Teachers in Malaysia speak about the effect of Jolly Phonics in their schools

A Case Study

Kindergarten in Malaysia is notcompulsory. Most parents enroll theirchildren at the age of four, some lateror not at all. Some parents do notenroll their children at the beginningof the school year. There are oftendifficult scenarios; for example, a four-year old enrolled in the middle of the

school year, will miss out on workdone by the class during the first halfof the year. A six-year old who hasnever been to school is not able tokeep up with his/her peers who havebeen at school for the past threeyears.

The plight of these children startedme off with Jolly Phonics. As principal,I decided to teach each new childprivately the alphabet sounds the“express” way. I went through the firstfour groups of sounds with actionsand by tracing the shape of the lettersusing either sandpaper letters or the Finger Phonics books. Thesesessions worked wonders for thechildren. By the time they hadcompleted the first four letter soundgroups, they were ready to join theirpeers and begin working withdigraphs and the more difficultaspects of the language.

The speed and success of thesechildren encouraged me to try out theactions and sounds on the rest of thechildren. Although these childrenwere already familiar with the sounds of the alphabet, they were

enthusiastic about these “games” that“Teacher Jelita” (that’s me) playedduring circle time and just beforehome time. I noticed that many of theactions helped dispel problems withsome confusing letters of thealphabet, like “b” and “d” and “m”and “n”. We played games like “I spy”with me spelling the word throughactions. The children would guess theword, for example “hop”, then theywould do the action.

When Cynthia of Extrazeal informedme that they were organizing a JollyPhonics training workshop run by theprogramme’s publisher, my staff and Iattended. My staff had their firstglimpse of Jolly Phonics. They allagreed that the actions made theteaching much easier. When CelesteMusgrave and Tina DiMauro, twotrainers from Sydney visited to trainMalaysian teachers, all the staff ofSmall Wonder Children’s Houseattended.

Now ALL children are taught the lettersounds using Jolly Phonics. With theyounger children (two-four), we usethe Jolly Songs CD. The children loveit. Even the older children ask to jointhe younger ones for the phonicssongs sessions at least once a week.This group activity is repeated daily.They also work individually withsupport material like sandpaperalphabet and the Finger Phonicsbooks. We also use the matchingworksheets from The PhonicsHandbook. The children also workwith the Montessori Pink and Blueseries once they are confident withthe sounds of groups one to four.Some even go up to group seven.

The five to six year olds, also use flashcards to learn the digraphs and

alternative sounds. Fun activities forthis group include looking at howdifferent spellings of words makethem mean something else. Forexample, “plain” and “plane” meantwo different things. Activities for theolder group of children includeworking with nouns, verbs, adverbsetc. The Jolly Grammar programmecomplements the Montessori method,as it uses the same colours.

Overall, since implementing the JollyPhonics programme at my Montessorischool, the children are reading sixmonths to a year earlier than myprevious intakes of children. Beforenone of my three-year olds wouldeven attempt to work with the PinkBoxes, which is the first level ofreading using Montessori material;now 70% of the children haveattempted them, successfully readingout words that they have neverencountered before.

My teachers, some of whom werecritical of the new method imposedupon them (the previous tried andtested method had worked fine overthe years, why change?) have ALL agreed that Jolly Phonicscomplements the Montessori methodof teaching language and that we arenow seeing children reading at ayounger age.

How Jolly Phonics changedour classesBy Jelita Rubina KayaniPrincipal, Small Wonder Children’s House, Subang Jaya

““JollJolly Phonicsy Phonicsworked wondersworked wonderswith the childrwith the children.”en.”

“Since“Sinceimplementing implementing JollJolly Phonicsy Phonics ,,overall my childroverall my childrenenarare re reading sixeading sixmonths earliermonths earlier.”.”

