I promote (strongly) that our pupils should be introduced to the fascinating history of the English language and its writing system.
Whilst this book (link above) does not refer directly to 'language', it nevertheless provides a wonderful sense of chronology and the notion of different peoples coming and going - over time - and their various influences - [mention our very rich spoken language]!
When our training team provides teacher-training, the promotion of teaching about the history of our language - along with the notion of a 'code' and what this looks like as our English alphabetic code - are the most wonderfully exciting starting points for phonics teaching!
http://www.phonicsinternational.com/uni ... 0chart.pdf
So - start with an appreciation of the 'history' of the language and 'the alphabetic code' to help unpick the mysteries of reading and writing.
