PM Version 5 was released on
23 July 2007

...and what was said about the first
version in June 2006?

"The THRASS Phoneme Machine Version 3.1 is a groundbreaking computer programme that uses the International Phonetic Alphabet and moving human lips to demonstrate the pronunciation of sounds (phonemes) and hundreds of frequently used English words. It has already enjoyed considerable success and THRASS UK has recently teamed up with SMART Technologies and the very latest in education technology to achieve true excellence through the joint sponsorship of a new project in South Africa, the THRASS SMART project."  Inttranews, 23 June 2006




The approved SMART Software Accreditation

logo is a trademark of SMART Technologies Inc.

THRASS UK are licensed to serve customers
in Europe, Africa, the Middle East,
South America, Central America
and the United States of America



Report Piracy
in the Strictest of Confidence

FAST THRASS

The Federation Against Software Theft
The world's first anti-piracy organisation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The approved SMART Software Accreditation

logo is a trademark of SMART Technologies Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Downloadable Calendar Charts


Downloadable Grids























 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






GUIDED TRAINING FOR TEACHERS, ASSISTANTS AND PARENTS

THRASS PHONEME MACHINE Version 5 Instructions for Installation
and Functionality

The PM Version 5 software is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD to those in the THRASS UK territory that fill-in the online form.

Register for the software

Right Click on the hyperlink.
Select Save Target As.
Specify where you would like to
store the file on your hard drive.

INSTRUCTIONS - PDF Format (110KB)
INSTRUCTIONS - Doc Format (50KB)

Index
  1. Groundbreakers require Fixes
  2. TUK territory and 'Copy & Paste'
  3. INSTALLATION OF PC VERSION
  4. INSTALLATION OF Mac VERSION
  5. Three Main Sections
  6. Calendar Chart Section
  7. Word Grid Section
  8. Phoneme Grid Section
  9. Interactive Whiteboard
 10. Help and Quit
 11. Licensed Territory Warning
 12. Corporate Social Responsibility


Groundbreakers require Fixes
It is widely accepted, by programmers and educators, that the Phoneme Machine software is groundbreaking - so we are bound to need some fixes! Please keep this in mind, especially during the first few months, and regularly check for updates. You can do this by visiting the webcard www.thrass.co.uk/update.htm or clicking the 'Download Update' button when you launch the programme, We will be constantly reviewing the functionality, as people (such as you?) help us by emailing pm@thrass.co.uk with any fixes that need to be done or with any requests for improved navigation or functionality. We also like to hear from people that appreciate the functions that are already good and tell us why they think so!

PC and Mac Format
The full version of the Phoneme Machine Version 5 can be downloaded free of charge by anyone, in the countries that THRASS UK is licensed to serve, who registers their details with THRASS UK. It is available in PC now and available in Mac during March 2007.

TUK territory and ‘Copy & Paste’ your unique Serial Number
The countries that THRASS UK is licensed to serve are shown in blue on the World Map at www.thrass.co.uk/worldmap.htm. Check that you are in the THRASS UK territory and, if you are, fill-in the online form to register for the software. You will then be given a unique Serial Number, which will also be sent to your Email address. Please COPY & PASTE YOUR SERIAL NUMBER (when you first see it) so that you do not confuse numbers and letters (e.g. 0 and O and 1 and I), as you might do if you were to type it from the Email message. When you are asked to 'Enter the Serial Number', to install the software onto your computer, the number needs to be 100% accurate
.


Opening Screen for PC

INSTALLATION OF PC VERSION:
Download the 44MB ‘suitcase’ file (CASE_5.exe) by using Right Click and Save Target As (usually about 1-40 mins, depending on the speed of the computer and the connection).

Open the file and it will, once you have agreed to the terms and conditions and given your unique Serial Number, automatically install the software onto your hard drive (usually C drive with the folder name Phoneme Machine). Short cut icons, to the main PM_5.exe and the video and audio files, will be placed in your applications menu and desktop (the 'PM' icon). This should take less than a minute. When you first launch the programme, please wait patiently for 30 SECONDS - while all the files are loading. Remember to wait for 30 SECONDS EVERY TIME you launch the PM.


