Posted 27 October 2008

DEAF CHILDREN TO BE TAUGHT SYNTHETIC PHONICS USING CUED SPEECH

The THRASS synthetic phonics programme is widely accepted as having the potential to more than double the normal rate of progress for reading and spelling in English, and soon it will also be possible to use synthetic phonics to teach deaf children through a new Cued Speech version of the groundbreaking THRASS Phoneme Machine software......

Lynette Diederichs, Cued Speech South Africa and a teacher at Kwa Thintwa School for the Deaf, where Zulu is the home language, already knows the benefits of combining Cued Speech with THRASS: "Our young children love finding the pictures on the picturechart and learning to cue the words.
Language, reading and spelling skills have improved significantly. We can't wait to use this groundbreaking software"......

THRASS UK expects to launch the Phoneme Machine version V6-CS on 1 December. Anyone who wishes to be informed of when the software becomes available for download, should visit www.thrass.co.uk/cuedspeech.htm.

COURSE DATES FOR SOUTH AFRICA
http://www.thrass.co.uk/sa2008p.htm
22 Oct 08: Gauteng, Northcliff (K)
24 Oct 08: Gauteng, Bryandale (K)
25 Oct 08: University of Pretoria (MAL)
31 Oct 08: Gauteng, Joburg (K)

29-30 Jan 09: THRASS Absa TalkTogether Conference, Wits
31 Jan 09: Joburg (M) NAPTOSA
2-3 Feb 09: W Cape, CPUT (C)* Group A
2-3 Feb 09: W Cape, CPUT (C)* Group B
4 Feb 09: W Cape, CPUT (MAL)
5-6 Feb 09: University of KwaZulu-Natal (C)*
6-7 Feb 09: Joburg (C) NAPTOSA
6-7 Feb 09: Gauteng, Pretoria (C)
27-28 Feb: Free State, Bloemfontein (C)

THRASS FOLLOW-UP DAY FOR ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE HOLDERS: 31 JAN 2009
This workshop will show teachers how to make best use of the THRASS
resources, especially the four-year scheme of work "15 Minutes a Day x 2",
the Phoneme Machine software and the SING-A-LONG resources.
The workshop will be presented by Alan Davies, Educational Psychologist &
author of TEACHING THRASS.

All delegates MUST BRING the following resources: (1) TEACHING THRASS
essential guide (2) desk size yellow Picturechart and (3) blue Overwrite
Chart - as supplied during the certificate course. Frequent reference will
be made to these three resources and also to the other resources listed
above.

Full details for all courses are available on
http://www.thrass.co.uk/sa2008p.htm
or Email Layton Brown lbrown@pws.co.za or Marion Joseph at NAPTOSA
marionj@naptosa.org.za

THRASS PILOT PROJECT IN NIGERIA 2009
Discussions are taking place with regards to the piloting of THRASS in a
number of schools in the Oyo State, supervised and overseen by staff from
the University of Ibadan and Ladoke University of Technology.