THRASS Phonemic Awareness Method

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THRASS Phonemic Awareness Method

Hi Everyone,

I am interested in receiving some feedback on the THRASS / phonemic awareness method of teaching phonics and reading.

Do you use this method in your school / classroom, and how do you find it effective?

It would be great to hear some pros and cons on this method. Please leave comments by clicking the comments button below.

Look forward to hearing from you all,
Thanks very much
Donna

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THRASS Phonemic Awareness Method

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Sep 05, 2009

Class or whole school, how do you do it?
by: Anonymous

I have been on the 2 day PD for THRASS. I currently use Jolly Phonics with great success. Over 90% of my students are ESL (some with no English at all) and JP caters to different learning styles. Some of these children cannot hear words in English let alone phonemes, have you ever tried to listen to Russian and pick out a word in a sentence?

While I can see the benefits of THRASS and understand the logic, if I implement it in my class I would be the only one in the school (with a very relutant teacher who doesn't want to learn new things or change her ways in the year above me).

On the THRASS course we were told to teach the alphabet first, and then ....(they didn't tell us what comes next). In what sequence do you teach THRASS?
We were also told not to sing the alphabet song, can you explain this please? And not to use the rap CD as it is very confusing - now that was understandable.

Aug 14, 2009

thrass class or school
by: Anonymous

Can I use thrass just in my class? or is it essential that it is a whole school approach?

Jul 19, 2009

response to response
by: Anonymous

Hi Sue

There is a comprehension component to this program and it covers all requirements of the syllabus. This program is also based on scientific research and has been proven in primary and secondary schools as well as adult learning centres. It is also being used overseas for TESL, once again with great results. I have gone back and read quite a few of your postings and can tell that you are a very knowledgeable and experienced teacher. I would be willing to bet that not all teachers would gain the same results as you do with Thrass, just due to fact that they would not teach in the same way. Many teachers believe that it is sufficient to teach sight words simply by sight. They do not see the need for children to be able to decode the word, they do not see that encouraging children to do this will allow them to decode unfamiliar words. I have discovered in my class that children are able to read sight words but cannot spell them. I have been working with the children in this area with great results, there has been notable improvement in their spelling and as I put great emphasis on correct pencil grip and letter formation, the results in this area are substantial. Once again, not taking anything away from Thrass, I believe the methodology of both programs are very similar. I just believe that not all teachers would execute the program properly. This is where I see The Soundway as potentially having a higher success rate. During my four years of uni I was not taught half the things I have learned using this program, I feel my knowledge of the English language has improved dramatically. I will let you know how it all goes:)

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Jul 19, 2009
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Submitted by: Anonymous

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Hi Sue There is a comprehension component to this program and it covers all requirements of the syllabus. This program is also based on scientific research and has been proven in primary and secondary schools as well as adult learning centres. It is also being used overseas for TESL, once again with great results. I have gone back and read quite a few of your postings and can tell that you are a very knowledgeable and experienced teacher. I would be willing to bet that not all teachers would gain the same results as you do with Thrass, just due to fact that they would not teach in the same way. Many teachers believe that it is sufficient to teach sight words simply by sight. They do not see the need for children to be able to decode the word, they do not see that encouraging children to do this will allow them to decode unfamiliar words. I have discovered in my class that children are able to read sight words but cannot spell them. I have been working with the children in this area with great results, there has been notable improvement in their spelling and as I put great emphasis on correct pencil grip and letter formation, the results in this area are substantial. Once again, not taking anything away from Thrass, I believe the methodology of both programs are very similar. I just believe that not all teachers would execute the program properly. This is where I see The Soundway as potentially having a higher success rate. During my four years of uni I was not taught half the things I have learned using this program, I feel my knowledge of the English language has improved dramatically. I will let you know how it all goes:)

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Jul 18, 2009

soundway response
by: Sue

Hi Anon
I am not opposed to any programme that is based in sound research and evidence, with solid evidence of success, based on science.
My concern, is that the way you suggested teaching this was to give the control to someone outside of the classroom, which I do not agree with, in any circumstance.
I use THRASS. It is successful because it is not a programme, but a tool for teachers to use to meet the needs of their individual students. My programme changes in accordance to need. I don't rewind the DVD. I do the work, planning, assessing, evaluating, teaching. I look at student skills, oral language, vocabulary, spelling, decoding and comprehension skills.
If the soundway programme assisted your child, that is great. I hope the strategies and skills she has learned are sustained as she moves through her education journey. May I suggest you have a look at THRASS, do some PD and then decide which method suits the needs of your students. Go to the THRASS site and read the research.
What is the comprehension, vocabulary component of soundway? These are unconstrained skills that must be developed and taught.
I wish you luck in your teaching journey and every success in what you do with your students.
Sue

