phonics in Reception

English alphabetic code 44 sounds One of the most complex alphabetic codes in the world. This means we have to group letters together to write some sounds: eg: ‘ay’ or ‘igh’. These are called digraphs and trigraphs. This makes our language one of the most complex in the world!

Simple speed sounds Phonics makes learning to read easy for children because we start by teaching them just one way of reading and writing every sound. Here they are on the Simple Speed Sounds chart. We teach Set 1 sounds first - (unshaded sounds up to ‘u’) and then Set 2 (the shaded sounds ay - oy).

How is it taught in school? Read Write Inc programme Daily 20 minute lesson comprising of hear it-say it-read it-write it Daily handwriting activities- practicing letter formation Weekly mark making activity Supporting activities around the classroom.

How does it progress over the year? This half term – Taught as a whole class, learn roughly four sounds per week. After half term it is taught in smaller groups.

Here is a clip to help you learn how to pronounce the sounds:

How do we teach the PURE set 1 sounds to the children How do we teach the PURE set 1 sounds to the children?- (taught in term 1) In a lesson: 1) Sound rhyme with a picture (eg: m= Maisie, mountain, mountain, a=around the apple and down the leaf) 2)Practise saying the sound ‘m’ with just the sound card- with lots of repetition to help them memorise it 3) Letter formation: we practise how to write the sound- eg m= down Maisie, over the mountain, over the mountain

p d t i n Pure sounds Fred Fingers Once the children know the pure sounds, we teach them to blend sounds to read words. We also teach children to spell the words they learn to read. We use Fred Talk to help children read and spell words that can be decoded (also known as green words).

Red Words- you can’t Fred a Red! In the Read, Write, Inc. scheme ‘red words’ are used to help the children recognise the fact that there are words that are tricky to read because you can not sound them out in the normal way. With your child, look for the parts of each word that they can sound out normally and then identify the parts that are tricky! Eg: ‘what’ phonetically spelt is ‘w-o-t’ ‘said’ is ‘s-e-d’, etc Your child needs to be able to read these words on sight.

Sounds – Games – Sheets – Reading Books Reading at home Your child will be given a reading book when we think they are ready; there are a few stages before: Sounds – Games – Sheets – Reading Books Sharing books at home: if it’s got predictable text or is a well known story, leave gaps for the child to fill in. Predict the story. Look at the front cover, author and illustrator. Boost their confidence, lots of praise & encouragement! Help them learn reading is fun, enjoyable & important.

What can I do at home? Practice the sounds sent home-you could play pairs, snap or treasure hunts with them to make it extra fun Practice the letter formation sheets sent home. Spot the sounds whilst reading books and when you’re out and about. Play listening games and watch ‘Alphablocks’.