Opening Screen for Mac

 

INSTALLATION OF MAC VERSION:
Download the 44MB 'suitcase' file (CASE_5.zip) by using Right Click and Save Target As (usually about 1-40 mins, depending on the speed of the computer and the connection).

Unzip the file and it will, create a folder called PM_5_MAC inside this, there will be two files, an executable file called PM_5 and a words folder.

Simply drag this folder PM_5_MAC to  your Applications Folder.

Once you have agreed to the terms and conditions and given your unique Serial Number, you can click to open PM_5_MAC and then click on the PM_5 executable file.

Enter your serial number in space provided and then click on the grey button "Click to Enter Serial Number"

This should take less than a minute. When you first launch the programme, please wait patiently for 30 SECONDS - while all the files are loading.

Remember to wait for 30 SECONDS EVERY TIME you launch the PM.

 


PM Version 5 Interactive PowerPoint
 

Three Main Sections
The Phoneme Machine has three main sections. The Calendar Chart (Calendar), Word Grid (WG) and Phoneme Grid (PG) sections. The Calendar section has children's voices saying the days, dates, months, numbers, colours and letter names. In the WG and PG sections, a female voice and moving human lips pronounce the words and phonemes and a male voice names the letters. The WG section has ‘auto-functions’ to blend, read and spell (BRS) the 500 basewords. The PG section has a location for each of the 44 English phonemes (speech sounds), enabling the learner to play ‘Locate the Phonemes’ for each of the basewords.

Click on the WG, PG and Calendar buttons to move between the three main screens. Note that there are two PG (Phoneme Grid) buttons on the Word Grid - one at the top and one at the bottom.

If you lose any key functionality, please visit one of the other two main sections (Calendar, PG or WG) and then return to the section. If you think a fix is required, please email us with the details, using the email pm@thrass.co.uk.

CALENDAR CHART SECTION
The Calendar Chart section has the English Calendar Chart with children's voices saying the seven days, the thirty-one dates, the twelve months, the numbers from one to twenty, ten main colours and the names of the twenty-six lower-case letters (and their associated capitals).

The 'More' button (top right) opens the 'More Languages' screen so that users can choose to download additional interactive Calendar Charts for other languages, from the options provided.

AFRICAN LANGUAGES
Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele , isiXhosa, isiZulu , Sepedi, Sesotho , Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga and Swahili.

EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Welsh.

ASIAN LANGUAGES
Arabic, Phustu, Punjabi and Urdu.

Hard copies of this chart, as high quality A3 images, can be downloaded from Calendar Charts for Early Language Learning or South African's can quickly download these images from the THRASS Absa TalkTogether website.

These websites also have instructions (as doc and pdf files), which can be translated into different languages using the Google Translation link.

The Calendar Charts initiative encourages teachers, assistants and parents to use the charts to play 'Questions & Answers' with young children, in order to develop essential speaking and listening skills. Dr Melodie de Jager, based in South Africa, has referred to Alan Davies’ early language charts as ‘maps for time’. Encourage children to locate the day, date and month and to also discuss birthdays and events by locating the days, dates and/or months. Similarly, encourage children to become familiar with the numbers, colours and letters by asking questions and locating the answers.

ZOOM: In the Zoom Menu choose small, medium or large scale. Use the orange arrows on the Mover to move the screen horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Drag the grey area to relocate the menu. Click reset to return to normal view. (The Zoom function is available on the main screens for the 3 sections - Calendar, WG and PG).

FS on/off (Full Screen): Click 'FS off' to re-size or minimize the screen. To re-size, drag the TOP of the screen away from the corner and then use the (yellow) arrows. The PM screens have been specifically designed to re-size in proportion and to have no loss of function - even down to a remarkably small size!

On interactive whiteboards (IWB), if appropriate, resize and then move the screen (by dragging the TOP) towards the bottom of the board so that young or small learners are able to reach all parts of the screen. Click 'FS on' to return to the default Full Screen view.

Click WG for the Word Grid or PG for the Phoneme Grid.

WORD GRID SECTION
The Word Grid (WG) section is based on the THRASS 500 Reading Test in the guide TEACHING THRASS (Product Code T-50). The grid starts with one- and two-letter words, at the top, and progresses to nine-letter words at the bottom (as indicated by the numbers on the right). The WG section has a female voice pronouncing the 500 essential high frequency words of spoken and written English. A male voice names the letters.

