A teacher in Nyanga, Zimbabwe,
using soft toys for the Sing-A-Long
song My Teddy Bear and I.


(Requires FLASH)

ITEMS OF INTEREST:
EVAL:
02 Feb 10: Harare, Zimbabwe
PR:
Spirit of the 2010 World Cup
PR:
Dramatic Improvements in Literacy in Nigeria
VID:
THRASS Open Day: Joburg Part 2
VID: THRASS Open Day: Joburg Part 1

PR:
Helping to Realise Dreams in Zimbabwe
VID: THRASS in Nigeria Overview
VID:
THRASS in Nigeria Part 3
VID:
THRASS in Zimbabwe July 2009
PR:
Increase Literacy Levels in the USA
EVAL:
21 Jul 09: Harare, Zimbabwe
PR:
Literacy for Children with Dyslexia
VID:
Genesis Educare School, South Africa
VID:
Teaching THRASS at George Randell Part 2
VID: Oxley Park & Uni of Northampton
VID: Teaching THRASS at George Randell Part 1
VID:
THRASS Family SING-A-LONG
PR:
THRASS British Phonics Pilot in Nigeria
VID:
THRASS in Nigeria Part 2
VID:
THRASS Open Day: Joburg Overview
PR:
Zimbabwe Government gives go-ahead
VID:
THRASS in Zimbabwe

VID: The oom pah pah melody
VID: Holy Rosary School, Limpopo
VID: Kwa Thintwa School for the Deaf
VID: Grayston Preparatory School
VID:
La Lucia Junior Primary School
ART:
Scholastic Magazines
VID:
THRASS in Nigeria Part 1
ART: The Mirror KwaZulu-Natal
PR:
Immediate Success in Nigeria
VID: Absa Today Programme Feb 2009
PR: Make Even Bigger Impact in 2009
ART: BATOD - The Phoneme Machine
VID: THRASS at the BETT Show
PR: Memory 4 Teachers Project
PR: Major New ICT Project for Teachers
PR: Deaf Children
ART: Using phonics with deaf children
PR: Another Resounding Success
VID:
THRASS SING-A-LONG in Limpopo
ART:
World Premiere of SING-A-LONG
VID:
Children in Botswana & Swaziland
PR: Children in Botswana and Swaziland
PR: Change the Lives of Children in Zimbabwe
PR: Thumbs Up by Caribbean Dyslexia Assoc
VID: SING-A-LONG Concert
PR:
Family Reading Project Launched
PR:
Major Impact In British Schools
ART: A magical journey begins
PR: a Project for Everyone
PR: an Exceptional Composer
ART: THRASS Absa literacy project
PR: Bringing Together Singing & Literacy Skills
ART: A free educational advantage!
PR:
THRASS Really Does Score 10 out of 10
ART: Phoneme Machine - Review
ART: Reading is Fun
VID:
THRASS in Namibia
VID: THRASS in the Cayman Islands
ART: Parents are Important
ART: Using THRASS in a Primary Unit
ART: How Kids Learn to Read

PR: Press Release, ART: Article,
VID: Video, Eval: Evaluations

EVALUATIONS:

"Revelatory, revolutionary, liberating, healing, powerful, almost overwhelming, exciting, beautifully and lovingly designed – and communicated – humbling and totally, TOTALLY, motivational! These hardly begin to describe, in understated terms, how I would describe the experience of this course. I’ve spent two days making a list of all those friends who I will COMPEL to do this course, too!"
Gauteng, South Africa. January 2010

"This was so much fun and really worth it! It will also make teaching a whole lot more fun."

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Learners learn best through play and fun-filled environment. Sing-A-Long really allows optimal opportunity for this. Also highly informative. This resource is great as it has multiple purposes! It was a real privilege for me to participate today!"

"Most enjoyable programme ever! This is a lot of fun and educational for the learners. I would suggest it to any teacher and any school."

"This Sing-A-Long is really fun and it’s an eye opener that shows just how fun and exciting we can make learning the English language. It is really good that teachers in training are shown how to do this course because it can be really beneficial to learners from an early age across the world."
Western Cape, South Africa January 2010

"An exciting and inspiring experience! I thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and I know my children will love it too! You have added greatly to my THRASS experience. Thanks for the fascinating songs too!"
Swaziland June 2009

"Riveting. Our staff expertise was acknowledged and utilised and the THRASS scheme was explained clearly in a way that was relevant to our curriculum. The two days passed in a blur of enthusiasm and information that has galvanised staff into tightening up our delivery of information to kids. It showed us what our weaknesses are, and also our strengths, and where the scheme will fit into addressing the former and further boosting the latter."
Kent, UK Mar 2009.
Small independent school that specialises in educating children with dyslexia or dyspraxia.

