Self-Paced phonics in the classroom setting: The Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach, with the Ten Day Speech Sound Play Plan, part of the Word Mapping Mastery system®. Letters that function as graphemes in words are known as sound pictures, that is, Speech Sound Pics. We show the Code through Speech Sound Mappping with Phonemies - Speech Sound Monsters - making the sound value visible.
The Spelling Routine using Mapped Words®
Follow TheSpellingRoutine.com to see 'speech sounds to spelling' in action.
Spelling words with GPCS that are not included
in the Core Code
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Speech Sounds to Spelling
What do children do when spelling words with Sound Pics (graphemes) not learnt within the SSP Core Code?
Use the MyWordz® technology to check the letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) for that word, and then use the Spelling Routine to store it in the brain’s word bank (orthographic lexicon).
The Spelling Routine
Learning The Monster Routine within the Speech Sound Play Plan
We introduce the Monster Routine in three stages with children in the early years. This breaks the task into manageable parts as they build confidence.
Some children are not yet ready to draw their own speech sound lines and numbers, so we provide them with strips.
Within 10 days, children in Reception will be able to use the number formation resources and videos to write numbers 1–10 and the letters s, a, t, p, i, n - use the RWI letter formation phrase.
However, the teacher may decide to continue using the strips. If children are not quite ready for letter formation, the focus may shift away from the skills we are developing, so the teacher must make that decision.
It is vital that children who have just started Reception feel embraced and that their learning needs are being met—we meet them where they are.
Children use the routine at all grades and with any words to store them in the orthographic lexicon for instant recognition when reading and rapid retrieval when spelling.
As so many children are struggling with spelling in upper primary we have launched MappedWords.com
The Speech Sound Monsters are also known as Phonemies (with an i)
This was a message to Luca. He went back to Phase 2 as he was eleven and still couldn't read and spell. It's never too late!
Join us on MappedWords.com to learn the Spelling Routine and learn to retain spelling words - learn them so they stick!
What Phonemies are, and what they are not
Phonemies are the only characters designed to represent the sound itself.
They do not represent letters.
They do not represent spelling patterns.
They do not cue graphemes (unless in a word).
They do not use pictures, keywords, or mnemonics.
A Phonemie exists only to show the speech sound.
In contrast, typical phonics visuals show:
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a picture (cat, snake, train),
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linked to a letter or letter group,
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which is said to “make” a sound.
That is grapheme-led instruction. The sound is inferred from print.
Phonemies reverse this completely.
What makes Phonemies fundamentally different
Phonemies are:
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Sound-first characters, not print-first
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Spelling-neutral, until mapping begins
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Visually distinct from graphemes
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Consistent across all spellings of the same sound
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The learner’s anchor, before any letters are introduced
They sit in the word as sound units, not as teaching prompts.
A word, conceptually, is processed as:
spoken word → Phonemies (sounds made visible) → graphemes (spellings chosen)
Not:
letters → sound guess → word
Why this distinction matters
English reading difficulty often comes from learners being asked to:
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infer sounds from letters,
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memorise exceptions,
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guess pronunciations,
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or treat words as visual wholes.
Phonemies remove that burden by making speech explicit and stable.
The learner knows exactly what sound exists before deciding how it is spelled.
This is why Phonemies are:
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critical for dyslexic learners,
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essential for children with speech and language differences,
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supportive for AAC users,
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and powerful for independent spelling and decoding.
