• What age child are these resources suitable for?...more here >>
• At what age can my child start to use the resources?...more here >>
• I cannot determine from the website what your books are like, can you describe them as I don't want to buy something which is no use, I find much of what I buy turns out not to be as good as expected?
...more here >>
• What vocabulary do your books use, we are jumping from scheme to scheme and I am getting worried that my daughter will end up with gaps in her vocabulary as a result. My school is keen to know more about the scheme and say they will evaluate it to see if it is suitable, can you give me more details...more here >>
• My school are not interested in buying the POPS Resources, so I am using the books at home with him. He really likes them and I am thinking of starting him on the phonic families Sets. Would this be of use to him? He is using ORT at school but is struggling with stage 4....more here >>
• My child is three and a half, should I start with the books or the phonic sets, I am keen to prepare my daughter for starting school and have recently attended a course given by Professor Sue Buckley in Portsmouth who recommends starting early....more here >>
What age child are these resources suitable for? [back to top]
Currently children from three to 12 years are benefiting from POPS books and phonic sets. They are being used for a variety of reasons, as a child's primary reading scheme, as a revision tool, to generalise reading skills and to address any gaps in the child's vocabulary.
At what age can my child start to use the resources? [back to top]
It is always difficult to state an appropriate age group for our resources, because our children are all individuals with their own strengths and interests. At the moment we have children ranging in age from 3 to 12 years who are successfully using the resources.
The books are designed to offer children many opportunities to learn. Each book has a supporting word card set where you can play matching games on each page and in games at the back of the book. I used this approach with my own son, Daniel. As I read the book to him, we started with three or four word cards and matched the word each time we encountered it on the page. Once he had mastered the words in this way and by playing the lotto games at the back of the book, he then took over and read the book himself.
Our feedback suggests that this is how younger children are using the books and phonic sets and that parents and teachers alike are surprised at how quickly they are moving on to read the books.
You will know your child best. Personally I think it is good to start early to build a sight vocabulary of the functional words your child will encounter. The books deliver a functional vocabulary broken into topics such as toys, animals, clothes etc. The words are taken from the first 800 words all English speaking children learn to say, understand and to read.
I started with Daniel when he was three and a half and I felt it was the right time for him, prior to that I just concentrated on reading lots of books to him, so he would develop an interest in books and see them as fun!
I cannot determine from the website what your books are like, can you describe them as I don't want to buy something which is no use, I find much of what I buy turns out not to be as good as expected?
[back to top]
I can fully sympathise with you, I have bought a lot of materials for Daniel, all of it expensive and much of it not much use. You can download samples of our resources from the web site before you purchase and as a lot of schools use our resources we can put you in touch with the nearest school to you. We are also working to have our resources available in your local library and we will be providing more information on this at a later date.
The first pack of books starts with one liners moving to 2 liners with the last book in the pack. Pack 2 starts with 2 liners, largely using the same vocabulary as in pack 1 and building gradually onto this base. I hope this helps you to make the right decision and I fully appreciate the need to spend money on what is best for our children.
What vocabulary do your books use, we are jumping from scheme to scheme and I am getting worried that my daughter will end up with gaps in her vocabulary as a result. My school is keen to know more about the scheme and say they will evaluate it to see if it is suitable, can you give me more details [back to top]
POPS Books are based on the first 800 words an English speaking child learns to say, to understand and to read. The vocabulary used in the Red Elephant series covers the first 120 words in the set. The books deliver vocabulary on different topics such as animals, toys, quantity, personal qualities etc. We have used plots which feature everyday events which most children will have experience of, such as a family birthday, painting, and feeding animals on the farm etc. Feedback so far suggests that children are enjoying the stories because they can easily relate to them and understand them. They also like the game element of using the word cards which support each book to play the matching and lotto games featured in the books.
I used the books with my son Daniel to develop a strong functional vocabulary which helped him access the many topics covered at school and also at home on shopping trips or choosing what he wanted off a menu when we were out for a coffee.
My school are not interested in buying the POPS Resources, so I am using the books at home with him. He really likes them and I am thinking of starting him on the phonic families Sets. Would this be of use to him? He is using ORT at school but is struggling with stage 4. [back to top]
Latest research suggests that you can start phonics when a child has acquired a sight vocabulary of approx 50 words. You will know whether you son meets this rough guideline and whether he would consequently benefit from the phonics set.
The books focus on building a strong functional sight vocabulary on everyday topics a child will have personal experience of, such as toys, animals, clothes etc. These words are taken from a vocabulary of some 800 functional words which research has shown to be the first words a child learns to say, to understand and to speak.
It sounds like your son is doing well on the ORT scheme as my son did. At that point I used the POPS books to broaden his vocabulary and to plug gaps, so that he would be able to access more of the topics in his everyday life at home and at school.
I hope this helps you decide what it is best to buy at this stage. You will know best and I want you to get the best value for your money.
My child is three and a half, should I start with the books or the phonic sets, I am keen to prepare my daughter for starting school and have recently attended a course given by Professor Sue Buckley in Portsmouth who recommends starting early. [back to top]
I would suggest using the phonic packs initially to get your daughter used to words and pictures. She could also make a start with POPS books, although used in a slightly modified way. They should be read to her and then the word cards should be used as a game throughout the books, the emphasis should be on matching word cards to words in texts and the bottom box rather than actually reading them. Also have fun letting her find Boo the red elephant hidden in each illustration. As your daughter is just three and a half it is important that you foster a love of reading and show her that books are fun. You can then move on to using the books to teaching her to read.
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