YOUNGSTERS in Derbyshire are clearly getting the hang of phonics - even if their teachers aren’t. It’s a complex business, as the following, overheard in a junior school class, indicates.
It occurred as pupils in Year 3 and 4 learned the difference between “sh-” and “ch-,” aided by pictures of ships and churches. One perceptive little girl politely pointed out: “Please miss, this rule doesn’t work all the time, does it?” “Yes it does, Charlotte,” insisted her teacher.