Teachers today are under a lot of pressure, especially when it comes to leading a classroom of students learning phonics. With so much to do, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed! Even the best and most passionate teachers can fall short of meeting learning objectives when it comes to reading.
All teachers want their students to succeed at reading, but can’t always give every student the time and attention that they need. That’s why we came up with an awesome solution for teaching reading.
Pup’s Quest for Phonics is a terrific way to help children learning phonics. It is perfect for the classroom and can be used in several different ways, so you still have full control over class curriculum. In fact, we provide plenty of explanations and activities to supplement the program to make phonics completely effective and enjoyable – for both you and your students.
How Pup’s Phonics Helps Make Learning Phonics Fun
Why should you use Pup’s Quest For Phonics in your classroom? With Pup’s Quest for Phonics, you have a full phonics teaching plan already developed and ready to use. Our phonics program is sectioned into 40 distinct lessons, so you can cover as many lessons or as few lessons as you’d like.
In addition, teachers can track student progress and identify problem areas. Our phonics program also allows flexibility, so you can use it one-on-one with students struggling with learning phonics or you can cover each lesson with the entire class.
You also do not need phonics training yourself to use our program. It is very intuitive for the best experience, but is still designed with research-backed methods to ensure that children learning phonics do so with success.
Why does Pup’s Quest for Phonics work well with kids? It’s fun! We know how important it is for children to learn how to read, which is why our programs are designed for children.
Learning phonics with Professor Pup is so enjoyable! Children are guided through each lesson with Professor Pup and his friends Hen, Fox, Rat and Pig. Each lesson contains several games to keep children engaged while learning phonics.
Professor Pup and his friends always accompany children each step of the way. They explain directions, provide feedback and encourage children with positive messages, so that phonics is never boring, difficult or daunting. We want every child to feel confident, empowered and smart, so that they want to learn more and more.
At the end of each lesson, Professor Pup and his friends celebrate learning phonics with a fun dance party. While it seems silly to us, our case studies have shown that this is their favorite part!
How Learning Phonics Through Pup’s Phonics Helps Children
The best part of learning phonics through Pup’s Quest for Phonics is that it comes in bite-size pieces for kids. Plus, it clearly explains each step. Each lesson is delivered through fun games, songs and colorful characters. Keep in mind that Pup’s Quest or Phonics is the second step in our phonics program. Our first program. Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm, works to introduce only phonemes to children learning phonics. In Pup’s Quest for Phonics, we slowly advance to integrate other phonics skills on top of phonemic awareness.
Does Pup’s Quest really work? Absolutely. Here’s exactly how learning phonics with Pup helps kids.
- Introduction to the Phoneme
Professor Pup introduces the phoneme that will be covered in the lesson. He will explain very clearly what sound children will learn and then provide lots of examples, listing words that contain that phoneme. These words also come with graphics, so children can easily recognize what Professor Pup is saying.
- Song About the Phoneme
Next, Professor Pup and his band of friends sing a song. This isn’t just any song. The lyrics contain even more examples that highlight the phoneme children will practice. This primes children to understand, recognize and remember the phoneme covered in the lesson. It is also a very energetic song, so it makes learning phonics stay upbeat and dynamic.
- Exercises and Games
Once the phoneme is fully introduced, we move onto several different games. In the early exercises, children refresh their previous phonics training. This helps develop and strengthen phonemic awareness. For example, in one activity, they will be given two choices.
In the /p/ lesson, children might see an image of a doll and an image of a peach. Professor Pup will then instruct the child to choose the image that contains the /p/ sound.
If the child chooses the image of the peach, Professor Pup congratulates him on choosing the correct answer. The word peach does contain the /p/ sound.
If the child chooses the image of the doll, Professor Pup provides feedback that encourages the child to consider the images again, repeating the directions for clarification.
Children will complete several rounds of these games with different examples so that they consistently recognize the phoneme in a variety of words. This helps children learning phonics master phonemes quite quickly.