"THRASS has opened a whole lot of ideas for me and I now feel more confident. I am looking forward to using THRASS effectively to the benefit of my pupils."
Gaborone, Botswana. Mar 2009

"An empowering course which has inspired me to implement THRASS as a whole-school - to raise literacy levels AND self-esteem."
Essex, UK. Feb 2009.

THRASS AFRICAN CHILD CAMPAIGN:
The THRASS phonics programme is enjoying considerable success in Africa where it has been welcomed as heralding the start of a new era in the teaching of English in Africa...  read more


NEW RESOURCES FROM THRASS:

THRASS SING-A-LONG
THRASS SING-A-LONG
FAMILY READING PROJECT

THRASS Phoneme Machine
FREE Phoneme Machine software

Version 6.1

THRASS Calendar Charts

FREE charts for English and other languages

'PLAY' IN THE SHOP
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LAST UPDATES
4 March 2010
News Clip & Evaluations from South Africa


24 February 2010
News Clip from South Africa


23 February 2010
Evaluations from South Africa


22 February 2010
News Board Clip from South Africa

13 February 2010
Evaluations from South Africa & Namibia


9 February
2010
Evaluations from Zimbabwe & News Clips


8 February 2010
Evaluations from South Africa


28 January 2010
News Board Clip from Europe

27 January 2010
News Board Clip from South Africa


23 January
2010
Evaluations from the UK


18 January 2010
News Board Clip & Evaluations
from South Africa

8 January 2010
Evaluations from the UK
.


30 December 2009
News Board Clip from South Africa

8 December 2009
News Board Clip from South Africa

7 December 2009
News Board Clip from the UK

30 November 2009
Evaluations from the UK

27 November 2009
Press Release


19 November 2009
News Board Clip from the UK

17 November 2009
News Board Clip from South Africa

3 November 2009
Evaluations from the UK & South Africa

 

 

 

 

 

 


GUIDED TRAINING FOR TEACHERS, ASSISTANTS AND PARENTS
 

THRASS NEWS BOARD

This page was last updated on:
4 March 2010... with the latest News Clip & Evaluations from South Africa.

LATEST PRESS RELEASE:
NOV 27: 2009
THRASS UK’s Innovative Software Helps Children Learn South African Languages and Get Right into the
Spirit of the 2010 World Cup

The University of South Africa (UNISA), is encouraging everyone to speak a South African language during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. THRASS UK’s innovative software can enable children to do that very easily and at the same time get right into the spirit of the event.... read more

PREVIOUS PRESS RELEASE:
OCT 7: 2009
THRASS Synthetic Phonics Programme Achieves Dramatic Improvements in Literacy in Nigeria
The widely acclaimed THRASS synthetic phonics programme has only been used in pilot schools in Nigeria since January but already it has brought about dramatic improvements in the teaching and learning of English. These improvements are so significant that the Oyo State Government, Nigeria, and THRASS UK are now looking to secure funds to enable the use of THRASS to be extended to schools across the state.. ... read more

For a full list of Press Coverage visit the THRASS News Media Centre.

LATEST ARTICLE:
October 15 2009
THRASS Night School at Sun Valley
The THRASS Night School, presented by Hilary Davies whose husband designed the programme, was well attended. Many lightbulb moments were evident as Hilary unpacked the complicated process of spelling English and how THRASS can help you make an informed decision when encoding or decoding a word... read more

For a full list of Articles from 1990 to the present day - Click Here

LATEST NEWSPAPER CUTTING:
March 18 2009

The Mirror KwaZulu-Natal

GREENHILL Primary School is the first school to benefit from the Teaching Handwriting, Reading And Spelling Skills (THRASS) initiative through the TalkTogether Project which aims to address English literacy in early childhood... read more

