Over the next few weeks I am running a 'Thrass Catch-up Workshop' for students who are new to the school.
Some points for parents to understand regarding the Thrass tool are:
English words are produced using 44 sounds.
The THRASSCHART has 44 boxes. The function of these boxes is to give a physical reference
for each sound in English.
English is made up of two distinct groups of sounds.
The THRASSCHART has two distinct parts. One part groups the sounds that are the consonant
phonemes of English, the other groups the sounds that are the vowel phonemes of English.
English words are written using letters, Capitals and Lower-Case.
The Alphabet is placed at the top of the THRASSCHART showing both the Capitals and
Lower-Case versions of each letter.
Letters are used to represent sounds in written words. Learners need to be able to name and
identify them.
Alphabetic knowledge is important as this code is used as an indexing reference system in
books, electronically etc.
Pictures can be named and described using words. We use words to write a
story.
The THRASSCHART has a picture (120) for each word on the chart. Learners learn to read
by associating with a picture.
Oral and written language skills can be developed by using the pictures on the chart for
identification, classification and story telling.
WHY HAVE A THRASSCHART?
Sounds in English words can be represented with different letter
combinations.
Each of the 44 boxes on the chart contains the most common spelling choices for that sound.
It also has a word for each spelling choice.
The THRASSCHART allows the learner to quickly identify a group of letters as depicting an
associated sound in a word.
When we read we have to identify grapheme groups and associate them with a sound. The
sounds are then blended together to make words.
When we write we have to identify sounds we can hear and choose a spelling choice for that
sound.
Sounds have common written patterns.
Each word on the THRASSCHART contains only spelling choices that are on the chart. This
analogous cross-reference allows the learner to start to visualise common spelling patterns
thereby building an understanding of spelling. Each word on the THRASSCHART can be spelt
using patterns from other chart words. e.g. bird is made up of bird, shirt, dog.
