It’s All About That Sound
Sound Pedagogy
The many steps of SWR spelling dictation are built on SOUND.
Sound pedagogy means this is classical teaching, the excellent plan and execution of the transfer of knowledge from one mind to another. SOUND pedagogy means Spell to Write and Read curriculum planning means beginning with sound – it’s all about that sound!
Where does language begin?
Sound.
How is language reproduced?
Sound.
How can teachers teach phonics basics to children?
It BEGINS with sound.
“Sound it out!” “Say the sounds; write it down.”
Sound through hearing is one of the avenues to the brain. Babies hear sounds over and over and slowly begin to imitate those sounds. As their brains mature slowly, gaining some mastery over the organs of speech, they are able to grow in conversation. Nouns are usually first, with names, and then some verbs. Generally, interjections and adjectives are next.
The bones, muscles, and tendons strengthen. Little hands can clap, point, hold a spoon. One day a crayon is held, with all 5 fingers at first, and over time each finger’s tendons learn to reach out and hold items in different ways. When strong enough, something similar to a traditional pencil grip can occur, and the little hands are ready to play at writing.
What does the brain give the fingers to do in assignment?
Picture drawing comes first. As symbol awareness grows, an imitation and deep desire to produce those symbols bubbles up. “Look, Dada! My name!” “Mama, help me.”
Teaching with phonics, speech, and handwriting at the same time enables any child to learn to reproduce the sounds he hears into meaningful communication, no matter the language, no matter the alphabet or symbol system. And then spelling and reading start — slowly at first, but with gains in speed and confidence. Stretching out the sounds, painstakingly practicing pencil strokes to match the representation, reading the word after writing it — and TAH DAH! It’s cemented into brain cells through numerous neural connections.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT SOUND!