Text Box on/off: In the Word Grid, click the Text Box to deactivate and activate the box. The default is with the Text Box on (see image above).

Speaker off/on: Click the Speaker to hear the words, without visiting the SYNTHESIZE THE WORD area ('SYNTH' area). See below.

Double Click a Word: double click a word to access the ‘SYNTH’ area. Click SYNTHESIZE THE WORD to ‘blend the phonemes in order to read it’ (you can do this many times as you wish). Click the phoneme-boxes to hear the individual phonemes. Click the word-box (top), to hear the whole word. Click on the graphemes (spelling choices) to hear the names of the letters, the letters used in the graphs (one-letter spelling choices), digraphs (two-letter spelling choices), trigraphs (three-letter spelling choices) and quadgraphs (four-letter spelling choices). Move between the words by selecting the right and left orange arrows, at the ends of the blue bar.

Underlined letters indicate split digraphs (e.g. tape) or letters (or sequences of letters) that are NPS (Non-Phonographic Spellings or, if you prefer, letters that are Not Playing Sensibly!). Non-Phonographic Spellings are not graphemes because they represent more than one phoneme or they are abbreviations e.g. ‘x’ in box and ‘d’ ‘r’ in Dr (and the widely-used 'St' for Saint).

ZOOM: In the Zoom Menu choose small, medium or large scale (as for Calendar, above). The Zoom function is not yet available in the SYNTH, ‘Auto on’ or AHOV areas (see below). However, if using a mouse, you can Right Click and use the Zoom In, Zoom Out and Show All functions on any screen.

Speaker On with LARGE SCALE Text: Select large scale (medium or small scale) on the Zoom Menu. Click 'Speaker on' to only hear the words and then double click the words. If desirable, click 'Text Box off' to deactivate the box. Use the orange arrows on the Mover to move the screen horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Drag the grey area to relocate the menu. Click reset to return to normal view.

B/R off/on: Click B/R off and on, if you want the consonant graphemes to be blue and vowel graphemes to be red (like the THRASS Magnetic Graphemes, Product Code T-49) or if you want normal bold text. The change will be in the next word.

LOCATE THE PHONEMES: Click PHONEME GRID and the phonemes in the word will be highlighted on the Phoneme Grid. Recreate the words displayed at the bottom of the grid by selecting the phonemes in the right order. Click the right or left orange arrows to move through the words in Word Grid order. Click the Hide & Seek button to partially conceal the highlighted boxes.

To start Locate the Phonemes at a particular word, such as the first two-letter word ‘am’, the first three-letter word ‘all’, the first four-letter word ‘also’, the first five-letter word ‘about’, the first six-letter word ‘across’, the first seven-letter word ‘animals’, the first eight-letter word ‘birthday’ or the first nine-letter word ‘different’, double click the word on the Word Grid (to enter SYNTH area) and then select PHONEME GRID. Or, to practise the word first, go via the BRS, RS, R and/or AHOV areas (see below).

Select WG to return to the five-hundred-word grid. The grid can also be reached from the SYNTH area by clicking WORD GRID, without visiting the ‘Locate the Phonemes’ area.

Word Grid Auto-functions
Auto off/on:
With 'Auto on', select groups of words, as listed in the Units for the four-year scheme of work 'THRASS 15 Minutes a Day x 2' (Product Code T-60) OR double-click any number of words to compile your own word list. By selecting words in sequential order, such as "I saw a fish in the sea", simple sentences can also be created. Click 'R' (Read, see below) to hear the words spoken in sequence. If appropriate, click the right white arrow to move through the words (at a suitable pace) and have your learners read or write the words. 'Spot the Word' (by saying the word only when you see it) is also good fun and can be played with phrases, sentences or lists.

The number of automatic play-throughs can be set from 1 to 5 by using the increase and decrease arrows. The increase arrow is located underneath the number, to make it easier for learners to reach on large interactive whiteboards. Then click the flashing orange arrow.

It is not possible to change the number of play-throughs when the user is in the ‘Auto on’ area. To change the number, return to WORD GRID and click ‘Auto on’. Reselect the words (perhaps by using the Unit Reminder, recorded above Unit 4) and use the increase and decrease arrows to set the new number.