Jul 17, 2009

The Soundway method
by: Anonymous

Hi Sue

I am more frightened by what I see in todays classrooms - students heading into secondary school with limited reading/spelling ability. My daughter was one of those children. I firmly believe that if I did not intervene with this scary program that she would still be struggling. This program does not totally relieve the classroom teacher of their responsibility, nothing is that simple. The program provides a firm foundation on which teachers and students can build upon. The reason this program is so effective is that the DVD teacher teaches the 45 sounds of the english language in a sequential manner and yes it does pay alot of attention to syllables and the rules of the English language. Recent studies have shown that some classroom teachers actually have problems in addressing these areas. I will let you know how the program fares during our trial and if it achieves the results I believe it will. As the facilitator of the program you are able to monitor the progress of the students in real time and correct any misconceptions on the spot. You are also able to revisit lessons that may have highlighted problems for individuals or the whole class. If the program gained great results would you still be opposed to it?

Jul 16, 2009

Soundway questions
by: Sue

Hi
If the DVD presenter is the facilitator, how are individual needs of students met using this method? What about teacher's using knowledge of their students to design programmes that teach what students need to learn? What about the syllabus? How does this meet the requirements for your programming? I have concerns about the teacher being replaced by a TV when teaching critical skills in literacy.
Teachers need to teach, that is what we are employed to do. The success of any class activity is dependent on how well the teacher engages the students, presents information in a meaningful way and meets student need. Good teachers take into account what knowledge and experiences a student brings to school - how can a DVD do this? Sorry, but this programme, presented the way you say, frightens the daylights out of me - I would never give responsiblity to an unknown DVD presenter to teach my students.
Sue

Jul 05, 2009

The Soundway
by: Anonymous

Hi all, another terrific program available on the market is The Soundway, developed by Craig Henderson. I used this program at home with my own daughter with great results, then had the opportunity to present the program at a high school, once again with great results. After this I decided to become a teacher. I completed a four year degree in Primary teaching. I have been given permission to run this program at the school I am currently employed at - can't wait to see what happens. I have looked at the Thrass program and the one noticeable difference is the delivery. The Soundway presents via dvd. The teacher becomes the facilitator, Craig Henderson is the teacher. Obviously the success of Thrass will be determined by the teacher presenting the program.

Thanks

Jun 28, 2009

THRASS
by: Jen - Student Teacher and Mum!

Hi Donna

In Term 4 this year, my children (who are currently in Term 2 of Transition) will (and my nephews already do) use THRASS at their school.

I just finished a Practicum for Uni in a Year 6 class at another school where they use THRASS. There were students in the class that had been at the School since Transition... and it was amazing! THRASS was a part of everything they were forever picking up different words throughout the day and making note of the phonemes etc (and GCA's?).

I had done a Practicum the year before in a Year 5 class. The difference in ability to read and spell between the classes was incredible. The Year 5 class that did not use THRASS (in fact there was no phoneme work at all) averaged 3/10 on their spelling tests every week. And there was... maybe... 3 or 4 really good readers in the class. Contrast that with Year 6 using THRASS. They averaged 9/10 on ALL spelling tests. They could ALL read well - I would say they were all average-above average readers.

I can't wait until my children start (they will start in Term 4 this year in preparation for Kindergarten next year). It is a fantastic method - that REALLY works!

Jen :)

Nov 28, 2008

THrass questions for singalong
by: Lee-Ann (Namibia)

we have had good fun using the questions from the THRASS uk internet sight. I have copied it here for you http://www.thrass.co.uk/SAL_QA.htm

Our children like making up their own questions and words aswell.

Bye

Nov 26, 2008

thrass
by: mikayla

i think thrass is a very good thing for kids

Nov 25, 2008

Thrass SING-A-LONG Top Six Songs
by: Becky M

We had a poll and the top six are:

10 Bruce the Mouse
27 Disco hair
02 Rock and roll jive
45 THRASS Sing-A-Long Song
04 My dog Spot
29 Get outta bed

The children said to say that they like the words and music but LOVE doing their own actions!

Nov 21, 2008

Which is your classes favourite Thrass song?
by: Peter R

Becky, Which is your classes favourite song. Mine love A GREAT BIG GORILLA and they go mad with banana bits! A close second is SAW YOU IN THE SUN - as they love the hard rock guitars!!!
They are not quite so keen on the jazz and blues numbers e.g my coin

Nov 14, 2008

Thrass DVD
by: Becky M

I can recommend the Sing-a-long dvd, too. It is great fun and there is so much to see and do! Looks good on the interactive board.

