Apples & Pears Book C: Teacher's Notes

Apples & Pears is a spelling programme that really works—even with pupils with poor memories or SEN. Built around phonics and morphemes, the scripted lessons are very easy to use; all of the lesson planning and monitoring is built in making it ideal for parents and Teaching Assistants. It progresses through the English spelling code, starting with single letters. Common, less predictable patterns are added next and finally the morphemes that are the building blocks of so many of our longer words—with the rules that cement them together. All through the programme, high frequency, less regular words are trickled in. The basics of grammar are included too. Everything is practised and reviewed until it is automatic. In Book C the emphasis changes to words of Greek and Latin origin; where morphology is predictable, but they cannot be spelled as they sound. The morphemes in ex-cept-ion-al-ly can be used in many other words. This reduces the amount that must be memorised to an absolute minimum. The y-to-i rule is introduced, old rules and spellings are revised and the meaning of words is taught both by definition and in context. Pupils should become confident writing academic essays.