The document discusses research on phonemic awareness and its importance for reading success. It summarizes that phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken words, is the strongest predictor of learning to read. Developing phonemic awareness through activities that explore sound manipulation can significantly improve children's subsequent reading and spelling abilities. The document recommends assessing phonemic awareness in mid-kindergarten and providing more intensive instruction for children who are not progressing adequately. It also describes the Speedy SSP approach, which uses short daily sessions to develop phonemic awareness through speech sound manipulation activities.

4. Message from the Reading Whisperer
It is my firm belief is that brain structure and function will change if a child (or
adult) is taught to read and spell using SSP. An approach that starts with speech -
not print. I do not want to change the child – or ‘cure’ them – I simply want to
prevent difficulties for them. This means re-wiring their brain.
Research regarding brain plasticity shows that ,although areas of the
brain are designated for specific functions, brain cells and cortical maps
do actually change in response to learning experiences. For example, even the
simple act of learning to juggle 3 balls increases the size of your brain.
One of the most interesting studies in recent years could be Shaywitz et al. (2004)
and their investigation of brain activation changes before and after an
intervention. They studied 78 second and third graders with reading disabilities
who were randomly assigned to three groups:
-the experimental intervention
-school-based remedial programs
-control
A detailed description of the intervention can be found in Blachman et al. (2004).

5. • Duration
The individual tutoring intervention occurred daily for 50 minutes from September
to June, which yielded an average of 126 sessions or 105 tutoring hours per
student.
Instruction
Each session consisted of a framework of five steps that the tutors followed with
each student. This framework was not scripted, but was individualized based on
the student's progress.
Step 1: Brief and quick-paced review of sound-symbol relationships from
previous lessons and introduction of new correspondences.
Step 2: Word work practice of phonemic segmentation and blending with letter
cards or tiles, which occurred in a very systematic and explicit fashion.
Step 3: Fluency building with sight words and phonetically regular words made
up of previously taught sound-symbol correspondences.
Step 4: Oral reading practice in phonetically controlled text, uncontrolled trade
books, and nonfiction texts.
Step 5: Writing words with previously taught patterns from dictation.

6. Content
The intervention consisted of six levels that began with simple
closed syllable words (e.g., cat) and ended with multisyllabic words
consisting of all six syllable types.
Before the intervention, all groups looked similar in their brain
activity, but immediately after the intervention the experimental
and control groups had increased activation in the left hemispheric
regions important for reading.
One year after intervention, the experimental group showed
increased activity in the occipito-temporal region important for
automatic, fluent reading, while at both time points the level of
compensatory activation in the right hemisphere decreased.
Notice any similarities between the Speedy SSP Sessions and
intervention used in this study?
Exciting stuff!

7. As Shaywitz et al. concluded. "These findings indicate that
… the use of an evidence-based phonologic reading
intervention facilitates the development of those fast-
paced neural systems that underlie skilled reading" (p.
931).
A decade has passed- let's really work hard to use
findings from neurocience research into the classroom.
As we also know that an early intervention is by far the
best approach for a society, I am planning to raise
awareness about using SSP within Australian Kindy
programmes, as well as to keep plugging away at
schools regarding the importance of SSP within Prep
and Year 1.
Em 

9. Why Speedy SSP Sessions bring about
rapid results for all children.
These sessions include all of the necessary skills to develop phonemic
awareness and to help EVERY child understand the speech sound to speech
sound pic link (phonics).
The teacher adapts the session to the child's skill level, keeps them
'fast and fun' to increase motivation and engagement, and offers
immediate feedback.
This approach is based on the latest in neuroscience research, and can be
used within classrooms quickly, easily and with no financial outlay.
Everything you need is available for free, although I am creating 'starter
packs' so those who want everything just sending to them have this option,
and of course schools can book PD training.

10. Videos of Speedy SSP sessions
uploaded over the next few
weeks- showing children
aged 4 - 6, working within all
SSP Levels.
This does not mean that
they simply recognise the
speech sound pics (pictures
of speech sounds) shown
here, it means that they are
using them effectively within
decoding (reading) and
encoding (spelling) activities,
and understanding what
they are reading.

11. This ‘scaffolding’ approach means
that children can select readers from
their level, that they can actually
read. They follow the SSP order in
which the phonemes are being
taught. Children are able to develop
fluency at their level, and their brain
can comprehend what they are
reading. If they keep getting words
with sound pics in them that they
dont know (as within PM readers)
then it slows the brain down trying
to work out the word- or they have
to memorise or guess. Only a tiny
percentage will work out the speech
sound to speech sound pic link
themselves using books with lots of
sound pics they don’t already
know. Most brains just aren’t ‘wired’
that way.
This also enables children to read
books independently within around
week 3 of Prep.

