A la Tickell, I wouldn't call <eigh> a tetragraph. I'd call it a four-letter spelling, which does 'as it says on the tin' and is accessible to many, if not all, parents. However, the spelling <eigh> is, as you suggest, used mostly to represent the sound /ee/ in names of people and place names.

Hi Ken,
You'll find it here: http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.co.uk/
And, as a treat, the latest posting, a tribute to Palisadesk postings! It turns out her skills extend into the domain of the veterinary!
Best,
J

When I clicked on your link, Geraldine, the piece came up as 'not found'.
However, this one did: http://pragmaticreform.wordpress.com/ and it looks as if there's more good stuff to come over the next few weeks.
J

Nice one, Ken!

I've just tried to post a reply to the UKLA survey but wasn't allowed to because I'm not a registered member. This is what I wrote: During the last year, we, at Sounds-Write, have trained over a thousand teaching practitioners. In that time we have not heard a single objection to the phonics screeni...

Do you know which issue of the New Scientist, Susan? I keep all the back copies and would like to read it.

A doctor has written and defended a thesis, so has been assessed on his/her competence to collect and evaluate evidence. I don't get the impression that all UK teachers have that capability. I'd have thought you'd be giving your wholehearted assent to Goldacre's paper, Ken. Other than in small, iso...

I went to the forum with the intention of answering the query but decided that there was nothing to add - you nailed it, Debbie :grin: . Sadly, many teachers are so tightly bound by their own bands, they can't see the chasm between what they are teaching in their phonics lessons and the books they a...

Not in the spirit of discord, but 'just saying'; you'd never get the Sounds~Write people to change! They use < > to denote 'sounds' and it would mean a massive rewrite of all their detailed and comprehensive training materials and confusion among S~W trained teachers I agree that it would be helpfu...

There is only one Ofsted inspector and he has now seen all the trainings in the catalogue. As I believe that we were one of the first to be inspected, it has fallen to us to be monitored again. The inspector came to see Day 1 and Day 4, on which we teach polysyllabic words and spellings strategies. ...

Just saw this http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress.com/2013 ... t-destiny/ tweeted by Diane Ravitch.

Frances, the best thing by a mile I've ever come across on the subject of comprehension instruction is Cathy Collins Block, Linda B. Gambrell and Michael Pressley's Improving Comprehension Instruction (2002). It has everything.

You're right, Debbie. No mention of PI by name and, of course, no mention of S-W. But we're used to that, aren't we? I know, it doesn't make it any the less galling sometimes :roll: As a matter of fact, the authors deal with THRASS in chapter 13, though it doesn't come out too well. A study comparin...

I don't imagine that Andrew Davis will have it all his own way at Durham. Dr David Waugh, Director of Primary ITT Programmes, has just published Teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics in Primary School with Wendy Jolliffe of Hull University and Angela Carrs, also at Durham. I've just finished chapter...

Hi Debbie, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to go back to the thread given that the person who asked the question was the very one (Northernheckler) whose hackles are likely to rise when they read another comment from me :roll:. It might also invite another intemperate response (from Nh)...