Snappy Lesson® is a streamlined method of teaching used in Sound Discovery® which is unique to this synthetic phonics programme.  It is a discrete daily session of quality first, fast-paced, lively teaching which carries on throughout Primary classes and is also used as a tool for intervention at any age. 

The key features of Snappy Lesson® are:

• whole class or small group teaching
• reinforcement and repetition are built in
• sessions are frequent, aiming for fluency and mastery of learning
• active recall is encouraged
• Direct Instruction from the teacher (I do, we do together, you do)
• teaching is
• Oral and interactive
• Lively (moving at a good pace)
• Multi-sensory (integrating seeing, hearing and doing)

Snappy Lesson® is a lesson of two halves:

• the reading half
• the writing/spelling half through dictation

Snappy Lesson® operates at three levels of phonic teaching:

• sound level
• word level
• sentence level

Materials relating to Snappy Lesson®:

The Snappy Lesson® structure is outlined in Sound Discovery® Manual, (SD1).

A large number of words and the sentences for you to use as elements in your own  sessions of Snappy Lesson® are found in Words and Sentences Handbook Part 1, (SD2)  and the Words and Sentences Handbook Part 2, (SD3) .

Some example Snappy Lesson®  plans have been worked out in advance for you to use in Selected Snappy Lesson® Plans, (SD11)  and in Wave 3 Literacy Intervention Resource Materials, (SD14).

Snappy Lesson® was reviewed in a UK government publication, from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) Reading for Purpose and Pleasure (Crown  Copyright, December 2004):

“Snappy Lesson was a fundamental part of the successful, early intervention… Direct instruction and repetition were critical to pupils’ mastery of their learning and the success of the intervention. …For reading, there was work on sounds, blending, sound manipulation and reading.  For spelling, again, work on sounds, hearing the sounds in words, spelling words, writing sentences from dictation and reading them back to the teacher.”

Snappy Lesson® was reviewed by top phonics HMI Janet Brennan after observing the teaching of one of the lessons from Selected Snappy Lesson® Plans, (SD11) in November 2003:

• teaching was excellent (privilege to have observed it)
• teacher’s excellent subject knowledge
• meticulous planning
• brisk but appropriate pace
• good variety of judiciously chosen activities linked exactly to lesson’s objectives
• careful assessment of all pupils
• pupils responded very positively to:
• the teaching
• the teacher’s specific praise
• pupils made good progress.