Word Grid Reset: Click Reset, top right, to remove highlighted words from the grid.

Unit List Reset: If the list needs to be reset at any time, because you cannot see a Unit, click the top unit, Unit 4, once or twice.
If 9.9b, 9.10b, 9.11b, and 9.12b (the add-on buttons for the colours, numbers from one to ten, days and the months) fail to appear, click Unit 9 once or twice. Sometimes it may be necessary to click 'Auto on' again, via 'Auto off'.

Having clicked the flashing orange arrow, choose what you want to do with the list of words:

BRS: Blend, Read and Spell the words.
RS:
Read and Spell the words.
R:
Read the words.

The right and left orange arrows, located at the ends of the blue bar, used in the SYNTH area, do not function in the ‘Auto on’ area so they have been masked. If ‘B/R on’ has been selected, click Pause to view Blue and Red graphemes in the word on display (rather than waiting for the next word).

AHOV ("Ay-Hov"): automatically read and spell the selected words, using the letters from the four piles of tiles; which correspond to the four sequences in the 'Letter Name Rap', on the THRASS Raps and Sequences CD (Product Code T-51).

The total number of tiles correspond to the total number of tiles in the THRASS Spelling Tiles box (Product Code T-57). This is so that all of the 500 basewords can be spelled e.g. there are four letters 'e's, to spell the word ‘seventeen’.

Click the flashing orange arrow to activate the AHOV Auto function. A special feature is that, at any time, you can click any button to activate the functions BRS, RS and R, AHOV, SYNTHESIZE THE WORD and PHONEME GRID before returning to your chosen function. If you chose PHONEME GRID or WORD GRID (and, in so doing, leave the 'Auto on' area), you will need to re-select the original list. As a reminder, the last selected unit is recorded above Unit 4. You can also use the Pause button (which re-starts at the beginning of the word on display) or leave the 'Auto on' area by using the ‘Quit to SYNTH’ button (the large circle between Pause and the white left arrow). Once in ‘SYNTH’, click SYNTHESIZE THE WORD to start the blending sequence.

Check, Answer, '10' and Speaker are only functional in the 'Inter' (Interactive) mode (see below). These buttons are masked during 'Auto'. Reset (a word) and Rescue (the list) are also masked but still work.

Want to move the letter tiles?:
Users are not able to move the letter tiles to spell the words, when in the 'Auto' function. If you want to move the letter tiles, click on the 'Inter' (Interactive) button, bottom left. If required, click the Speaker icon to Mute the clapping and "boing" feedback ("boing" not booing!). See Check button, below.


AHOV Inter (moving the letter tiles):
To spell the words yourself, click the ‘Inter’ (Interactive) button and then move the tiles. Click the Speaker button, bottom right, to repeat the word.

Click the '10' button to activate the naming of the word, the ‘Ten-Second Countdown’ and ‘Letter Fade’ functions. Click the Check, Answer (including, as a reminder, prior to a Countdown) and Reset buttons, when and if required.

The Check button produces a good sound (clapping) or bad sound ("boing") depending on whether the answer is correct or not! There is a Mute facility (see above) to temporarily remove this feedback in Inter. The volume elsewhere is unaffected and remains the same.

Note that letters can be ‘thrown’ into the boxes by using the ‘Snap to’ factor (the sensitive area directly beneath the boxes). Also, once a letter-box has been occupied, it MAY reject other letters (even the correct one) because the original programming was designed to encourage the selection of the correct letter not the selection of any letter! However, if the incorrect letter is returned to the correct pile, before putting the correct letter in the letter-box, it should accept the letter. If necessary, click the Reset button  (or, to start from the first word in the list, the Rescue button, bottom right).

Click the lower-case and capital letter handles to switch between the lower-case letters and their capital substitutes. Click the left and right white arrows to move between the words so as to respell and/or first-spell the words.

This is very much an experimental area, and we are keen for you to trial it now (rather than in a later update), but please bear with us as we perfect the functionality! Note that for ‘Answer’, the letters appear from below and in sequential order. To avoid unsightly and distracting criss-crossing, the letters may not appear from the ‘correct’ pile of tiles.

AHOV Reset: If the letter tiles lose their functionality, click Reset (to reset a word) or Rescue (to reset the list). The left and right white arrows also reset the letters (for the next word). Select the Capital Letter Option and return to the Lower-case Option to reset the letter handles.

