H a n d b o o k

100+ blackline masters

Sue Lloyd and
Sara Wernham in print letters

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 Introduction

A Brief Overview of the Program

What is Jolly Phonics?
Jolly Phonics is a multisensory program that teaches young students the skills they need to read
and write fluently in their first year of school, although the basic principles of the program cover the
skills needed for learning to read and write whatever the age. The teaching is divided into three
parts or “steps,” the timetables for which are shown on the preceding pages. The Jolly Phonics
Handbook provides step-by-step lesson plans for Step 1, teacher guidance on lessons for Steps 2
and 3, and reproducible worksheets across the year for the students. This structured approach is
suited to whole-school, whole-class teaching but it also works well with individual students.
At the heart of the program is the teaching of the English alphabetic code, which expresses the
relationship between the sounds that can be heard in words and the letter(s) that are used to represent
those sounds. When students read a word, they are decoding: They look at the letters, recognize
the sounds they represent, and blend the sounds to hear the word. When the students write a word,
they are encoding: They listen for the sounds in the word and write the letters that represent those
sounds. English has a complex written alphabetic code (see the chart on pages 20 and 21), which is
why it needs to be systematically and carefully taught. Step 1 of Jolly Phonics teaches the students
one way to write each letter sound and Steps 2 and 3 introduce and review the main alternative
spellings. Jolly Grammar, which covers spelling, grammar, and punctuation, extends the teaching
over the next six years.
The principal aim of Jolly Phonics is to teach students the five key skills that they need to apply
the English alphabetic code successfully in their reading and writing. Once the students have
mastered these skills, Jolly Phonics continues to extend and consolidate the learning, introducing
the students to alternative letter-sound spellings, new tricky words, basic sentence structure, pre-
dictionary skills, and reading comprehension. Step 1 teaches the five key skills, while Steps 2 and
3 consolidate and extend the learning.
Jolly Phonics has been developed by classroom teachers and has a tried and tested record of
success in many different places and settings around the world. Teachers following this method
can be assured that their students will read and write independently much more quickly. Case
studies and links to research can be found on the Jolly Learning website.

The five key skills taught in Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics Step 1 teaches the five key skills for reading and writing:
1. Learning the letter sounds
2. Learning letter formation
3. Blending (for reading)
4. Identifying the sounds in words (for writing)
5. Tricky words
The first four skills are taught simultaneously. Each lesson introduces a new letter sound and
teaches the students how to write the letter(s) that represent the sound. The students then practice
blending and segmenting words which use that sound.

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 The tricky words are taught by saying the word, blending the sounds, and encouraging the students
to identify the tricky part of the spelling. As a result, they are not introduced until the sound /sh/
is taught. By then the students have had plenty of blending practice and know most of the letter
sounds.
There are 40+ sounds in English, which is considerably more than there are letters in the alphabet.
Step 1 introduces them at a rate of one sound a day. Most students are very capable of coping with
this fast and stimulating pace. However, the rate of introduction can be adjusted according to the
number and duration of lessons available and the age of the students. Audio for the 42 main letter
sounds is available from the Resource Bank on the Jolly Learning website, along with many other
useful resources for teachers and parents, including videos, activities, and worksheets.

How to use the Jolly Phonics Handbook

For ease of use, the Jolly Phonics Handbook is divided into two distinct sections. The first part
introduces the Jolly Phonics program and explains the methodology. It is important to read this
before using the worksheets in the classroom. The second part provides reproducible material that
can be used with the students. The reproducible sections are divided into the five main skills for
Step 1, followed by the weekly topics covered in Steps 2 and 3: Alternative Spellings, Handwriting,
and Words and Sentences. (The reproducible material for Tricky Words spans all three steps.) The
teaching in Steps 2 and 3 is not intended to take up all the time allocated for English lessons. This
means that teachers are free to teach other aspects of literacy, such as comprehension and creative
writing, in the remaining time.

