Phonics Helper app for iPhone and iPad

Phonics Helper is an educational phonics reference app listing the 45 sounds of the English language within 5 categories – consonants, short vowels, long vowels, r controlled vowels and digraphs.​

Each category lists the relevant sounds, along with the most common letter combinations that make up each sound, complimented with an example on an interactive game show wheel.​

Phonics Helper was designed to be used by teachers, tutors or parents with students as a reference point, or as an activity starter, with the game show wheel format appealing to both children and adults learning to read, spell and write.

​It is ideal for use with emergent and early readers, ESL students, students with special needs and adults who are learning English as a second language.

The problem with conventional phonics instructional methods is that they teach that each letter of the alphabet makes a sound, therefore only teaching 26 sounds eg. a for apple, b for banana, c for cat. The problem with this method is that the letter a can make an /o/ sound as in the word wash, the /b/ sound can be made by using a double b, as in bubble, and the letter c can make an /s/ sound as in cement. This conventional method only causes confusion when learning to read, spell and write, as the students do not acquire enough phonemic awareness to decode unknown words.

Using Phonics Helper, learning the sound first, then the letter combinations that make up each sound is a much more thorough and less confusing way to teach phonics, which will in turn allow students to acquire English language faster and with less confusion.

The Phonics Helper app also contains a teacher’s information section outlining effective and simple phonics activities that could be implemented using the app.

Designed by an Australian teacher who has worked with students in mainstream schools, ESL and Special Education settings.