Nov 06, 2008

THRASS Sing-a-Long Interactive Book
by: Pete R

The THRASS Sing-A-Long resources are amazing and my class love singing with the Interactive Book and the new DVD. I strongly recommend them to any primary school class teacher. I even showed by class the video from www.thrass.co.uk/wps08.htm and they loved it. It certainly makes you feel good to see so many children enjoying themselves!

Nov 03, 2008

Thrass - How Do You Do IT??
by: Keryne

I think THRASS is a very sensible way to teach phonics and spelling and agree with all the positive comments about it. My question is exactly how do you teach it. How do other teachers run their daily lessons? I have tried a variety of methods but I'm still not happy with the daily format. Any suggestions?

Oct 09, 2008

THRASS is THE BEST
by: Sharon

Just wanted to give THRASS a THUMBS UP - my 9-year-old did two years of THRASS before moving provinces (South Africa)and now attends a school that still uses PHONICS - his writing, spelling and reading are all FAR SUPERIOR to his peers - so much so that I have opted to teach my younger child (age 6) THRASS at home as KNOW IT WORKS - hoping to introduce THRASS to our school soon.

Sep 17, 2008

looking for singalong
by: Sue

Hi Jo, I had a look at the THRASS site but couldn't find the singalong. Where should I look?
Sue

Sep 05, 2008

THRASS is fantastic
by: Jo

Hi I have been using THRASS with a small group of deaf and hearing impaired children. I love it - the children have made significant progress in both reading and writing as THRASS embeds both phoneme and grapheme connections. This then frees the children to write and spell effectively.

If you haven't had any THRASS training then do so at your earliest opportunity.

You can see me singing THRASS songs with my children at the Singlong section of the THRASS website

Jun 26, 2008

THRASS
by: Narelle

Hi Everyone,

THRASS is amazing!!!!!!

I'm a prep teacher and I implement THRASS from the very start of the school year. I would never confuse my students by using jolly phonics, initially. For instance, if you teach that c makes a k sound at the start of the year then it is hard for children to recognise that it can also make other sounds such as the s sound (as in city) later on. And if they can, why not teach them how our language is from the start? Children as young as five are like sponges and absorb anything you teach them. We underestimate their capabilities!!!

Its the results that I see in my classroom that drives me to continue using THRASS. The children also love THRASS. It has to be seen to be believed!!! Who would of thought that in Term 2 of Prep, children are asking everyday to write two pages and actually do so successfully!!!!!

Please feel free to comment or ask any questions regarding THRASS.

May 14, 2008

love THRASS
by: Sue

THRASS is research based - so important. I have used THRASS as a tool for teaching reading, spelling and handwriting since 2004. However, the methodology and theory behind it has been something I used for 20 years as part of my teaching K - 6. It always made sense.

I began using THRASS resources with Kinder when I went to a new school where it was used and their progress was amazing. It gives children the big picture of our language and how it works and allows them to develop skills systematically. I have used it also with year 2 when I was a classroom teacher. In my current school we use it Transition to year 6 and I also use it with my yr 7 and 8 students. ( I am now learning support co-ordinator). Our yr 5 and 6 students love it too. It supports the spelling programme I have written for the school.

It is so important to get away from one letter one sound method to decode and spell. Our language has 44 phonemes but only 26 letters. Children have to be taught the phonemes and their associated graphemes from the start. They also need to know the alphabet very early in the K year (by end term 1). Not impossible, our Kinders know their alphabet already!!!

I am not a fan of Jolly Phonics as students seem to waste time (focus) on learning hand signals rather than learning the concepts, also, they go with tricky sight words rather than teaching the phoneme/grapheme relationship so they can read any word - that's my opinion and some may differ.

Some use J Ph in Kinder then move to THRASS. Sorry, but that does not make sense. Students are capable of learning the skills and concepts from an early age, so they don't need to have information dumbed down and made cute. Wastes learning time and often things need to be retaught and bad habits broken the following year.

I have conducted across school research in spelling and THRASS based spelling tasks - there are so many and I don't have room here - it has made a significant difference to student progress (using SA spelling as pre/post test) over a number of years. This has impacted on reading skills also, with oral fluency gains seen in those students with combined spelling and oral reading fluency difficulties.

The handwriting section is great. So important to get letter formation and pencil grip correct from the start.

As for phonemic awareness, the resources available are great for PA tasks. This is a daily part of every lesson I teach.

Don't forget good, systematic, explicit teaching!
For interest, in the latest Special Education Perspectives, there is a literature review by Peter Westwood reviewing issues in spelling instruction 1995 - 2007. THRASS is the only programme ( for lack of a better word because it is not a programme) that gets a mention.

My advice to you is to do the two day course and see for yourself. It is the best PD you will do.