Supplementary materials
Jolly Phonics has a wealth of supplementary materials to help teachers deliver the program in a fun
and engaging way. These include the Jolly Phonics Cards, Jolly Phonics Word Bank, Finger Phonics
Books (two sizes are available for either individual use or whole-class teaching), Jolly Songs, Jolly
Phonics Wall Frieze, Tricky Word Wall Flowers, Jolly Phonics Little Word Books, Jolly Phonics
Readers, and the Jolly Phonics Alternative Spelling and Alphabet Posters.

Parental support
Learning to read and write fluently is vital for students. All parents know this and want their children to
master these skills. The majority of parents are keen to help, but are often not sure how to go about
it. It is a good idea to invite new parents to a meeting, where it is explained to them how reading and
writing is taught in the school. These meetings provide an opportunity to introduce parents to the
five key skills and to explain to them how they can support their children. Explain that any homework
that is sent home, such as blending words for reading, will be something their child can already do
in the classroom. The aim of homework is to bring fluency to the skills of blending and segmenting.
Information for parents is provided in Reproducible Section 1, for copying and handing out.

Assessment
The Jolly Phonics Student Checklist on page 22 provides teachers with an understanding of what
the students should learn in the first year. It is also useful for tracking and recording the progress
of any individual students who struggle to keep up with the rest of the class. More detailed midterm
assessments can be found in the Resource Bank on the Jolly Learning website.

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 Letter Sound: /r/
Flashcards: Review the letter sounds already taught: /s/, /a/, /t/, /i/, /p/, /n/, /c/, /k/, /e/, /h/.

Storyline: A boy has a playful new puppy. The puppy is exploring the boy’s room and finds an old
blanket next to some roller skates. He grips the blanket in his teeth and shakes it from side to side: “rrrrrr!”
The boy tries to take it away, but the puppy hangs on tightly until the blanket rips into rags. The puppy has
a name now: Rags!

Action: The students shake their heads, like a puppy with a rag, making a continuous
/rrrrrr/ sound.

Letter formation: Explain how the letter for /r/ is written. The students form the letter in the air.
Then they practice writing the letter on their sound sheets. They write over the dotted letters and then
try again, using the starting dots.

Blending: Blend the words on the sound sheet with the students: rip, rat, rest, trap. The students
point to the dot underneath each sound as they say it. More words from the word bank can be written
on the board for extra blending practice.

Identifying the sounds: This activity is for aural segmenting only. Look at the three small
pictures on the sound sheet. Say the words and then sound them out with the students, holding up
a finger for each sound: r-u-g, r-ai-n, r-a-bb-i-t. Say the sounds again, pointing to the dots under the
words. Do some more segmenting, using short words from the word bank.

Word bank: ran, rap, rat, rip, rack, rent, rest, risk, trap, trek, trip, crack, press, prick, track, trick,
crept, crisp, print, scrap, strap, strip, stress, spirit, strict; cracks in a pan.

Sound sheet: Encourage the students to form the letters correctly and to color the pictures neatly
when completing the sound sheet.

Listen and write: Call out the sounds /r/, /h/, /e/, /c k/ and ask the students to write the letter for
each one. Remind them that the sound /c k/ can be written as a caterpillar /c/ or a kicking /k/. Then call
out the following words: rip, rat. For each one, ask the students to listen for the sounds and write the
word. Afterward, sound out each word for the students, writing the letters on the board so that they can
check their work.

Further ideas
• Sing the /r/ song from Jolly Songs.
• Paint pictures of rockets.
• Use pieces of rag to make a dog collage.
• Pin up the /r/ section of the Wall Frieze.

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 44
45

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Rr r r
r ...
rip
r
.. . r
rat
... ...
rest
. . ..
tra p
.. . .
.....

r r r r r r . . . . .