For a full list of Newspaper Cuttings from 1990 to the present day - Click Here

LATEST VIDEO:
South Africa
September 2009
THRASS Open Day: Joburg Part 2
In Part 2 we see further lessons in which the teachers explain and demonstrate how they use THRASS... read more
THRASS Open Day: Joburg Part 1
'The video opens with Laraine Roberts, Principal of Holy Rosary School, welcoming everyone to the Open Day. She welcomes in particular Sister Hilda, who is Head of Holy Rosary Mission School in Malamulele, and Sister Cora from the Order of the Holy Rosary that founded the school. The school actually had no power earlier in the morning. It’s now come back on but they’ve got a generator on stand-by just in case! ... read more

PREVIOUS VIDEO:
South Africa

July 2009
Genesis Educare School, South Africa
In the video Debbie Bezuidenhout, who teachers pre-school children at Genesis Educare School, Johannesburg, tells us how much the children love the THRASS SING-A-LONG songs. At first she was a bit apprehensive about them taking part in the THRASS Family SING-A-LONG concert at Linder Auditorium in May 2009 because they were so much younger than other children. However, they started teaching the children three months beforehand and when they got to the auditorium for the concert not one of them was nervous. They just went on to the stage and had a wonderful time, as we can see from their performance of ‘Saw you in the sun’... read more

LATEST VIDEO:
Southern Africa
July 2009

THRASS in Zimbabwe July 2009
In July 2009 Alan and Hilary Davies, with the permission of the Zimbabwe Government, presented two-day THRASS workshops in Harare and Nyanga... read more

LATEST VIDEO:
West Afica
July 2009

THRASS in Nigeria Overview

The video provides an overview of the THRASS SING-A-LONG pilot project run by THRASS UK and the Oyo State Government in seven schools in Oyo State, Nigeria between January and July 2009... read more

LATEST VIDEO:
Europe:
June 2009
Oxley Park & Uni of Northampton

In the video we see a group of student teachers from the University of Northampton teaching THRASS at Oxley Park Primary School, Milton Keynes, England, which is a centre of excellence for the teaching of THRASS.  ... read more

For a full list of Videos from many different countries - Click Here

LATEST EVALUATIONS:
South Africa:
01 Mar 10: Gauteng, South Africa (MAL)

"Wow this is the best course ever. Thank you very much!"... read more

Southern Africa:
02 Feb 10: Harare, Zimbabwe
"This has been a thoroughly worthwhile course and will revolutionise the teaching of phonics in Zimbabwe. Alan and Hilary were dynamic and kept us all enthralled."... read more

England:
21 Jan 10: Essex
"
Absolutely brilliant! Loved every minute! It has given me a fresh insight into the world of phonics and a lot of great ideas to use in the classroom. Presented extremely clearly and enthusiastically by Hilary. I’m really motivated to start."... read more

Wales:
04 Sep 09: Cardiff, WALES
"For someone new to THRASS this was a very good insight on many levels. I have gained knowledge which I will use on a personal level, to ideas for expanding teaching and supporting learning." ... read more

International:
07 May 09: Ibadan, NIGERIA
"Very interesting and informative. It is truly English phonics made easy and enjoyable. Very interesting and very stimulating. Alan Davies was great and the programme worthwhile. It will expose Nigerian children to a better way of reading with fun – and turn them into effective and voluntary readers. An eye opener. It makes the teaching and learning of English an easy task." ... read more

PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS:
South Africa:
27 Feb 10: Gauteng, South Africa (MAL)

"Excellent. I must truly say I didn’t look forward to the Saturday course thing, but today was truly amazing! Ms Janine is a brilliant presenter and extremely fun to work with. Thank you for giving us a day to always remember. Can’t wait to get in the class to do everything you showed us today!"... read more

Southern Africa:
27 Jul 09: Nyanga, Zimbabwe
"A very valuable workshop. It will help to improve English language results, particularly the reading and writing skills. It teaches children the right skills at an early age. I hope THRASS will be introduced to all schools in Nyanga district. THRASSing was a fantastic experience!"... read more

England:
04 Jan 10: West Sussex
"A brilliant day. I finally understand syllables! Lots of good ideas and good use of resources. The positivity and enthusiasm was amazing! "... read more

Too see all evaluations in the UK, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and Middle East  visit the Professional Development Courses webcard.