AHOV Auto: Click the Auto button (see above), bottom left, to leave the AHOV Inter (Interactive) function.

PHONEME GRID SECTION
The Phoneme Grid (PG) section has International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciation symbols and moving human lips to demonstrate the pronunciation of the forty-four phonemes of spoken English. Click the phonemes to recreate English words and to recreate alternative pronunciations (to cater for accent). Try to remember where the phonemes "live". That is, find the locations for the phonemes in "cat", repeat this a few times and then try to recreate "tac" (reverse order) and then "act" (starting with the first phoneme-box in the Vowel Section). Then play around with the phoneme-boxes to recreate other familiar words or even to create some new words!

IPA off/on: Click the IPA to hide or reveal the pronunciation symbols.

ZOOM: In the Zoom Menu choose small, medium or large scale (as for Calendar and Word Grid sections, above). The Zoom also works in the Locate the Phonemes area (see below).

Locate the Phonemes: Play 'Locate the Phonemes' to recreate familiar and unfamiliar words. If desirable, cater for accent by selecting different boxes (by using the grey boxes or pressing Hide & Seek or, even, Reset) When reading words, this relates to "Right grapheme, different phoneme!" (right spelling-choice, different sound. If you wish to play Locate the Phonemes with a word that is on display in the SYNTH or 'Auto on' areas of the Word Grid, simply click PHONEME GRID. Recreate the words displayed at the bottom of the grid by selecting the phonemes in the right order (catering for accent by selecting different boxes). Click the right or left orange arrows to move through the words in Word Grid order. Click the Hide & Seek button, bottom right, to partially conceal the highlighted boxes. Should a word have some boxes missing, use the arrows to visit the next word and then return to the word.

Remember, words containing spellings that are NPS (Not Playing Sensibly), spellings that represent more than one phoneme or they are abbreviations (e.g. the 'x' in box and 'd' 'r' in Dr), will have more phonemes than the available graphemes (more sounds than spelling choices).

Click the Hide & Seek button, bottom right, to partially conceal the highlighted boxes.

Reset: Use the Reset button, top right, if you need to remove information from the screen. Click the FS (Full Screen) button to minimize or alter the size of the screen.

INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD (IWB)
If you are fortunate to have a large interactive whiteboard, use fingers and/or pens to trace over and form the letters/graphemes on the various screens, especially the three main screens (Calendar, Word Grid and Phoneme Grid). Ideally, use black ‘ink’ for normal writing and, on special occasions, blue ‘ink’ for consonant graphemes and red ‘ink’ for vowel graphemes. Use fingers or pens to identify and connect words and graphemes on the Calendar Chart, phonemes on the PHONEME GRID (including by numbering the boxes) and words and graphemes on the WORD GRID.

...and Interactive Teaching
Encourage your learners to answer and ask questions and to show the answers by clicking the screens (or pressing the screens, if you have an interactive whiteboard IWB). Have individuals perform the actions and say the words, phonemes and names for others to then copy.

For those familiar with the THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) phonics programme, encourage individuals, groups or classes to consolidate and then revise the answers by pointing at the phoneme-boxes on the picturecharts (THRASS Picturechart Class Size, Product Code T-02 and/or THRASS Picturechart Desk Size, Product Code T-03). Ideally (especially with older learners), also have individuals overwrite (trace over) the graphemes and letters on the class-size THRASS Graphemechart (Product Code T-04), for others to then do the same, but using their tumble-turn THRASS Overwrite Charts (T-06).

If a school has the THRASS Resource File (Product Code T-01), individuals can, instead of using the commercially-produced Overwrite Chart, use a tumble-turn photocopy of two sheets from the file. The sheets are p52 from the Reading Section (for the graphemes) and p5 from the Handwriting Section (for the letters and the ‘Grapheme Catch-Alls’ - the spelling-choices not chosen for the THRASS charts and represented by an asterisk in each of the phoneme-boxes). 

Whenever possible, encourage a learner to play the role of teacher by having them ask the questions and teasing the correct answers from the group or class!



....sea - see [s ee - s ee] - she....

