Case study

Jim is a 20-year-old man, attending basic reading classes at a community centre. He has a two-year-old daughter and wants to learn to read with her.

Because of his unsettled family life, Jim missed out on a lot of schooling and has never learnt to read beyond a few high-interest words. He does not seem to have phonological awareness beyond the whole word and syllable level; he can tap out the syllables in familiar words such as people’s names.

Jim likes listening to music, especially rap music.

Teaching suggestions for Jim

• Use Jim’s interest in music to develop stronger awareness of syllables and sounds in words by identifying specific words and building and manipulating the sounds in them.
• Explore the words in raps with him, identifying (by listening closely) the parts of words that rhyme and building more rhymes.
• Isolate some rhymes and use these to explore onsets and rimes; for example, move from brother to br-o, br-a, br-eak; then br-eak, shake, m-ake.
• Give Jim opportunities to practise and reinforce his new learning using language experience and generative words.