1. Welcome to the Stafford Leys Phonics afternoon.
Good evening and welcome to the Stafford Leys phonics afternoon for parents.
It is great to see so many of you here.

2. Aims To introduce you to the program delivered at school
To provide ideas as to how to support your child with their Phonics learning

3. ghoti Can you read this word? Can anyone read this word? Call it out.
No? O.K. let’s find out what it says.

4. Ghoti = fish Fish. No, you still don’t see it?
Well lets look at it phonetically.

5. ghoti fish enough women emotion
The f comes from ‘gh’ as in enough, the I comes from the ‘o’ as in woman and the sh comes from the ‘ti’ as in emotion.
You may well laugh now, or gasp but hopefully this helps you to see the challenges faced by the children when we are expecting them to read and write. Welcome to your child's world!

6. What is phonics?
Phonics
So…what is phonics?

7. Two main elements Blending Recognising the letter sounds
in a written word, for example
c-u-p, and merging or synthesising
them in the order in which they
are written to pronounce the
word ‘cup’
Segmenting
Identifying the individual sounds in a spoken word (e.g. h-i-m) and writing down or manipulating letters for each sound to form the word ‘him’
Phonics is the approach used to teach the basic skills for reading and writing.
A good phonic programme will include …
Grapheme- phoneme correspondence in a clearly defined sequence (the alphabetic code)
Application of the highly important skill of blending (synthesising phonemes in order, all through a word to read it)
Application of the skill of segmenting words into constituent phonemes to spell
Blending and segmenting and will demonstrate that they are reversible processes
Blending and segmenting are reversible. They should be taught as so and the children should have the opportunity to practice and apply both skills.
Spelling is harder than reading thus explaining why writing is generally developed at a later stage.
As the slide explains…
Blending is recognising the letter sounds in a written word and merging or synthesising them in the order in which they are written to pronounce the
word.
And…
Segmenting is identifying the individual sounds in a spoken word and writing down or manipulating letters for each sound to form the word.

8. Phonics at Stafford Leys
phonics
At Stafford Leys we follow the Letters and Sounds programme as advised by the local authority.
The programme is a synthetic phonics approach which means that the children are taught to read by ‘synthesising’ (blending) the letter sounds together.

9. A phonetic approach to reading?
Phonics places much emphasis on teaching the letter sounds first.
The children are taught to listen carefully to the sounds in words, to identify them and relate them to the letters.
Children learn to read faster when they know the letter sounds, and can work out words for themselves.
Independent writing starts earlier and accurate spelling develops more quickly.
Phonics places much emphasis on teaching the letter sounds first.
The children are taught to listen carefully to the sounds in words, to identify them and relate them to the letters.
Children learn to read faster when they know the letter sounds, and can work out words for themselves.
Independent writing starts earlier and accurate spelling develops more quickly.

10. The advantages of using a
phonetic approach
It teaches the main letter sounds early on
It relates the sounds to the symbols and so helps the children to understand the alphabetic code used for reading and writing
It enables parents to be involved
When the children have a way of writing each letter sound, they are able to write whatever they want early on
It provides a multi sensory approach, linking sounds with movement
It teaches the main letter sounds early on
It relates the sounds to the symbols and so helps the children to understand the alphabetic code used for reading and writing
It enables parents to be involved
When the children have a way of writing each letter sound, they are able to write whatever they want early on
It provides a multi sensory approach, linking sounds with movement

11. Letters and Sounds DVD Phase 2
Enunciation
Teaching phonics requires a technical skill in enunciation
Phonemes should be articulated clearly and precisely c
As I keep mentioning, phonics is all about the letter ‘sounds’. A key part of this is using the correct ‘sound’.
Accurate enunciation is paramount!
Many difficulties experienced by children is due to the incorrect enunciation. For example…
Please say the sound that the letter m makes to the person next to you. Now try f.
Do you add ‘er’ or ‘eh’ to the sounds? This is very common and is partly due to the fact that adults such as yourselves were not taught to read in this way and so are not confident themselves.
Common mistakes include m, n, f
We must make sure that we only use the ‘pure’ sounds when working with children and that we correct any mistakes that they make.
Letters and Sounds DVD Phase 2