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 Reproducible Section 6

Matching Letters,
Words, and Pictures
The following sheets group the letter sounds in the order they are taught, together with a word
and picture for each letter sound. The cards for ‹k› are on page 193 in Reproducible Section 11.
They can be copied, pasted onto card, and cut up into letter sound, word, and picture cards. These
cards can be used in several ways to help the students learn to read and write. For example:
1. a. Lay the first group of picture and letter-sound cards out, and ask the students to look at
each picture in turn and listen for the initial sound in the word. If they can hear the sound,
the students look for the appropriate letter and put it under the picture.
b. The same activity can be done in reverse by asking the students to look at a letter and say
its sound. They then find the picture that shows a word starting with that sound. After the
first three sheets, the initial letter is not always applicable and the students may have to
listen for a medial or final sound.
c. Later the word cards can be used in a similar way: the students blend the sounds together
to read a word and put the appropriate picture underneath, or they look at the picture card
first and find the word to match.
2. Pairs Games: match either the letters or the words to the pictures (see the parents’ instructions
on page 113 for how to play).

ten pan ink

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 Reproducible Section 9

Homework Writing Sheets

About 40 percent of words can be spelled correctly by listening for the sounds and writing the
letters that relate to those sounds. Students need to have plenty of practice sounding out and
writing words, progressing to phrases and sentences. The homework writing sheets provide this
practice and are a first step toward independent writing. Most students are ready to start toward
the end of week ten and should be able to write a page on their own by the end of the first year.
The sheets should only be used when a student has learned to identify the sounds in words and
can write the letters for themselves. The aim is to develop fluency.
A set of sheets can be copied for each student with his or her name written at the bottom. Cut
out the first section and send it home in a homework writing book, along with instructions asking
the parents to dictate the words to their child (these are provided on page 149). When the book
returns, the next section can be sent home. Alternatively, each section can be mounted onto
numbered cards to be sent home and returned.
Most students bring the book back the next day, not because it is demanded but because they are
enthusiastic. Not all the words have to be correct before sending home the next section, but any
mistakes can be used to identify problems; perhaps the student has not listened to the sounds
carefully enough or does not know how to write certain letters. As long as the student is coping
quite well, (s)he can be given the next section.
The sheets start with simple, phonically regular, two- or three-letter words, which are followed by
longer words with digraphs and consonant blends. Once the student is confident at writing words,
the phrases can be used. Then, when the student knows and can spell the tricky words used, the
sheets with sentences can be sent home.

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 Reproducible Section 10

Tricky Words
When students start to write sentences, there are some frequently used words that they need to be
able to use, such as I, the, he, she, me, we, be, was, to, do, are, and all. However, these words are
tricky because the students cannot read or write them simply by using the sounds they have been
taught so far. There are tricky parts that have to be learned, such as the alternative spellings for /ie/
in my and like or the irregular spellings in words like said and two.
When teaching a tricky word to the students, say the word and then blend the sounds, working out
together which parts are regular and which are tricky. For example, when reading the word said, the
/s/ and /d/ can be sounded out reliably, but the students will need to remember that the ‹ai› says the
sound /e/. Working out these tricky parts and being made aware of any spelling patterns that the
tricky words share, such as the letter ‹e› saying the sound /ee/ in he, she, me, we, and be, will help
the students to remember the word.
The tricky words start being introduced when the students are learning the sixth letter-sound group,
with I being taught alongside /sh/, followed by the, which is taught in the same lesson as the voiced
/th/. The students learn how to read and write the tricky words at the same time, but it may take a
while before the students are able to write them consistently with correct spelling.
The tricky words need plenty of practice and can be reviewed using the Jolly Phonics Cards or the
Jolly Phonics Tricky Word Wall Flowers. Alternatively, the reproducible cards on pages 159 and 160
could be enlarged, cut out, and mounted onto card. The timetables on pages 4 to 6 show when to
teach the tricky words across Steps 1 to 3.
The following activities are particularly useful for learning to spell tricky words.
1. Say as it sounds
Say the word as it should be pronounced according to its spelling. For example, when teaching the
words was and mother, point out that the spellings say /w-a-s/ to rhyme with mass and /m-o-th-er/
to rhyme with bother. This technique is useful for learning any word with one element that makes it
difficult to spell, such as Wednesday (Wed-nes-day) or doctor (doctor).
2. Word families or patterns
Point out words which share the same, or similar, spelling pattern. For example, the tricky words he,
she, me, we, and be all have a single ‹e› making the /ee/ sound; to and do have a single ‹o› making
the long /oo/ sound; you is at the beginning of your, and any is at the beginning of many; in could,
should, and would, the ‹oul› makes the little /oo/ sound.
3. Look, copy, cover, write, check
First, the students look at the word and identify the tricky part. Then they write the word by copying
it. Next they cover the word and try writing it again by themselves. Finally, they uncover the word and
check whether it is correct, before covering it again and having another go.
4. Tricky word wall flowers
Inky Mouse has a tricky word hat to help her learn the tricky words. The tricky words are presented
on six sets of flowers, with a different color for each set (blue, yellow, red, green, pink, brown). Build
up the display as the tricky words are taught and use them regularly to review the tricky words.