12. Dandelion
Readers
compliment SSP
However you can
use any readers that
follow a specific
order of teaching
the
phonemes. Just slot
them into the right
SSP Reading Book
Tier!

23. Speedy SSP supported by parents and
carers through home folders
These include their sound pics, sound
pic words, helpful words and reader.
Every child can progress through the
levels at their own pace.

26. • Speedy SSP Sessions last no more than 15 minutes, and
only one is needed per day for every child.
Conduct these in small groups or on a 1:1.
Every class teacher should see every child each week,
within at least one session. Teaching Assistants and parents
(with minimal training) can take the other groups every day.
If you have a class of 25 students then this means that
there will be around 5 sessions per day – 15 minutes each.
A TA can see 20 of the 25 children within an hour- and the
teacher works with the other 5, for 15 minutes. This 15
minute session each day actually changes the brain, wiring
it for reading and spelling.

30. You can do this at other times of the
day as well, at school or at home!

37. Wiring brains so that ALL children can
learn to read and to spell with
confidence.
This means starting at the very
beginning with a focus on phonemic
awareness (not phonics)

40. Key Research Findings About Phonemic Awareness:
Research has identified phonemic awareness as the most potent predictor of
success in learning to read. It is more highly related to reading than tests of
general intelligence, reading readiness, and listening comprehension
(Stanovich, 1986,1994).
The lack of phonemic awareness is the most powerful determinant of the
likelihood of failure to learn to read because of its importance in learning the
English alphabetic system or how print represents spoken words. If children
cannot hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words, they have an
extremely difficult time learning how to map those sounds to letters and
letter patterns - the essence of decoding. (Adams, 1990).
It is the most important core and causal factor separating normal and
disabled readers (Adams, 1990).
It is central in learning to read and spell (Ehri, 1984).

41. Phonemic awareness can be developed in children by providing them with rich
language experiences that encourage active exploration and manipulation of sounds.
These activities lead to significant gains in subsequent reading and spelling
performance. Most children will learn basic phonemic awareness from these activities.
Some children need more extensive assistance. Children should be diagnosed mid-
kindergarten to see if they are adequately progressing, and if not, given more
intensive phonemic awareness experiences. For all children, the more complex
phonemic awareness abilities are learned in the context of learning letter/sound
correspondences.
A close relationship exists between a child's control over sounds and his reading
ability. Some quick test instruments that reliably assess development of phonemic
awareness in about five minutes include the Rosner, the Yopp-Singer tests, and the
Roswell-Chall.
In numerous studies, correlations between a kindergarten test of phonemic awareness
and performance in reading years later are extremely high. Thus, phonemic awareness
has been identified by researchers in replicated studies in many countries as a very
potent predictor of success in reading and spelling achievement. In fact, Professor
Yopp indicates that such high correlations remain even after controlling for
intelligence and socio-economic status.

43. In case you were wondering why SSP assessments, and monitoring
tasks have been created in this way (see
slideshare.net/readingwhisperer to download)
Hallie Kay Yopp, Ph.D, Professor, Dept. of Elementary and Bilingual Education,CSU
FullertonProfessor Yopp addresses the critical role of phonemic awareness in the
early stages of reading acquisition. She defines phonemic awareness as "the
awareness that phonemes exist as abstractable and manipulable components of
spoken language. It is the ability to reflect on speech and experiment (play) with its
smallest components (phonemes). Phonemic awareness is not phonics and not
auditory discrimination.“
The research outlines a progression of phonemic awareness development in pre-
school, kindergarten, and early first grade that includes the ability:
to hear rhymes or alliteration
to blend sounds to make a word (e.g., /a/-/t/ = at)
to count phonemes in words ( how many sounds do you hear in "is"?)
to identify the beginning, middle, and final sounds in words
to substitute one phoneme for another (e.g., change the /h/ in "hot" to /p/)
to delete phonemes from words (e.g., omit the /c/ from "cat")

44. Activities to do at home, and in the
classroom are available on the RTT site.
Use 1:1 and small group Speedy SSP
sessions. Ask about TA training in PA.
Videos to watch with children
currently being developed.
These are daily 5-7 minute sessions !

45. This approach has been created by Emma Hartnell-Baker, a former UK Early Years Education
Inspector for OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education)
She has a Bachelor of Education with Honours (Early Years Specialism) and a Masters Degree in
Special Educational Needs. Emma is currently completing a Doctorate at Griffith University,
with a focus on early literacy interventions and has a special interest in education and
neuroscience research, as it relates to reading and spelling difficulties.
The SSP Approach is being developed to help teachers wire all brains for reading and spelling.

48. Join a growing number of people interested in
using fresh, exciting, 'outside the box'
teaching strategies. New strategies, new
results !