12. Cat becomes ker – a - ter Enunciation
Many errors spring from incorrect enunciation and it is difficult to synthesize words if this is not clear. Often, as adults we add on and ‘er’ or ‘eh’ to each phoneme. This means that the children are not able to hear the correct sounds and words and so are not able to then write and spell them correctly.
An example is if we added ‘er’ to cat, the word would become ker-a-ter.

13. 5 basic skills Letter sounds Letter formation Blending Segmenting
Tricky words
There are five basic skills covered in the teaching of Phonics:
These are…
Learning the letter sounds
Learning the letter formation
Blending (pushing the sounds together for reading)
Segmenting (splitting the word into sounds for spelling/writing)
Learning to read and then spell tricky words
The first four skills are taught every day from the beginning
Tricky words are introduced slightly later as they can not be decoded (blended) phonetically.
By the time tricky words are taught most children are able to work out simple regular words for reading and writing and are ready to learn the more difficult words.
The next few slides will explain each of these skills in more detail.

14. s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ll ss j v w x y z
Letter sounds
s a t p i n
m d g o c k
ck e u r h b
f ff l ll ss
j v w x y z
zz qu ch sh th ng
Letter sounds
Learning the letter sounds is the first skill.
There are 42 different letter sounds, but only 26 letters are used to represent them. For successful reading, children need to be fluent at recognising and saying the sounds that represent each of the letters.
The sounds are divided into groups, some of which you can see here.
The letter sounds are not taught in alphabetical order but from the simplest to the more complex letter sounds.
The first group of letters were chosen because you can make more simple three letter words than with any combination of six letters.

15. ai oa ie ee er ng oo ch sh ar th th qu ou ue Digraphs
Two letters that make one sound
ai oa ie ee er
ng oo ch sh ar
th th qu ou ue
As I have said, in English there are 44 sounds but only 26 letters to represent them. This means that some sounds have to be written in different ways.
The first of these ways is to use two letters to make one sound. This is called a digraph.
Some examples are shown on the slide.
The children have to learn that when certain letters are next to each other they work together to say a specific sound.
For example the ai works together to say ‘a’ as in rain and the ch words together to say ‘ch’ as in chain.

16. Split digraphs
Two letters that represent one sound but that are split by another letter
i-e as in like, engine, machine
a-e as in make, came, same
oe as in home
u-e as in rude
e-e as in these
We also have split diagraphs.
These are where two letters represent one sound but they are split by another letter such as the examples on the slide.

17. Three letters that make one sound
Trigraphs
Three letters that make one sound
igh as night and height
ear as in dear
air as in fair
ure as in sure
If only it stopped there!
Well it doesn’t…
We also have trigraphs.
These are three letters that make one sound as exemplified on the slide.

18. Learning the letter sound
Learning the ‘s’ phoneme
Action: using hand make a wavy shape from high to low to represent a snake moving whilst saying ‘s.’
S s
So we have talked about the sounds but how do we teach them in school?
We teach the sounds using a multisensory approach. This means that we use a wide range of techniques and strategies to help the children learn, understand and use the sounds effectively.
Within the EYFS there is an action linked to each letter sound. This is taught to the children and used to support their understanding.
Each sound and action is introduced through a story.
For example, the ‘s’ sound is introduced in a story where a snake goes for a walk around the school field and finds a stove where hot sausages are being cooked. He eats a sausage and burns his tongue which causes him to stick his tongue out and say sssssss.
For the action the children weave their hands in an s shape like a snake and say sssssss.

