Newsletter 3 - the Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach. www.sspreaders.com

1. Teaching Spelling Using the Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach. www.SSPReaders.com Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

2. Spelling the word ‘fish’ Say the word. Use Duck Hands from left to right, and then draw a line for each speech sound, as you say the speech sounds. Number the lines, and try to again say the sounds as you do this. Play it – play the three sounds, as you hover over the lines and numbers. What is played in number 3 ? (sh) – what is played on number 1 ? (f) etc. (useful video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3pHxRfZR88) Where is ‘i’ played? (number 2) No letter names used at all within the process. Now make your choices. What are the pictures for these speech sounds? When choices have been made find the clouds for those 3 speech sounds. Let your brain see other choices for those three speech sounds. You are not learning them all, just noticing them. Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

3. School spelling tests – spelling lists.
Even though the words will be outside of your code level you can still use it as a learning opportunity, for spelling brain training! Watch this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrG2SfUg240 Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

4. Use this approach with all words, including High Frequency Words (Sight Words
Order 400 words, already coded, from the SSP Shop. These are the 7 Duck Levels, and do not correspond with Code Levels. Example Spelling Brain Training for Sight Words video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfOZFH7T3Co See it in action in Prep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ISGlWdywJM
Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

5. Teachers
Are you being asked to use a standardized test? I know you won't have a choice, but go in armed with some questions about 'why are we doing this?' Teacher knowledge should be more of a focus here, not students. The attached spelling list clip art? Tells me very little about the child:-) They could have learnt them by memory the night before (Look, Cover, Say, Write) - which means they most likely won't use them correctly in real writing samples, or remember them next week...I need to know if they know the splits. For example within any class (who doesn’t use SSP from Prep) there will be 7 or 8 kids who do really well regardless of what the teacher does, and about 6-8 at the bottom who do badly- and THIS is more of an indication of what the teacher is doing, or being allowed to do. There are then the rest who do ok, as long as some phonics is taught. When I look at PM benchmarking what tells me more about the teacher are the bottom 8. I need teachers to focus on those kids- ie our Greenies. When tested for ‘spelling’ there is generally a right or wrong answer in standardized testing which tells us very little. A child can have spelt 'toast' as 'towst' and will get it 'wrong'- the same results as a child who writes nothing. But what COULD we have tested? How many of the 4 sound pics were correct. So the first child gets 3 out of 4, the second nothing. Those 'scores' give us a much better picture of how their brains are currently operating. Can they use specific spelling strategies, do they know the code?. Also throw in one made up word, and ask for all the options. Again shows code knowledge. Yes, gh/o/tti could be fish, if fish was one of those words (but that one isn't made up) SSP allows the teachers to see how the brain is processing the information, and what is needed to improve. If a SSP Conductor is given the spelling test results of a class never seen before, he or she could give information about what those kids need, code wise, even though they aren’t her kids. Knowledge is power. SSP is about short and long term improvement based on the brain, with a focus on the journey- on skills acquisition. Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

6. When we Burt test the kids have to follow the sounds AND say the words. This shows us again where there are gaps in Code knowledge. If you just ask them for the word it shows us very little. Are assessments to show the teacher what to do next, or for data? Ideally both, but which is more important? Next year Shana Banana's class will ALL be Band 8 or higher when NAPLAN tested (Year 3) for reading and spelling, and we will publish this. A nationwide first. She can only do this through a brain training approach and by knowing those kids. It means they go to the next level. We have data on these kids, we have videos, we can show where those kids started. They are not all geniuses, or go to a private school, or have tutors. Shana is an exceptional teacher using SSP. The two are needed, or you can't get there. SSP empowers teachers; they understand how each child processes information and what that child therefore needs, for maths as well. It is based on neuroscience and re-wires the brain. This is why it is being passionately embraced by those using it. They see the difference. When spelling words they don't know they can’t visualise it, and so need to use the SSP strategy. This is based purely on their code knowledge. THAT is what makes the difference as your kids move up the school, as it impacts on reading as well – fluency and comprehension. They become more tuned in with the parts in words that link with speech sounds. So at any stage they need to have the time to use lines ready for speech sounds, to organise their brains, to make sound pic choices, and to see what ‘looks right’. Words must be repeated if asked- and enough time given to actually show if they can spell it (a strategy rather than guesswork takes longer) We need to rethinking our 'testing tools' and the love of 'data' here. What matters is that is shows individual progress, and is specific. What skills are we testing, and what will we come away knowing? Of course experienced SSP teachers dont need testing- they already know their kids, and are assessing them daily. This is the approach in Finland. Train and support teachers and let them do their job. If they arent doing it well, give them more training and support. Then THEY can not only teach to the individual child, but know what needs assessing as well. Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com

7. No standardized testing in Finland - known to be the best education system in the world. But don't worry about NAPLAN- use it as a way to show how well SSP teachers are doing - with ALL of their kids. Miss Emma
Free SSP Spelling Piano app for ipads.
Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach* Wiring Reading and Spelling Brains* Newsletter 3* SSPReaders.com