Muddy Shoes: Reinforces The Phonic Sound 'ea' - Activity Pack

The "Muddy Shoes" activity pack, created by Sally Anne Jones and Amanda Jones, is an engaging resource that utilises the phonic sound 'ea' to enhance reading abilities. This comprehensive reading scheme is tailored for a wide audience, including young pre-readers as young as four, older children who may be reluctant readers, individuals with learning difficulties, and those for whom English is a second language. The course comprises eight reading books, each progressively introducing new phonic sounds and building upon the last, starting with simple sounds and word building and advancing to more complex phonetic structures. The books are filled with exercises that encourage children to learn and practise sounds, read sentences, and match words and phrases to pictures, ensuring they become familiar with the sounds before moving on to the next chapter. This structured approach promises a rapid progression in reading fluency through phonics.

Within the pack, children are introduced to a cast of characters such as Sam, his sister Kim, and their friends and family, who feature in stories designed to make learning to read an enjoyable experience. The narrative of "Muddy Shoes" revolves around Sam and his muddy football adventure, which leads to a messy situation at home. As the story unfolds, children are encouraged to read sentences and sort words based on the 'ea' sound, as in 'cream' or 'deaf'. This engaging tale not only reinforces the target phonic sound but also offers lessons in responsibility and family dynamics. Furthermore, the pack provides guidance for those who may need additional help with reading and spelling, with the option to contact the publishers via email for support. The "Muddy Shoes" activity pack is presented as an effective and user-friendly method for improving literacy skills, emphasising the importance of practice and the joy of reading.