Being a first time kindergartenoperator with no knowledge ofteaching phonics at all, Jolly Phonicswas one of my most valuableinvestments. It is a complete systemwith teaching handbook, teachingmaterials, reading materials andabove all it has songs and sensorymaterials, which is rather unique. Wemanaged to teach for one termwithout any formal training, but ofcourse we were very happy to attend

the subsequent training workshops togain more in-depth knowledge ofusing the whole range of materials.

My teachers find it relatively easy touse and the musical and physicalapproach make the lessonsinteresting. Parents were invited fromthe beginning to view the videos sothat they could get involved in helpingtheir children to learn at home. It alsohelps in fostering our relationships

with parents, which is so importantand often overlooked by mostpublishers and kindergartens.Children benefit the most from this system as their interest andconfidence in literacy soar.

I am so happy with this system and Ihave real peace of mind. Thank youExtrazeal Malaysia for bringing such asystem to Malaysia. Syabas!

Jolly Phonics was one of my mostvaluable investmentsBy Grace Chow, Principal of Tadika Aktif, Cita Damansara, Sunway Damansara

As a book importer and distributor, wesupply teaching resources to schools.We have been constantly asked tosource a good phonics programme.This is because more and moreteachers and parents are becomingaware of the importance of phonicsand want to add phonics to theirmethod of teaching English tochildren.

We have been the Jolly Phonicsauthorized distributor for over twoyears. We are proud to announce thatmany kindergartens have given JollyPhonics a go and are using theprogramme thoroughly. They areachieving excellent results in theirliteracy teaching using the JollyPhonics method of teaching phonics.

During my visits to kindergartens, itwas certainly a pleasure to watch thechildren having so much fun learningthe letter sounds with actions andsongs. This method of teaching giveschildren the impression that learningEnglish is fun and easy. They becomeeager learners and more interested inlearning the English language.

Why I am pleased to represent Jolly Phonics in Malaysia

By Cynthia Goh, Managing Director of Extrazeal (M) Sdn Bhd (Authorized Distributor)

Jolly Phonics and my family

By Meera Sivasothy, Parent

Jolly Phonics is fantastic for early literacy.From experience, the children (especiallysecond language learners) enjoy learning toread and write words with its multisensoryapproach. The parents too learnt through itssystematic approach. Teaching becomes fun.

The phonics method of reading wasalien to my husband and I when myelder daughter Areeshya started pre-school at the age of three. Althoughshe was familiar with all the letters ofthe alphabet when she began pre-school, she had to accustom herselfto the phonics method of reading.This meant she had to learn the letters again, from an entirely new perspective. Nevertheless,Areeshya’s reading ability improvedtremendously with the help of JollyPhonics and now aged six, she isable to read confidently.

On the other hand, my youngerdaughter Aishyaani who is nearlythree, didn’t know the letters of thealphabet when she began pre-school.She was immediately introduced toJolly Phonics and now, eight months

later, she recognises all the letters ofthe alphabet through music, picturesand actions. Although it is still tooearly to make an overall assessment,Aishyaani has definitely grasped thebasics of reading at a much fasterpace with the aid of Jolly Phonics.She is also attempting to write lettersat such an early age.

With the dedication, support andguidance from the teachers at theschool, the Jolly Phonics system ofreading definitely complements hometeaching for mums like me, who areunfamiliar with the phonics method oflearning. This method has broughtmuch fun and laughter to readingwhich certainly is the way forward asfar as reading for pre-schoolers isconcerned.

Irene HoPast Teacher Trainer

Centre for Early ChildhoodEducation, Kuala LumpurMichelle Lim, Owner and Director

Tadika Warnasari, Muar, Johor

What do others thinkof Jolly Phonics?

Learning Jolly Phonics is certainly anenriching experience. Jolly Phonics has been

proven very successful with our 2-6 year olds. It isamazing to see how our children can read and spell withease within a short period of learning Jolly Phonics.

