Welcome. Please sit four to a table. Phonics Café Welcome. Please sit four to a table.

What is ph-o-n-i-c-s? Words made up of sounds called phonemes. Phonemes -single letters, pairs, threes e.g. c-a-t, f-i-sh, l-igh-t. 26 letters, 44 sounds, over 150 ways to spell them! s – sun, hiss, horse, circle, face. Pure, clear sounds. No ‘uh’. Fred Talk. Special Friends – two or three letters, one sound.

What is the Phonics Screening Check (PSC)? The phonics screening check is designed to confirm whether pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. It will identify pupils who need extra help to improve their decoding skills. DfE

All schools administer the PSC in the same week of June. Two sections: section 1 – simple word structures, section 2 – more complex word structures. The check consists of 20 real words and 20 pseudo-words (nonsense words) that a pupil reads aloud to the teacher. The check is not timed – children work at their own pace. Pseudo-words are shown with a picture of an alien so children do not mistake it for a real word.

Results and Reporting Threshold of 32/40 – this may change. Summer-term report. Opportunity to re-take check in Year 2 if threshold not met in Year 1.

Section 1

Section 2

Focus Sounds

Special Friends (digraphs) ee th/ck creep thick

Special Friends (digraphs) with alternative pronunciations ow blow cow klow

Special Friends (digraphs) with alternative spellings ay play rain slaig

Special Friends who like to chat (split digraphs) a-e cake i-e kite u-e cube, rude o-e robe, joke

Special Friends tion attention cious suspicious ire fire ure sure

Tricky (red) words Do not follow the usual spelling rules. Cannot be sounded out in full. Say the word. Attempt to sound out. Locate the ‘tricky’ part. Say in an angry voice.

Phonics Screening Check https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPJ_ZEBh1Bk

How you can help! Model how to blend. Point out Special Friends before blending. Read the RWI Storybooks. Green words /Red Words. Make up words (nonsense) using Special Friends and split sounds. Use parts of real words e.g. foll in follow. Change a sound/letter e.g. hair > jair Play Fred games.

Set Sounds Book at home New sounds Examples Review

At Palace Wood … Daily phonics. Groupings. On-going assessments. Sounds with examples sent home. Two storybooks sent home each week. Practise checks.

Useful websites www.ruthmiskin.com www.phonicsplay.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks