​Supporting Core Code Grapheme Recognition and Letter Formation, Phonemic Awareness, and Phonological Working Memory. Now with 100+ Orthographically Mapped Common Exception Words (CEWs). Use the Monster Spelling Piano® app within the 10 Day Speech Sound Play Plan, and to Support Systematic Phonics Instruction.
We also use the Monster Spelling Piano app within the Speedie Readies Intervention: Preventing the Dyslexia Paradox
WHO IT’S FOR
-
Children receiving systematic synthetic phonics instruction including those who need extra support
-
Children with weak phonemic awareness or poor phonological working memory
-
Children at risk of not passing the Phonics Screening Check
-
Children who struggle to decode or encode Core Code words independently
-
Parents, educators, and intervention staff looking for a simple, self-guided app to reinforce GPC knowledge and spelling
-
Schools needing a visual, structured tool that includes 100+ orthographically mapped high-frequency (tricky) words
-
Children using the Speedie Readie system: Preventing the Dyslexia Paradox (Pilot January 2026)
The Spelling Piano app technology enables at least 90% of children to pass the PSC by the end of Reception. It frees up time to focus on reading for pleasure rather than on learning additional GPCs. Passing the PSC does not correlate with improved reading comprehension in KS2, so more is needed (Bradbury, 2019; Gibb, 2022; Wyse & Bradbury, 2022).
Within the Speedie Readies System the TA spends ten minutes a day with the children identified as at risk, around one in five in every Reception classroom, until they reach the point of self-teaching. We ensure that every child enters the self-teaching phase before the end of Year 1. At that point, they continue to learn more about reading through reading itself, using implicit learning to strengthen fluency and comprehension (Share, 1995; Ehri, 2014; Castles, Rastle, & Nation, 2018).
Read about Speedie Readies for Schools, designed to screen for dyslexia risk and provide prevention from the start of Reception:
TheDyslexiaParadox.com
Bradbury, A. (2019). The impact of the Phonics Screening Check on teaching in England: A ten-year review. British Educational Research Journal, 45(5), 921–940.
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51.
Ehri, L. C. (2014). Orthographic mapping in the acquisition of sight word reading, spelling memory, and vocabulary learning. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 5–21.
Gibb, N. (2022). Phonics and the phonics screening check: Reflections on ten years of reform. Department for Education.
Share, D. L. (1995). Phonological recoding and self-teaching: Sine qua non of reading acquisition. Cognition, 55(2), 151–218.
Wyse, D., & Bradbury, A. (2022). Reading wars or reading peace? An analysis of policy and practice in England since 2010. Literacy, 56(3), 172–182.
HOW IT WORKS
-
The child chooses their Phonics Level, Phonemies® screen, High Frequency Word section, or the Getting Started tab.
-
There are four Core (Phonics) Code Levels and five High Frequency Word sections.
-
Visual prompts link word mapping to meaning.
-
Phonemies® are visual characters that represent speech sounds (Speech Sound Monsters).
-
Words are Code Mapped® to show which letters work together to represent graphemes.
-
Speech sounds, spelling, and meaning are bonded together in the orthographic lexicon.
WHAT MAKES THE MONSTER SPELLING PIANO APP DIFFERENT?
All activities target the underlying issues faced by children at risk of dyslexia, as identified in the Delphi Dyslexia Definition.
-
Children can toggle the Piano Screen between Speech Sound Monsters® and Sound Pics® (graphemes), depending on the support they need.
-
Instead of typing letters or using picture symbols, children type speech sounds using Phonemies® — visual characters that function like phonetic symbols.
-
After building the word using speech sounds, the app displays the full word:
-
First, Code Mapped®, to show how the graphemes represent the sounds
-
Then again, in regular text
-
This reverses the typical phonics sequence. Rather than starting with letters, children start with sound, making it easier to understand the decoding and encoding of Code Level Words. These are tested in the Phonics Screener Check.
-
Each Code Level includes a Mapped Rap for extra engagement and fluency practice.
-
Children can also practise writing words using Visual Prompts. They can hear the word, reveal it if needed, choose a pencil colour, and use the eraser to try again.
-
Educators and adults familiar with the IPA can use the Phonemies® screen to toggle between grapheme and speech sound views for added flexibility.
-
This system of mapping commonly used words ensures that the words are stored in the orthographic lexicon, for istand recognition and correct retrieval when writing.
HOW TO GET IT
Get the Monster Spelling Piano app to master the core phonics code and over 100 high frequency words.
One-time price: £14.99 Available on:
​
50% off when 20 or more are ordered through the Apple School Manager
Use with the MyWordz® with MySpeekie® tech to communicate, read and spell! MySpeekie® is the first one-screen AAC.
Explore the whole code, with the Spelling Clouds®!
New to Speech Sound Monsters® - Phonemies? Use the 10 day plan to get started at SpeechSoundPlay.com