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May 14, 2008
Rating

Submitted by: Sue

Title

Comment
THRASS is research based - so important. I have used THRASS as a tool for teaching reading, spelling and handwriting since 2004. However, the methodology and theory behind it has been something I used for 20 years as part of my teaching K - 6. It always made sense. I began using THRASS resources with Kinder when I went to a new school where it was used and their progress was amazing. It gives children the big picture of our language and how it works and allows them to develop skills systematically. I have used it also with year 2 when I was a classroom teacher. In my current school we use it Transition to year 6 and I also use it with my yr 7 and 8 students. ( I am now learning support co-ordinator). Our yr 5 and 6 students love it too. It supports the spelling programme I have written for the school. It is so important to get away from one letter one sound method to decode and spell. Our language has 44 phonemes but only 26 letters. Children have to be taught the phonemes and their associated graphemes from the start. They also need to know the alphabet very early in the K year (by end term 1). Not impossible, our Kinders know their alphabet already!!! I am not a fan of Jolly Phonics as students seem to waste time (focus) on learning hand signals rather than learning the concepts, also, they go with tricky sight words rather than teaching the phoneme/grapheme relationship so they can read any word - that's my opinion and some may differ. Some use J Ph in Kinder then move to THRASS. Sorry, but that does not make sense. Students are capable of learning the skills and concepts from an early age, so they don't need to have information dumbed down and made cute. Wastes learning time and often things need to be retaught and bad habits broken the following year. I have conducted across school research in spelling and THRASS based spelling tasks - there are so many and I don't have room here - it has made a significant difference to student progress (using SA spelling as pre/post test) over a number of years. This has impacted on reading skills also, with oral fluency gains seen in those students with combined spelling and oral reading fluency difficulties. The handwriting section is great. So important to get letter formation and pencil grip correct from the start. As for phonemic awareness, the resources available are great for PA tasks. This is a daily part of every lesson I teach. Don't forget good, systematic, explicit teaching! For interest, in the latest Special Education Perspectives, there is a literature review by Peter Westwood reviewing issues in spelling instruction 1995 - 2007. THRASS is the only programme ( for lack of a better word because it is not a programme) that gets a mention. My advice to you is to do the two day course and see for yourself. It is the best PD you will do.

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May 14, 2008

THRASS and phonemic awareness
by: Paul ... year 2 teacher

Phonemic awareness is a huge topic and where does one start?
Rather than get into teacher talk, I'll put in 2c worth on behalf of my year 2 kids :)
We begin the year using Jolly Phonics because
- it reinforces and consolidates basic letter / sound relationships through use of complementing hand movements.
- it gives opportunity for those who have knowledge gaps to catch up
- it helps make handwriting automatic (redundant)
- it is fun and lots of English games are innate with this strategy

In term two, we begin using THRASS because the children are desperate for an organised framework that supports new territory. I find that they are moving fast i.e.
- confronted with increased spelling choices
- fluency in reading and comprehension is ramping up
- vocabulary bank is expanding
- their thinking has moved away from what sound does this letter / letter group make to tell me the word teacher, and then I'll tell you what sound the phoneme makes
- and we have fun with English still :)
- we still use Jolly Phonics but only in so far as the grammar program because it has complementary hand movements and colour coding for nouns, pronouns, verbs, etc

The above is brief and just a snapshot of what I am doing at this point in time.
I find that I continually change my teaching style due to the needs of students; departmental professional development; interaction with peer professionals; parental support; and how many biscuits I have left in my barrel(energy).
cya Paul

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May 14, 2008
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Submitted by: Paul ... year 2 teacher

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Comment
Phonemic awareness is a huge topic and where does one start? Rather than get into teacher talk, I'll put in 2c worth on behalf of my year 2 kids :) We begin the year using Jolly Phonics because - it reinforces and consolidates basic letter / sound relationships through use of complementing hand movements. - it gives opportunity for those who have knowledge gaps to catch up - it helps make handwriting automatic (redundant) - it is fun and lots of English games are innate with this strategy In term two, we begin using THRASS because the children are desperate for an organised framework that supports new territory. I find that they are moving fast i.e. - confronted with increased spelling choices - fluency in reading and comprehension is ramping up - vocabulary bank is expanding - their thinking has moved away from what sound does this letter / letter group make to tell me the word teacher, and then I'll tell you what sound the phoneme makes - and we have fun with English still :) - we still use Jolly Phonics but only in so far as the grammar program because it has complementary hand movements and colour coding for nouns, pronouns, verbs, etc The above is brief and just a snapshot of what I am doing at this point in time. I find that I continually change my teaching style due to the needs of students; departmental professional development; interaction with peer professionals; parental support; and how many biscuits I have left in my barrel(energy). cya Paul

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