Cik Farah Waheeda Abdul WahidPrincipal of Kiddies Advance Learning

Centre, Batang Kali, Selangor

Jolly Phonics is the most wonderful programme I haveever known. The method is very simple and systematic.My students also enjoy the Jolly Phonics actions, songsand movie. It provides teachers and parents witheverything they need to teach this programme. Inaddition, the workshop provided by the expert trainershave made it clear how to use this programme.

Thank God I met Cynthia whointroduced this programme to me!

I attended the Jolly Phonics workshop in July2004. The workshop was so impressive that I used

the programme immediately. I introduced Jolly Phonicsto all the children in our centre. Children between the ages oftwo and five began enjoying the programme. The childrenlooked forward to our half hour of learning the letter formation,sound, action and song. It was amazing to find my four and ahalf year old child begin to read the newspaper just bydecoding the words. I experienced a great sense of fulfillmentwatching our special child (down syndrome) do the actions forall the letters. She too, loved and enjoyed the programme. Goneare the days of giving children lists of words to memorize for aspelling test. Today, the children sound out words and aremostly accurate in their spelling. I would recommend JollyPhonics to all who work with children. It’s not just FUN, ITWORKS!

The children are excited about coming to class because they get to learn the 42 main sounds ofEnglish (not just the 26 letters of the alphabet) through stories and actions in Jolly Phonics. Theamazing thing is that the children are able to remember the sounds easily, and if they do forget,

we can always cue them using the actions.

Jolly Phonics makes lessons fun, stimulatingand interesting. The 42 main letter sounds of Jolly

Phonics focus the children’s attention and help themto blend, read and spell. The Jolly Phonics structured, yetflexible, approach motivates the children to their maximum.They learn basic skills like letter formation, blending, identifyingsounds in words and tricky words. Jolly Phonics makes thelearning of the English language both enjoyable and valuable.This fascinating approach will definitely open up a whole newworld of knowledge and discovery.

Creena Alison Wong, Principal, First Steps Childcare Centre, Desa Petaling

Tiffany Cheong, Principal Tulip Kindergarten Bandar Kinrara

Mrs Ch’ng, Principal, Joyride Child Enrichment Station Kota Kemuning

Sunny-boy Kindergarten has been usingJolly Phonics for the past two years. Weare happy and satisfied with thiswonderful and effective method of usingphonics to teach the language. Thisprogramme not only teaches children toread but also stirs up their desire to readmore. We have tried other programmesbut sadly they fall short of this objective.We would, therefore, recommend JollyPhonics to anyone who believes thatreading unlocks the gateway to a worldof knowledge.

I found the Jolly Phonics and Grammarprogrammes very interesting and comprehensive.

It was also fun and child friendly. The excellent teacher-produced worksheets were easy to use. My students werelearning how to read at a faster rate and at a younger age. Olderchildren began to understand grammar usage earlier. I highlyrecommend this programme for your school!

Ms ChaiPrincipal of Sunny-boyKindergarten, TamanBukit Maluri, Kepong

Mrs Koh, Principal of MegaKids Total ChildDevelopment Centre, Bandar Sunway, P.J.

The Phonics HandbookThe best place to start with Jolly Phonics. A complete

resource for teaching reading, writing and spelling.Over 100 reproducible activity sheets and games.

218 pages. JL073 RM145

Workbooks 1–7Fun writing

practice for all the42 letter sounds.

Jolly DictionaryIllustrated

dictionary of over6,000 words with

easy-to-understanddefinitions

JL008 RM43

JL510 Book 1 RM10

JL529 Book 2 RM10

JL537 Book 3 RM10

JL502 Bks 1-7 RM63

Jolly Phonics Wall FriezeMore than just the alphabet, this classroom

frieze shows the 42 main letter sounds. In 7 sections. Total length 30’ 6”.

JL324 RM40

This kit contains everything a teacher needs to get started with JollyPhonics. • The Phonics Handbook • Jolly Phonics DVD • Finger PhonicsBig Books 1–7 • Word Book • Wall Frieze • Tricky Word Wall Flowers • Alternative Spelling & Alphabet Posters • Jolly Phonics Cards • LetterSounds Strips JL938 RM1,078

Jolly Phonics Starter Kit

Jolly Phonics Videos These videos for children cover all the letter sounds

and the five basic skills for reading and writing.

