Phonetics First - Focus on Sounds Teacher Evaluations

More Teacher Responses to Evaluating The Effectiveness and Ease of Use of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds Reading Program:

Joanne H. Kambouris, Music Specialist Forest Lakes Elementary

To Whom It May Concern:

As the music teacher at Forest Lakes Elementary School, I have made some observations of our Kindergartners over the past several months regarding their reading ability as related to music skills development. While at a recent faculty meeting, Mrs. Kim Kennelly-Kairis gave a short presentation about her action research project called Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds. As she explained the teaching process using this method, I occurred to me that our students were learning similar processes in music for reading rhythm patterns. I was amazed at how easily students learned to read rhythms, even rhythms that were traditionally taught in the higher grade levels. I believe that these two learning experiences reinforced one another. I noticed how well many of our Kindergarten students were reading, where this was not the case even a year or two ago.

While at an area music meeting recently, I was questioned by a fellow teacher as to why I taught more advanced rhythms to my Kindergarten students. Wondering if I was hearing something in my students that wasn't really there, I returned to school and did rhythm activities with the children that actually confirmed my earlier findings. They were not only reading the rhythms accurately and musically without assistance from me, they could read them in any order of their own choosing!

I believe that Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds may have impacted their ability to decode the iconic representation of rhythm: quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes and quarter rests, into speech. In like manner, the reading of changing rhythm patterns at various tempos may be contributing to their obtaining fluency in reading.
I would be interested to work with the Kindergarten team to integrate their terminology into my music instruction. It may have happened by accident, but it appears that we may have positively impacted learning from both directions. Perhaps even greater things will happen if we actually coordinated our efforts into an integrated plan.

Another Teacher Response to "Evaluating The Effectiveness and Ease of Use by Classroom Teachers of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds Reading Program."

Name: Kelly Rexford; School: Forest Lakes Elementary

Briefly describe your position and the demographics of your classroom:

First grade inclusion classroom. 19 students 5 of those students ESE students. ESE students include SLD, Language impaired, and PPD.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds reading program in your classroom. Please use specific details such as test scores, running records, student responses to the program and how this program compares to other programs you have used.

We had great success in using the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds program. I saw running record and dictation scores improve greatly. Three of the five ESE students were meeting grade level expectations in reading by the end of the school year with the rest of the class.

Does Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds take advantage of the way children learn best, and if so, explain how it does this? Are students engaged by the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds activities and materials?

The children are actively involved during use of the program and really enjoyed doing the program.

Evaluate the ease of use of Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds in your classroom. For example, did you find this program easy to use? Did it easily supplement your regular Language Arts program? Did it take a lot of preparation on your part? Was it fun to implement or was it difficult or boring for you or the students?

The program was very easy to use and understand. It takes some time setting it up, but once you have it set up it's easy to use again and again.

Will you continue to use the reading program Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds in your classroom?

YES

Would you recommend this program to other teachers?

YES



	More Teacher Responses to Evaluating The Effectiveness and Ease of Use of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds Reading Program: Joanne H. Kambouris, Music Specialist Forest Lakes Elementary To Whom It May Concern: As the music teacher at Forest Lakes Elementary School, I have made some observations of our Kindergartners over the past several months regarding their reading ability as related to music skills development. While at a recent faculty meeting, Mrs. Kim Kennelly-Kairis gave a short presentation about her action research project called Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds. As she explained the teaching process using this method, I occurred to me that our students were learning similar processes in music for reading rhythm patterns. I was amazed at how easily students learned to read rhythms, even rhythms that were traditionally taught in the higher grade levels. I believe that these two learning experiences reinforced one another. I noticed how well many of our Kindergarten students were reading, where this was not the case even a year or two ago. While at an area music meeting recently, I was questioned by a fellow teacher as to why I taught more advanced rhythms to my Kindergarten students. Wondering if I was hearing something in my students that wasn't really there, I returned to school and did rhythm activities with the children that actually confirmed my earlier findings. They were not only reading the rhythms accurately and musically without assistance from me, they could read them in any order of their own choosing! I believe that Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds may have impacted their ability to decode the iconic representation of rhythm: quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes and quarter rests, into speech. In like manner, the reading of changing rhythm patterns at various tempos may be contributing to their obtaining fluency in reading. I would be interested to work with the Kindergarten team to integrate their terminology into my music instruction. It may have happened by accident, but it appears that we may have positively impacted learning from both directions. Perhaps even greater things will happen if we actually coordinated our efforts into an integrated plan. Another Teacher Response to "Evaluating The Effectiveness and Ease of Use by Classroom Teachers of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds Reading Program." Name: Kelly Rexford; School: Forest Lakes Elementary Briefly describe your position and the demographics of your classroom: First grade inclusion classroom. 19 students 5 of those students ESE students. ESE students include SLD, Language impaired, and PPD. Evaluate the effectiveness of the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds reading program in your classroom. Please use specific details such as test scores, running records, student responses to the program and how this program compares to other programs you have used. We had great success in using the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds program. I saw running record and dictation scores improve greatly. Three of the five ESE students were meeting grade level expectations in reading by the end of the school year with the rest of the class. Does Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds take advantage of the way children learn best, and if so, explain how it does this? Are students engaged by the Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds activities and materials? The children are actively involved during use of the program and really enjoyed doing the program. Evaluate the ease of use of Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds in your classroom. For example, did you find this program easy to use? Did it easily supplement your regular Language Arts program? Did it take a lot of preparation on your part? Was it fun to implement or was it difficult or boring for you or the students? The program was very easy to use and understand. It takes some time setting it up, but once you have it set up it's easy to use again and again. Will you continue to use the reading program Phonetics First!- Focus on Sounds in your classroom? YES Would you recommend this program to other teachers? YES