphabetic code knowledge and skills, but they do have free access to books and can share books with others in a variety of ways.
[The use of a visual Alphabetic Code Chart clarifies the relationship between sounds of speech and spelling alternatives. An Alphabetic Code Chart can organise, and
account for, both planned synthetic phonics teaching and incidental phonics teaching as part of the wider curriculum. See www.phonicsinternational.com for examples of
charts.]
STAGE ONE – The Communication, Language and Literacy Curriculum (beginners/special needs) Timescale: one term to one year – keep revising
The idea of ‘phonics first, fast and only’ appears to have misled some people into thinking that the ‘diet’ for learners is only phonics when this is not the case at all. The teacher
simply needs to identify the precise learning intentions for the various literacy and language activities. The teacher, for example, would not be concerned about attending to
letter/s-sound correspondences whilst reading aloud an exciting storybook to the learners or when demonstrating how to use an information book.
Learners are taught to recognise graphemes from left to right in new and unknown words and to ‘sound out and blend the sounds’ to read these words. They are not taught
the multi-cueing ‘range of reading strategies’ for reading books when these amount to guessing words from pictures, context and initial letter cues. Illustrations and context,
however, may play an important role for comprehension and vocabulary development.
Learners are not taught letter names at first, and they are never taught words as whole ‘global’ shapes. They are introduced to the letter/s-sound correspondences of the
alphabetic code relatively quickly (for example, 2 to 5 focus letter/s-sound correspondences a week dependent upon age and stage of learning). Right from the beginning of
the phonics programme, revised and new letter/s-sound correspondences are then applied to a cumulative, decodable word bank to practise the reversible processes of all-
through-the-word blending (synthesising) for reading (decoding) and all-through-the-spoken-word oral segmenting for spelling and allotting letters or letter groups to the
identified sounds (encoding).
Reading, spelling and handwriting are taught in equal measure. Without competent handwriting skills, pupils cannot record the spellings they know orally. A tripod-grip for
holding the pencil is modelled consistently and taught from the earliest days in school, if not before. Learning to handwrite both upper and lower case letter shapes correctly is
linked with ‘saying the sounds’ which are code for the graphemes (letters and letter groups).
STAGE TWO – Progression to the complex Alphabetic Code and integration with the wider curriculum Timescale: for as long as it takes (including spelling)
Once the learners know to automaticity a first/common version of graphemes (letters and letter groups) to represent the 42+ phonemes (the smallest identifiable sounds in our
English speech), they then need to learn the spelling alternatives as code for the sounds of speech and the pronunciation alternatives of various graphemes. Handwriting skills
are also required to automaticity to ensure that lack of competence and fluency does not impede writing activities. [Note that some graphemes are code for units of sound
larger than a phoneme such as letter ‘x’ which is code for the two phonemes /k+s/ as in ‘fox’ or the two phonemes /g+z/ as in ‘exam’.]
As learners gain basic reading and writing code knowledge and skills, they can apply these to a wider range of activities and integration will occur within the wider curriculum
– both planned by the teacher and occurring naturally through the learners’ individual capability. Teachers should not require learners to write independently if they are not
equipped to write independently.
Some older learners may have the intellect of their peers at the STAGE TWO level of learning, but their code knowledge and skills may be within the STAGE ONE diagram.
Teachers must not assume that poor levels of literacy equate to poor general ability and learners should be provided with lessons to match all their intellectual needs and their
basic literacy knowledge and skills. Intervention programmes of additional and intensive teaching should not resort to multi-cueing guessing strategies. Provision should be
consistent with the synthetic phonics teaching principles and may need to include elements of teaching at both STAGE ONE and STAGE TWO to address individual needs.
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite 2005
