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Sound Waves: Key Information and FAQs
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Sound Waves: Key Information and FAQs
Sound Waves 1/9/26
We’ve collated answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. Does Sound Waves align with the Science of Reading (SoR) research? Does the program follow a Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) approach? How are reading and spelling taught alongside each other? How is morphology instruction covered in the program? and more!
Does Sound Waves align with the Science of Reading (SoR) research?
Unsurprisingly, this is one of the first questions educators ask when investigating a literacy resource, and for Sound Waves the answer is yes, it aligns! The Science of Reading refers to a body of research that recognises reading and spelling as being inextricably linked. In order to develop successful reading skills, students need to be explicitly taught using a systematic synthetic phonics approach. This approach must incorporate decodable texts and interweave other important word study concepts into what is being taught. Sound Waves also covers key areas including phonemic awareness, morphology, etymology and orthography.
The Sound Waves series is split into two parts, where instruction builds across the primary school years. The Early Literacy program (Foundation to Year 2) focuses on setting students up with the essential skills required for decoding. The new and improved Word Study program (Years 3 to 6) extends its synthetic phonics approach and focuses on deepening word study knowledge (orthography, morphology and etymology) as well as building students’ vocabulary. This whole-school approach helps students develop the essential skills required to be successful readers and spellers.
Is Sound Waves a Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) approach?
Sound Waves is, and always has been, a systematic synthetic phonics approach to teaching spelling. It’s systematic because it follows a specific order for introducing graphemes and word study concepts in its Scope and Sequence. In the Early Literacy program, the Scope and Sequence progresses from simple to more complex concepts, with graphemes introduced in a systematic sequence. It’s synthetic because students are explicitly taught phoneme–grapheme relationships, and how to segment and synthesise (blend) phonemes for spelling and reading. In the Word Study program, the Scope and Sequence continues to use this systematic synthetic phonics approach as its base to instruction, but goes into more depth, covering more complex and unusual phoneme–grapheme relationships alongside explicitly taught spelling patterns (orthography) and word parts (morphology). Foundational and current research supports that continuing phonics instruction with older students is essential in order for them to continue to learn to decode efficiently and automatically, ultimately supporting fluent reading.1 2
Does Sound Waves use an evidence-based approach?
Yes, Sound Waves absolutely uses an evidence-based approach. The program aligns with a body of research known as the Science of Reading, but let’s dig a little deeper and unpack some of the key research that has helped shape the Sound Waves series. The development of Sound Waves was based on findings from peer-reviewed research, including findings on synthetic phonics and explicit teaching along with a wide range of independent research and reviews from the fields of education, psychology and linguistics on the best practices for reading and spelling instruction. This includes three significant reviews of reading research conducted for primary literacy instruction.3 4 5
Understandably, a lot of the widely cited research into effective reading and spelling practices is geared towards early years education when students are first being introduced to these all-important literacy skills. But there’s also a wealth of research that tells us for students to be strong spellers beyond school and into adulthood, explicit spelling instruction in the middle and upper years is just as important. Years 3 to 6 instruction should combine phonology, morphology and orthography, shifting the focus to increase complexity and spending more time on applying what is taught to broaden vocabulary. The Sound Waves Word Study program does this and more. Students are taught how understanding morphemes (the meaningful parts of words) and etymology (the origin of words) can assist with knowledge of how to read, spell and understand words. In addition, reliable letter patterns are taught to contribute to orthographic mapping, a process that stores words permanently in long term memory for automatic retrieval.
Both Louisa Moats (2019) 6 and Tessa Daffern (2024) 2 affirm that synthetic phonics together with an understanding of orthography, morphology and etymology are essential for learning to read and spell. This combined knowledge closely supports the development of a strong vocabulary whilst improving accurate spelling and efficient reading comprehension.
For more in-depth and specific research links, read our detailed article Sound Waves: Research insights into systematic synthetic phonics.
How are reading and spelling taught in Sound Waves?
Reading and spelling, particularly in the Sound Waves Early Literacy program, are intrinsically tied to one another. As such, Sound Waves provides a comprehensive and engaging suite of resources to ensure these key literacy skills can be taught systematically, explicitly and cohesively.
When students first begin to read and spell, they require dedicated and effective support when learning the phoneme–grapheme relationships that make up the English spelling system. The Sound Waves Early Literacy program focuses on fostering effective phonemic awareness skills, such as identifying and blending phonemes, and segmenting words into phonemes. The program incorporates essential and targeted reading practice through carefully curated Decodable Readers (for Foundation and Year 1) that follow a systematic synthetic phonics sequence. Instruction is in two parts:
- Systematic spelling lessons: The online teaching resources include explicit lessons to introduce specific phoneme–grapheme relationships and cover key language concepts. Students then consolidate this knowledge through the corresponding Student Book activities.
- Targeted and differentiated reading practice: Students apply their understanding of phoneme–grapheme relationships through targeted reading practice. For every phoneme–grapheme relationship taught, there are corresponding Sound Waves Decodable Readers available in three levels of difficulty: Support, Core and Extended. Having differentiated decodable texts means every student can experience reading success.