NEWEST RESOURCES:

PHONEME MACHINE v6.1
Released on
1 October 2009
The THRASS Phoneme Machine is a FREE computer programme that uses moving human lips to pronounce the sounds (phonemes) in hundreds of frequently used English words. It is an excellent resource for teachers, assistants and parents for learning about, and also teaching, the fundamental building blocks of English in an entertaining and fun way... read more
Register & Download v6.1 Now (Free)

SING-A-LONG RESOURCES
Everyone knows just how important it is for children to develop sound literacy skills from an early age, and it is also accepted that music, and in particular singing, can have a wide range of benefits for children. The most important of these benefits from the point of view of teaching literacy is that singing has been shown to accelerate learning and improve the memory... read more

SING-A-LONG BOOK
SING-A-LONG AUDIO CD
SING-A-LONG INTERACTIVE BOOK
SING-A-LONG COLOURING BOOK
MOVE-A-LONG WITH SING-A-LONG DVD
SING-A-LONG SHEET MUSIC BOOK  
and a free download
My THRASS SING-A-LONG Record Book

Ever since they were launched at the end of January 2008, teachers and parents just haven’t been able to stop 'singing' the praises of the new THRASS Family SING-A-LONG songs for the 44 sounds of English as an exciting new way of learning the language.

Now the songs are available for download in mp3 format from the Children’s Music section of the Amazon website and from the Children’s Music section of the iTunes Music Store.

iTunes & SING-A-LONG
Amazon mp3 & SING-A-LONG

THRASS ROW, BOX AND NUMBER GRID
Use the THRASS ROW, BOX AND NUMBER GRID with your learners, to locate the phoneme-box and the picture, keyword or keygrapheme on the class-size (T-02) and desk-size (T-03) THRASS Picturechart. ... read more

PICTURE CARDS SORTING SHEET
Download and print the THRASS Picture Cards Sorting Sheet so that your children can sort the cards into their rows (C1, C2, C3 ,C4, V1, V2, V3, V4) and sections... read more

For a full list of Resources from THRASS - Click Here

LATEST CALENDAR CHART:
AFRICAN LANGUAGES
Yoruba
Shona


For a full list of Calendar Charts - Click Here

LATEST SONGS FROM SCHOOLS:
19 JUNE:
England, London, Ravenstone
"This School Name Song was written by the children at Ravenstone Primary School, Balham, London. The music was written by music teacher, MJ Paranzino."... read more and listen to the song

And Finally...
NEWS BOARD CLIPS:

   2010:

04 Mar: THRASS at CNA for World Cup
24 Feb: Eaglesvale & Ridgeview, Zim
22 Feb: THRASS Training in Fish Hoek
09 Feb: "LET'S SOUND IT OUT!" (SA)
09 Feb: Farewell to Nicholas Young
02 Feb: Progress in Zimbabwe
29 Jan: Usutu, Swaziland - Vacancies
28 Jan: British School, Amsterdam
27 Jan: THRASS Open Day in Joburg
18 Jan: THRASS at BATOD conference

2009:

30 Dec: THRASS Reading Grannies
08 Dec: Abacus, December 2009
07 Dec: Oxley Park Parents achievement
19 Nov: Parents at Kents Hill School
17 Nov: Headteacher Update
17 Nov: NWU Students Enjoy SAL
15 Oct: THRASS Night School
25 Sep: THRASS Integrated Programme
17 Sep: THRASS at Vaalwater
11 Sep: THRASS Success at St Luke's
08 Sep: Thank Heaven for THRASS
14 Aug: Croatian Teachers HUPE
12 Aug: iTunes & SING-A-LONG
12 Aug: Amazon mp3 & SING-A-LONG
01 Aug: Crawford Preparatory N. Coast
25 Jun: THRASS Family SING-A-LONG
22 Jun: SMART Board for Holy Rosary
04 Jun: Toddler Times
20 May: Cued Speech South Africa
20 May: TalkTogether Project & Autism
15 May: THRASS Treasure Hunt
14 May: Yoruba Calendar Chart
14 May: Moms Matter (SA)
13 May: British Psychological Society
02 May: The oom pah pah melody
02 May: THRASS at Linder Auditorium
01 May: Headteacher Update
21 Apr:
17 Apr: ISASA ECD Conference
27 Mar:
20 Mar: Scholastic Magazines
18 Mar: The Mirror KwaZulu-Natal
06 Mar: THRASS Open Day (SA)
04 Mar: La Lucia School, S Africa
11 Feb: Kokrobite School, Ghana
20 Jan: Deaf children and phonics
15 Jan: THRASS at BETT Show 2009
01 Jan: THRASS SAL Calendar 2009

2008:

 

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