Spell-O Sentences

Spell-O Sentences develop bidirectional word mapping by giving learners in any grade opportunities to map words in connected text. When reading, learners identify graphemes, say the corresponding phonemes and blend them to say the word. When spelling, they say the word, segment it into phonemes and select graphemes to represent each sound. Every sentence strengthens the connections between speech, spelling and meaning, supporting the transition from explicit phonics instruction into independent self-teaching.
 

For children learning to read in their first language, spoken language already provides the foundation. They understand words, sentences and meaning through speech. Learning to read involves discovering how print connects to that existing language system.

For children with delayed speech, speech sound difficulties or who are non-speaking, we use Phonemies® (Speech Sound Monsters®) as visual representations of phonemes; phonetic symbols designed specifically for children. Through MyWordz® with MySpeekie®, children can use these symbols within a one-screen AAC system or simply indicate the phoneme they can hear, even if they cannot yet produce it clearly.

Word Mapping Across the Curriculum

The Department for Education expects word mapping to be the strategy used to help children decode and spell all words throughout the day, across all year groups, by applying and extending their phonics and orthographic knowledge. Teachers are therefore expected to be able to identify which letters form graphemes and the phoneme represented by each grapheme in every word they teach. This may not be as easy as it sounds because skilled readers no longer decode each word consciously. They are in the orthographic mapping phase, so word recognition is automatic. As a result, teachers often need guidance to identify the graphemes and phonemes in words accurately, particularly if they have previously been taught that some letters are "silent". While "silent letters" relate to the history or etymology of words, there is little evidence that explicitly teaching this improves reading or spelling. Instead, the evidence supports teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences for decoding and encoding.
 

National guidance defines both early reading and spelling in terms of the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters. This applies to all words, including those often described as "tricky" or irregular, where the correspondences may be less commonly used and not taught explicitly within the Core Code but still require accurate coordination between phonemes and graphemes. We need teachers to feel confident talking about this and find that they like to use the Code Mapping tech, powered by Ortho-GraphiX, as they can Show the Code. Showing the speech sound relationship is not only easier but often great conversation starters, especially around accent variation.  

The Reading Framework states:

"Understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words underpins successful word reading. Pupils' knowledge of the English alphabetic code, how letters or groups of letters represent the sounds of the language, supports their reading and spelling."
(Department for Education, The Reading Framework, 2023)

It goes on to state:

"This guidance explains why teachers themselves also need to understand the alphabetic code: evidence supports the key role of phonic knowledge and skills in early reading and spelling."
(Department for Education, The Reading Framework, 2023)

The Department for Education defines decoding as follows:

"In reading, pupils are taught to decode by identifying graphemes in written words from left to right, saying the corresponding phonemes, and blending those phonemes to say the whole word."
(Department for Education, The Reading Framework, 2023, p.47)

Likewise, the Writing Framework defines spelling as:

"In spelling, pupils are taught to say a word clearly, segment it into phonemes, and select graphemes to represent each phoneme in writing."
(Department for Education, Writing Framework, 2025, p.41)

The statutory spelling guidance further explains that teachers should draw pupils' attention to grapheme-phoneme correspondences that both do and do not fit with what has been taught so far (Department for Education, Spelling Framework, p.75).

The Spell-O Sentences® activity has been designed around exactly these principles, and designed to Simplify Spelling.

Beyond the Core Code

Systematic synthetic phonics programmes introduce the alphabetic principle by explicitly teaching around 100 of the most common grapheme-phoneme correspondences. This provides children with the foundations needed to begin reading and spelling.

However, English is an opaque orthography with well over 300 grapheme-phoneme correspondences in everyday use. No phonics programme can explicitly teach every correspondence children will encounter, or every word they may need to read and spell. Planning to teach thousands of whole words is like planning to buy bread for everyone, rather than providing the seeds and the environment that enable them to grow their own. The goal is to equip children to become self-teachers, not lifelong recipients of explicit instruction.
 

The Department for Education therefore expects teachers to extend programmes and continue applying phonics to all words, in all year groups, drawing attention to correspondences that have not yet been explicitly taught.

This highlights an important gap between the content of validated phonics programmes and the alphabetic code children ultimately need to read and spell confidently throughout Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and beyond.

Spell-O Sentences® with the 60 Second Spelling Routine bridges this gap by allowing learners to continue mapping every word they encounter, rather than remaining restricted to words containing only previously taught correspondences.

From Phonics to Self-Teaching

Phonics is intended to kick-start reading.

Once learners understand how speech and print connect, they begin applying this knowledge to unfamiliar words. Through reading, they discover new correspondences, recognise patterns, refine their understanding of the alphabetic code and build an ever-growing store of known words. This process is known as self-teaching.

Spell-O Sentences® and the 60 Second Spelling Routine provides regulary opportunities for this process by encouraging children to apply their existing knowledge to meaningful sentences rather than repeatedly practising only programme-specific words.

Why This Matters

Although the Phonics Screening Check (PSC) measures whether children have reached the expected standard in early decoding, it assesses only a narrow aspect of literacy.

The check focuses on blending a limited set of approximately 95 grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Passing the PSC does not demonstrate fluent reading, accurate spelling or successful orthographic learning.

More concerning is that around one in five children do not pass even this limited check, while around one in four children still do not reach the expected standard in reading by the end of primary school.

This raises an important question.

If phonics successfully teaches approximately 100 grapheme-phoneme correspondences, what supports children in learning the remaining 200 or more correspondences needed for fluent reading and accurate spelling?

The answer lies in supporting the transition into self-teaching through successful bidirectional word mapping.
Emma Hartnell-Baker has also been asking if teachers are confident with the PSC Scoring system and wonders how accurate the results are. She gives the example of a child pronouncing the alien word 'splace' as s p l air s being marked down, and yet when asked to read 'The moon is in space' the child pronounces space in the same way because of his northern accent.     
 

Earlier Identification and Better Support

By the time many children receive intervention, opportunities for prevention have already been missed, despite indicators often being present before formal phonics begins. This is  is often described as the dyslexia paradox.

Synthetic phonics programmes alone cannot provide sufficient support for every child. Around one in five children can be identified early through screening and may require additional support in developing speech sound processing and word mapping. Continuing to teach more of the same programme content beyond Year 1 is unlikely to address these underlying difficulties, particularly once children reach Key Stage 2.

The emphasis should not simply be on learning more grapheme-phoneme correspondences.

Instead, children need secure connections between speech, spelling and meaning, built through flexible, bidirectional word mapping that reflects their own spoken language, including accent variation.

Our Recommendation

We recommend that all children in Reception complete the 10-Day Speech Sound Play pre-phonics programme and learn the Speech Sound Monsters®, even if their school uses a systematic synthetic phonics programme instead of SSP.

This gives every learner a shared set of phoneme symbols that can be used across reading, spelling and communication, enabling full participation in embracing Spelling Simplified and using Spell-O Sentences® and the 60 Second Spelling Routine®.

Spell-O is not a replacement for phonics but can be used as the whole-school spelling programme with teachers creatng their own swntences using the Code Mapping Tool. With the MyWordz technology they can download mapped words. 
 

Spell-O is another bridge between explicit phonics (which should include early spelling instruction) and independent reading and spelling, supporting children as they develop the bidirectional word mapping skills needed to become successful self-teachers. Use with mapped One, Two, Three and Away books