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 184
185

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ear
..
bear
. .
tear
. . ..
pear
. .
wear
. . ear
ear ..

ear ear ear . .. . ..

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 Yes or No?

Can snails jump? Can frogs hop?

Can ducks quack? Do moths sing?

Is sand green? Is the sun hot?

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 At the Park

1. The dog is carrying a . stick / stone

2. There is a cat in the . boat / tree

3. The fox is looking at the . cat / rabbit

4. The ducks on the pond. quack / quit

5. The boys have a bat and . ball / wall

6. The bird in the tree is . singing / swinging

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 Ages
4+
Jolly Phonics Handbook
A complete resource for teaching reading
and writing in the classroom
Jolly Phonics is a multisensory program that teaches young students the skills they
need to read and write fluently in their first year of school. This book is a comprehensive
resource for teachers who want the flexibility of teaching the program with worksheets
and other reproducible resources in the classroom. It offers step-by-step guidance
on all aspects of the teaching across the year, as well as a wealth of practical ideas
and fun activities for the students.
The principal aim of Jolly Phonics is to teach students the five key skills that they need
to apply the English alphabetic code successfully in their reading and writing. Once the
students have mastered these skills, the program continues to extend and consolidate
the learning, with the aim of bringing fluency to the students’ reading and writing of
words, phrases, sentences, and stories. The teaching is divided into three steps.

Step 1
• Detailed daily lesson plans and worksheets introduce the 42 main letter sounds of English.
• Fun actions and stories make the learning of the letter sounds memorable.
• Regular activities promote the five key skills for reading and writing: learning the letter sounds,
letter formation, blending, segmenting, and learning to read and write the tricky words.

Steps 2 and 3
• Weekly units cover key topics such as Alternatives, Handwriting, Tricky Words, and Words and
Sentences.
• Daily practice of the letter sounds, blending, and segmenting ensure that no one is left behind.
• Regular lessons introduce and review the main alternative vowel spellings, capital letters,
alphabet, and new tricky words. Step 3 introduces ‹ph›, soft ‹c›, soft ‹g›, and the /air/ spellings.
• Guided writing and reading comprehension activities for every unit introduce basic sentence
structure and reading for meaning.
• Detailed timetables outline the scope and sequence of the program, alongside comprehensive
guidance on how to teach the four topics in each Step.

The material in the Jolly Phonics Handbook is recommended by Cambridge Assessment International
Education to support the Cambridge Primary English curriculum framework.

To see the full range of Jolly Phonics products,

visit our website at www.jollylearning.com

© Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham 1993 (text)

© Jolly Learning Ltd 1993, Yoana Gurriz Muñoz 2022 (illustrations)

ËxHSLIOEy1484 8z
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VT 05495, USA. Tel: +1-800-488-2665 ISBN 978-1-84414-844-8
77 Hornbeam Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex,
IG9 6JX, UK. Tel: +44 20 8501 0405
Printed in Malta. All rights reserved.
www.jollylearning.com
info@jollylearning.co.uk Reference: JL8448

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