Jolly Phonics Word BookA teacher’s resource providing useful lists of words such asletter groups, consonant blends, alternative vowel spellingsand tricky words. JL790 RM14

Tricky Word Wall FlowersEnables teachers to create a bright wall display

reminding students of the tricky words. JL114 RM63

Finger Phonics Big Books 1–7This fun, set of 7 big booksintroduce each letter sound to awhole class. JL944 RM430

Jolly JinglesA fun way to review all the sounds. A classroom big bookand audio CD of short songs for each letter sound. JL227 RM157

Alternative Spelling & Alphabet PostersTwo posters showing the alternative spellings of the

vowel sounds and the alphabet respectively.JL122 RM40

JigletsFlexible, magnetic jigsaw puzzles encourage childrento spell words from their sounds. 4 puzzles per pack.

JL340 Vehicles RM63 JL332 Animals RM63

StenciletsTo help with

pencil control and letter formation.

The paper clips intoplace. Pack of eight.

JL359 RM73Jolly PhonicsPuppetsSized for theteacher’s hand. Set of 3 JL200 RM276

Jolly ReadersControlled vocabulary enables them toread the words from their letter soundknowledge. 3 series with 6 differentstories in each pack.

Finger Phonics books 1–77 books to teachchildren how torecognize andform the lettersounds. JL316 Books 1-7 RM228

Jolly Phonics CardsA pack of four boxes for whole-class use: letter sounds, blending words, alternative vowelspellings and tricky words.JL041 RM169

JL083 Inky and Friends Level 3 RM50JL156 General Fiction Level 3 RM50JL229 Nonfiction Level 3 RM50JL903 Complete Set Level 3 RM150JL866 Inky and Friends Level 2 RM45JL939 General Fiction Level 2 RM45JL394 Nonfiction Level 2 RM45JL911 Complete Set Level 2 RM135JL475 Inky and Friends Level 1 RM39JL602 General Fiction Level 1 RM39JL734 Nonfiction Level 1 RM39JL75X Complete Set Level 1 RM117

Jolly Phonics Letter Sound Strips30 strips, one for each child to help them

remember the spelling of sounds. Letter soundsare on one side and alternative vowel spellings on

the other. JL106 RM37

Read and SeebooksThemed word booksto read when theletter sounds havebeen taught. Anillustration of each word they read is hiding under a flap. JL246 Pack 1 RM143 JL408 Pack 2 RM143

Letter Sound PosterAll the 42 lettersounds, ideal forschool or home. JL235 RM18

Jolly Grammar Big BooksLarge format books to

teach grammar concepts,such as verbs

and nouns. JL979 Grammar

Big Book 1RM90

JL092 Grammar Big Book 2

RM90

Jolly SongsFor use at home, 42 songsand actions for each letter

sound. Includes a CD of children singing the songs.

JL695 RM59

A kindergarten literacy programme with a simple, fun and effectivemethodology that is proven in research to work. Teachers are regularlyamazed at the results the children achieve. Flexible enough to be usedeither as a main literacy programme or as supplementary material.

Jolly Phonics DVDCovers all the letter sounds and the five basic skills forreading and writing. Bonus material includes an activityfor children, information on the teaching andpronunciations of all the letter sounds.JL709 RM140

JL677 Video 1 RM63 JL685 Video 2 RM63 JL650 Twin Pack RM126

Tel: 603-78800118/0119 (D/L) Fax: 603-78800128 Email: ezeal@tm.net.my

The Grammar Handbooks For the two years after JollyPhonics, these books introducegrammar, spelling andpunctuation. 36 lessons in eachbook and lots of reproduciblegames and activities.JL855 Grammar Handbook 1 RM145JL960 Grammar Handbook 2 RM145