- Writing the Grapheme
Next, we practice graphemes. In lesson for /p/, Professor Pup explains how to write the grapheme p on a chalkboard. He explains exactly how to draw the lines to create the letter p.
Then, children have the opportunity to trace the letter p to practice writing. Once they can successfully trace, they are encouraged to repeat writing the grapheme p over and over again. If children incorrectly trace the letter p, they will know it. Professor Pup guides them through the exercise until they correctly write the letter multiple times.
Initially, children practice writing on the iPad or tablet. However, the school edition of Pup’s Quest for Phonics comes with digital copies of print outs that you can use in class. This way, children can practice writing letters with pencil and paper.
- Practice Speech and Writing
Now, your kids know how to recognize the phoneme /p/ in a variety of words. They also know how to write the grapheme p. Next, they practice pronouncing the p sound and continue to practice writing.
Professor Pup will direct the child to, “Say /u/.” The program allows space and time for children to make the sound. Then, when the program resumes, Professor Pup instructs the child to “Write /u/.”
In this exercise, children graduate to advanced levels of learning phonics and it is exceptionally important. At this stage, children learn to connect and group the phoneme and grapheme together, learning to correctly associate the proper phoneme with the proper grapheme on the page.
How does this exactly work? As they continue practicing, children learning phonics understand that the sound /u/ looks like the letter u on paper. So, when they see the letter u in a word, they remember what sound it makes.
- Reading Practice
Now, we put everything together. Here, children are encouraged to start reading! Professor Pup provides very simple words to read in clear printed letters. He guides children to read one letter at a time through segmenting and blending.
For example, children will practice reading the sentence below.
Pup up.
The best part is that the letters and sounds used in the sentence have been covered in previous lessons. So, children never encounter any words that they do not know how to pronounce or know.
This is one of the most exciting times for children learning phonics with Professor Pup. They are really reading, using all the skills they’ve learned!
- Making Words with the Phoneme
Finally, children are led to start making words. This is where they practice putting letters together to create real words. Then, they practice writing the words.
Practice making words with the sound:
Write: “up”
Write: “pup”
In a more advanced lesson, children tackle bigger words. For example, Professor Pup will instruct children:
First, say /th/. Write /th/.
Next, say /e/. Write /e/.
Then, say /m/. Write /m/.
At the end, children learning phonics have also learned how to write them alongside many other words.
Make Learning Phonics Easy and Effective For You
You don’t need any additional training to use Professor Pup’s programs. You don’t even need to micromanage your classroom. With Professor Pup, you can integrate the program into the classroom however you want.
Many teachers split the class into groups. One group will use the iPads and go through the lessons on their own. Meanwhile, teachers can focus on helping students one-on-one, particularly for those who need additional help, explanation or attention. A third group of children can complete worksheets, practice writing or reading with their classmates.
For more ideas, you can explore our website or our teacher’s user manual. There are plenty of activities for your classroom, further explanation of lessons and ideas on how to use Professor Pup in the class.
Why should you use Pup’s Quest for Phonics? It:
- Makes learning phonics simple and fun for kids
- Cuts down on your work with pre planned lessons and activities
- Covers all phonics foundations necessary for developing reading skills
With Professor Pup, your children go from learning phonics through basic phonemes to learning how to read and write entire words. It’s amazing to see how much children can learn in such a short amount of time. They just need the right tools in the right format.
Work with Professor Pup to Make Learning Phonics Fun in the Classroom
Professor Pup’s Academy is here to help teachers make the most of their time in classrooms. We want every child to learn how to read through phonics so that they are prepared to succeed at school on all levels. Here, we prioritize reading skills and we know how to teach children what they need to know.
We also love working with teachers. With plenty of resources right on this site, learning phonics is as simple and accessible as possible. So, even if you do not know much about learning phonics, you can prepare yourself to lead your classroom confidently.
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Pup’s Quest for Phonics works for children and it works for teachers, too. Learning phonics does not have to be boring, dull or difficult to do. Our solution proves it!
To try out Pup’s Quest for Phonics, visit our page for teachers and sign up for a free one-month trial for your classroom.