Jj is for Jottings 70.  The End of a Word is Not Always the End. In traditional tests of articulation (speech sounds) and when we are sounding out words in reading, we think very much in terms of sounds at the beginning, in the middle and on the end of a word.  In the case […]

Jj is for Jottings 76.  Voice Disorders and Vocal Nodules. Manuel is trying to open his mouth as widely as he can so we can see if he has vocal nodules. In my last post I said I’d talk more about voice disorders and how they develop in children.  Vocal nodules, also referred to as […]

Jj is for Jottings 77.  Blending Sounds: A Simple Game For Everyday Life. What is Blending? Blending is “pushing” individual sounds or syllables together to make a word.  In early stages of reading the child will be blending sounds, but as they progress and begin to recognise chunks of words, they will also be blending […]

Meet the new next-paddock neighbours! Not that I’ve seen the alpacas take the slightest bit of notice of them, but we think they’re cute. Jj is for Jottings: 6. Food for Thought. While we’re on the subject of sheep, here is a disquieting story one of my “therapy mums” told me recently. If you have […]

Jj is for Jottings 93.  Consonant Clusters. Consonant clusters, or blends, can cause problems when analysing sounds  and blending.  Children with speech, language or literacy problems often have difficulty in detecting the second sound in a consonant cluster.  I mentioned this in a previous article on blending sounds.  Children who can easily analyse a consonant-vowel-consonant […]

Jj is for Jottings 70.  The End of a Word is Not Always the End. In traditional tests of articulation (speech sounds) and when we are sounding out words in reading, we think very much in terms of sounds at the beginning, in the middle and on the end of a word.  In the case […]

This is what we do when we’re finally let out into the paddock after shearing – have a good roll! You might need to concentrate a little harder for the first two paragraphs, but bear with me, it’ll become clear in the third. This applies to adults, too, not just children. Jj is for Jottings: […]

Jj is for Jottings 71.  4 Signs of Weak Spellers. This is just a quick post a week after the last one, so I can get back into sync with my working days. The 4 tell-tale symptoms of weak spellers are: Struggling to decode words when reading i.e. to sound out the word if they […]

Links to buy the book are below.  It may not be a complete list, but the major online sources are here.  Some booksellers stock it, and you could always order it if they don’t have it in stock.  All three major Albury bookshops stock it.  There are two online listings for each book, one for […]

Jj is for Jottings 78.  Sound Blending – “Look, Mummy, I Can Do It By Myself”. Another Sound Blending Game. Following on from the previous article on sound blending (see here), here’s another simple way to help your child blend sounds spoken by other people: Step 1. Collect a few small objects, toys or pictures […]

Jj is for Jottings 72.  Single Words Versus Connected Speech. Following on from the discussion about the end of a word not always really being the end (here), we find that, as a result of running our words together to get a smooth flow which is easier for the listener to follow, we can end […]

Jj is for Jottings 94.  Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Learning phonics with this book helps with phonemic awareness and phonological awareness skills, too. You may have heard the terms “phonological awareness”, “phonemic awareness” and “phonics” and wondered what they mean and whether they are different terms for the same thing.  Let’s sort this […]

Jj is for Jottings 28. A Neuroscientist’s Comments on Children’s Development. Baroness Greenfield, a neuroscientist at Oxford University, maintains that technology is re-wiring brains, particularly for young people growing up knowing nothing else. She asserts that a young person who hasn’t yet developed a clear and strong sense of identity and social skills will respond […]

Jj is for Jottings 92.  Managing Children’s Screen Time. The easiest way to manage children’s screen time is to avoid screens altogether as much as possible, by providing alternative activities. Rory, the foal, is looking over Amy’s shoulder, trying to read “Aa is for Alpacas” with Amy, Zack and Zara. This article on managing children’s […]