SYNTH & SEG ('seg' for segment) is a really good interactive game for analysing the sounds and spelling choices in whole words. Click 'Auto on'. Double Click any word on the Word Grid. Click the orange arrow. Click R for Read. Click WORD GRID. Double Click any word to enter SYNTH (starting with whole words). Encourage learners to guess the word (before clicking the Word Box at the top) and guess the number of phonemes and graphemes (before clicking SYNTHESIZE THE WORD). Click the orange arrows to move through the words before one team call "Synth and Seg". Teams can take turns to earn points. One point for the word and one point for the number of graphemes. Or one point for each correctly articulated phoneme (or an alternative - to cater for accent) and/or one point for each grapheme e.g. for 'see' - "Graph Ess, Digraph Ee Ee"). If desirable, with 'B/R on', extra points can be scored for predicting the colour of the graphemes, depending on whether they are representing consonant or vowel phonemes. This game can be accessed at any time by moving from Read to WORD GRID. Visit PG and return to WG to reset for normal SYNTH. The underlining of split digraphs (tape) and NPS spellings (e.g. box) is not available via any of the 'Auto on' (automatic practices) routes.

The downloadable and photocopiable size A4 English Calendar Chart and/or the free size A3 English Calendar Chart (you only pay for post & packing), from TUK’s ‘Calendar Charts for Early Language Learning’, can be used for interactive teaching with the Calendar screen.The THRASS Spelling Tiles (Product Code T-57), and the associated Spelling Grid and Grapheme Grid (downloadable and photocopiable from the website) can be used for interactive teaching with the AHOV, BRS and RS auto-functions, as well as the SYNTHESIZE THE WORD function, in the Word Grid section. If laminated, the grids can be written on with dry wipe pens and used again and again. The Grapheme Grid can also be used with the Phoneme Grid and ‘Locate the Phonemes’ screens.

Reduce or Mute the Volume:
Another really good way to improve interactivity, is to Reduce or Mute the volume (using the controls on your computer or IWB) so that your learners have to produce the words, names and phonemes to provide the answers. This is also an excellent way to assess progress - in terms of the accuracy and clarity of the answers and the speed in which the actions are performed (testing knowledge, sequential skills and spatial awareness).


International Deafness Symbol

From educational and social perspectives, this option also helps learners, especially young learners, to have a better understanding of partial hearing and/or deafness (including some of the factors involved in what it is like to lip-read).

HELP AND QUIT
Help: There is a Help button on every screen in the Word Grid (WG) and Phoneme Grid (PG) sections. This takes you to the most recent set of these instructions on www.thrass.co.uk 

Quit: There is a Quit button on every screen. This leads to the 'Do you really want to Quit? screen, with 'Yes' or 'Return' (to return to the last screen). Alternatively, on a keyboard, simply press Esc (ESCAPE), usually located top left

LICENSED TERRITORY WARNING
THRASS UK is licensed to serve customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Central America and the United States of America (blue area). For legal reasons, the Phoneme Machine software must not be downloaded and installed in countries outside these areas. The territorial restriction is clearly stated on the download and registration webpages and repeated in the Terms and Conditions - agreed during the installation process.


UPDATES
Remember to regularly check for updates including for these present instructions, by using Download Update or by visiting www.thrass.co.uk/update.htm.

We hope you find the present software, and future updates, entertaining, informative and useful.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The THRASS PHONEME MACHINE software has been designed by Alan Davies, Executive Director, and programmed by Mike Meade, Media Director, THRASS UK LTD. These instructions have been written and revised by Alan, who is a Chartered Educational Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He is listed on the BPS Register of Competence in Occupational Testing.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The THRASS Phoneme Machine software and the Calendar Charts for Early Language Learning initiative have been produced as part of THRASS UK's Corporate Social Responsibility Programme (CSRP). The aim is to improve the quality of life for the local community and society at large (within our licensed territory of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Central America and the United States of America).

"Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large."

WBCSD Stakeholder Dialogue on CSR,
The Netherlands, Sept 6-8, 1998
World Business Council for
Sustainable Development

Right Click on the hyperlink.
Select Save Target As.
Specify where you would like to
store the file on your hard drive.

INSTRUCTIONS - PDF Format (110KB)
INSTRUCTIONS - Doc Format (50KB)

 

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Licensed to serve customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Central America
and the United States of America

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Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills










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