Newick C.E Primary School

Learning to read requires several strategies. Phonics Look and say Context clues Illustrations But before that they need to develop their early reading and writing skills.

Speaking and Listening Children need lots of opportunities to talk with others as they develop and practise their speaking and listening skills. In school we use ‘Talk Partners’ to share ideas before contributing to the whole class discussion. In order to make a good start in reading and writing, children need an adult to talk to and listen to them. Everyday activities will offer chances to talk to children and explain what is happening. They hear the way language is put together into sentences for a purpose. Model the correct use of tenses and repeat for your child. Books are a rich source of new words for your child. Children need to have a wide stock of words (a 4/5 year old should have around 2,220-2500 words). Reading aloud and sharing books, including picture ones is invaluable and should be done as often as you can.

Six Phases from Preschool through to Year Two and beyond if necessary. Phonics Letters and Sounds Six Phases from Preschool through to Year Two and beyond if necessary. Phase One begins in pre-school and runs along side all the other phases. Phase 1 encourages children to hear the sounds around them, rhyme and rhythm, alliteration, oral blending and segmenting.

Phase Two Letters are learned in an order s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ll ss

sat, pin, sit, sip, pit, pat, tin, tip Why an order? Once s a t p i n are learnt the children can begin to blend to read words sat, pin, sit, sip, pit, pat, tin, tip

Action for each phoneme The ‘Letters and Sounds’ program is backed up with ‘Jolly Phonic’ resources. Each phoneme has an action to help them remember. Also with action they will pronounce the phoneme correctly. Please encourage your child to learn the pure sound and not to add an ‘er’ to it. We teach both the sound and letter name but encourage the children to blend using the sounds.

Phase Three Phonics j v w x y z zz qu ch sh th ng ai ee or igh oa oo ar ur ow oi ear air er That’s about as far as we go in the Early Years.

Phoneme Frame and Peas & Sausages c a t c a t sh o p

and it at in is High Frequency Words These are learnt alongside phonics and tricky words. and it at in is By the end of Foundation Stage your child should be able to read and write the first 59 out of the 100 high frequency and tricky words.

I to the no go Tricky Words Many of the words in our language cannot be worked out phonetically. These are the ‘Tricky Words’. I to the no go To support children it is important to teach them the misconceptions for tricky words e.g. to sounds as if it should have ‘oo’

Ways to help. Reading Learn the sounds and the actions with the children. Do not worry about letter names until they are secure with the sounds. Read everyday with your child. Weekends and holidays too! Play games – find the letter/word on a page. How many can they find in a certain time? Show your child print in their environment. I – spy type games Pairs – have 2 of each letter/word on separate cards and as they are turned over the sounds have to be said. Flashcards – letters or words can be used for this game.

Snap – saying the word or sound before calling out snap. Making simple words with the sound cards/magnetic letters The aim of all these types of games is to make the children so familiar with the letter sounds that their response is automatic. This will enable your child to read with speed and fluency.

Let your child see you reading Let your child choose what to read – books, comics, jokes Read favourite books over and over again and again!

The Three ‘P’s’ Pause – let your child try by themselves first. Be patient. Prompt – when your child hesitates over a new word try asking questions such as: What does it begin with?’ Then tell them the first letter/sound or re-read the sentence. It is important to give them the opportunity to work it out for themselves but it is also important not to let them get stuck for too long so they do not get disheartened. Praise – when your child gets a word right give them lots of praise and encouragement.

Most importantly – don’t rush a child if they seem reluctant. Enjoy sharing books with them, children gain huge amounts by having stories read to them, talking about the pictures, asking them questions etc. Regular reading really does make a difference.

Writing – Mark Making Things to help Mark making in the early stages is closely linked to physical development. They need opportunities to develop large and small movement in their arms, hands and fingers. The more they have the easier it will be to make marks. Activities – digging, forming in the air, feel letter shape (make in play dough/plasticine), trace over letters, use paint, water, shaving foam, sand, pegging washing on the line, putting pegs in a pegboard, picking up pasta or rice with fingers and tweezers.

Writing Things to help: Pencil grip Tripod grip, frogs legs movement. In the early stages it is a good idea to use lower case letters and introduce only capitals for names. We will be introducing a pre-cursive handwriting style. This is easier as each letter starts from the line.

Ways to help with writing Let them see you writing. Write an email inviting someone to tea together. Make words with magnetic letters so they see how separate letters combine to make a word. Make up a story together about a favourite toy. Write for your child, repeating the sentences.

Finally It sounds a lot of work but it is done in stages and spread over a considerable period of time. Little and often is best. Plenty of practice and repetition. Make it fun and enjoyable for all.

Useful websites www.letters-and-sounds.com www.phonicsplay.co.uk www.ictgames.com www.firstschoolyears.com/literacy www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/alphablocks https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/reading-at-home/