As students transition into the upper years, they bring with them the skills required to decode text and read. Therefore, the focus of the Sound Waves Word Study program shifts not only to cover the basic and extended code of Australian English, but also to deepen morphological awareness and develop etymological knowledge. The delivery of systematic and explicit spelling lessons using online teaching resources continues and students consolidate their understanding with Student Book activities. At this stage, most students have acquired the skills needed to read texts and, as a result, their reading practice shifts from decodable texts to a variety of children’s and personal-interest literature. However, students in middle to upper primary who haven’t yet mastered decoding and word recognition skills can continue to use the Sound Waves Decodable Readers to help develop these essential skills.
How does Sound Waves teach and foster correct articulation?
When students learn a phoneme in Sound Waves, they’re encouraged to practise correct articulation. This process occurs throughout the series from the first time students are introduced to a phoneme in Foundation through to every unit in Years 1–6 where phonemes are revised and new graphemes are taught.
As Sound Waves was written for Australian classrooms, it’s organised around the 43 phonemes of Australian English. Sound Waves Online includes articulation videos (How to Say the Sound videos) to help introduce each phoneme and to allow students to hear and practise correct articulation.
Is Sound Waves a speech-to-print or print-to-speech approach?
Sound Waves is a speech-to-print approach as it structures learning around the 43 phonemes of Australian English. The Foundation program begins with fostering phonemic awareness skills and introducing all 43 phonemes. Students are then systematically taught how each of these phonemes corresponds to different graphemes. Common and simple graphemes are taught before more complex graphemes. For example, students learn that /f/ can be represented by f as in fish before learning that /f/ can also be represented by ff as in off and go on to learn that /f/ can even be represented by ph as in dolphin. While students require the ability to turn speech into print (spelling) and print into speech (reading), the number of graphemes in Australian English is far larger than the number of phonemes. Australian English is made up of 43 phonemes, and similar to British English, consists of over 500 different phoneme–grapheme relationships.7 Therefore, organising learning around 43 phonemes and teaching students different ways to represent these phonemes in writing is a friendly and logical approach.
Does Sound Waves contain lessons on spelling patterns and grapheme choice?
Absolutely! Spelling patterns are covered in the Focus Concept lessons of Sound Waves Early Literacy and more extensively covered all throughout the Word Study program. In the early years, many of the focus concept lessons centre around a specific helpful hint which teaches a repeatable and reliable spelling pattern. For example, in Year 1 students learn that grapheme ck is usually used after short vowel sounds. Through the Focus Concept lessons and helpful hints, students are taught how phoneme position and morphemes, like suffixes, can influence and determine spelling choices. Students are also introduced to other key spelling and vocabulary concepts that inform spelling patterns, such as commonly used homophones and compound words.
In the Word Study program, explicit instruction in spelling patterns amps up and rightly so as the words students encounter increase in complexity. In the first lesson of each unit, phoneme-grapheme tips are explicitly taught. Following an I do, We do, You do approach, students work with the teacher to break apart a selection of Focus Words, unpacking the phoneme-grapheme relationships as well as common and reliable patterns. This deep dive into grapheme choice and spelling patterns is paired with embedded morphology, etymology and discussing the meaning of words giving students a thorough toolkit to assist in correct grapheme choice when spelling and writing. This approach has also been selected to make the lessons more appealing and to engage students in a more in-depth understanding of how words work.
How does Sound Waves cover morphology?
Morphology refers to the meaningful parts of words and is taught through a series of Focus Concept lessons where students are introduced to prefixes, suffixes, roots and base words. The earliest lesson on morphology is in Foundation when students are introduced to suffix ‘s’ to form plurals. Morphology-based Focus Concept lessons continue right through to Year 6 of the Sound Waves series.
In Years 3 to 6, alongside the dedicated Focus Concept lessons, morphological concepts are also integrated into the phoneme–grapheme lesson that kickstarts each unit. When exploring the Focus Words featured in the lesson, any morphemes are explicitly highlighted and discussed as a class. This layered and cumulative approach to building morphemic knowledge contributes greatly to a firm understanding of how words work and the ability to read and spell words with ease.
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References
Hempenstall, K 1999, ‘The role of phonics in learning to read: What does recent research say?’, Fine Print, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 7-12, https://www.archive.valbec.org.au/05/fineprint/archive/1999/99AU.PDF↩
Daffern, T, Hogg, K, Callaway, N, Wild, H & Kelly, S 2024 Supporting schools to implement an evidence-based and effective approach to teaching spelling, Bulletin of Learning Difficulties Australia, viewed 24 August 2026, https://www.tessadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Daffern-et-al-2024-Supporting-schools-to-implement-an-evidencebased-and-effective-approach-to-teaching-spelling.pdf↩
National Reading Panel 2000, Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Development. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/nrp/Documents/report.pdf↩
Rose, J 2006, Independent review of the teaching of early reading. U.K. Department for Education and Skills. https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/5551/2/report.pdf↩
Rowe, KJ 2005, Teaching reading: Report and recommendations, Department of Education, Science and Training: National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy, https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=tll_misc↩
Moats, LC 2019, ‘Phonics and Spelling: Learning the Structure of Language at the Word Level’, in: D Kilpatrick, R Joshi & R Wagner (eds), Reading Development and Difficulties, Springer, Cham, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26550-2_3↩
Brooks, G 2015, Dictionary of the British English Spelling System, Open Book Publishers, https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0053.pdf↩