19. Letter formation See it: flash cards
Feel it: textured letters (sandpaper, ‘squidgy’ letters, string letters)
Write it: in the air, using paint, using water on the ground, in mud, snow, bath bubbles, sand…
The second basic skill is letter formation.
This involves showing the children how to correctly form and orientate the letter that gives the sound. (the letter shape and the correct way to write it)
A multisensory approach is used here too. Children experience the letter in a hands on way. This includes things such as writing the sound/letter in the air, on whiteboards, in sand, on a partners back with their finger and many more.
It is important to get the formation correct from the beginning before any bad habits develop.
Guidance or correction given at home when spotted support the work of the teacher in school greatly.
Within school, the children are taught the different letter forms and orientations for both right and left handed writers as appropriate.

20. EYFS Phoneme sheets
This is an example of a phoneme sheet that will be sent home four times weekly (one per day, Monday to Thursday) to be completed with parents help and sent back into school the following day.
Phoneme Book
Parents can play an important role in encouraging the children to learn the letter sound by going through the phoneme sheets and asking them to say the sounds.
Some children learn the sounds very easily, while the other find it much more difficult.
Those who find it difficult may be the children who have a poor visual memory, so support from home can make all the difference.
More complex sounds such as digraphs and trigraphs may take longer to learn as they are more difficult.
Phoneme Sheets –
The bottom part of the worksheet is for the parents:
It demonstrates the action for the letter sound,
It gives some words that have the new letter sound in them,
These words act as a guide to the sound the letter makes.
The sheets go home daily as the sound is learnt.
Within KS1 the sounds taught during the week are included on the weekly homework sheet to support the revision at home.

21. Pencil grip Tripod grip ‘Froggy legs’ movement Pencil Hold –
The “tripod” grip type of pencil hold makes it easier for children to write. They need to learn that:
The pencil goes between the thumb and the first finger.
The next finger stops the pencil falling down.
The last two fingers are not needed and should be tucked away.
Froggy Legs Movement –
The movement comes from the knuckles. When the pencil is moved in this way, it looks like “froggy legs”!
It is helpful to encourage your children to use this pencil hold. At school we say, “snappy fingers and froggy legs!.
The second diagram on the slide shows the developmental stages for pencil grip and it indicates that as early as possible, but certainly by the end of the EYFS, if not earlier, the children should be using the correct grip.

22. Blending (leading to reading)
S s
Blending (leading to reading) –
Blending is the third of the five basic skills:
This is pushing the sounds in the words together.
We begin teaching blending orally:
This is to listen for the word when the teacher or parent says the sounds. For example, f-u-n makes “fun.”
Children who can hear immediately that s-u-n is “sun” tend to have a naturally good ear for sounds. They rarely have problems with learning to blend sounds by themselves.
With Practice, all children become successful. However, it does take longer for some, and these children may find learning to read more difficult.
Much practice is required to master this skill, so reinforcing this type of activity at home is hugely beneficial.

23. sat it pat tap pan nip Blending words Blending Words –
When reading, children need to understand the meaning of the words.
Before they can do this, they have to be able to work out what the words say.
When looking at the letters in an unknown word, the child should say each sound out loud and then run them together to make the word.
Some children find it easy to blend words and others find it difficult. It is a skill that comes with practice.
When blending it is essential that the children only use the “pure sound” as explained earlier.
The skill can be practiced at home by children and adults alike!
If children have not focused on learning the pure sounds it can make their task harder as they will almost need to re learn some phonemes.

24. Segmenting (leading to writing)
dog
pig
Segmenting (identifying sounds is words) is the fourth of the 5 basic skills -
Listening for the sounds in words, as they are written, helps the children to spell them. (For example, the sounds in the word “hat” are h-a-t. Hold up a finger for each sound.
Writing simple words becomes easy for children when they can hear the sounds in words and know how to write them. (Demonstrate again, but this time write the letters on a board as you say them … “hat” – h-a-t. model the letters in the way the children will be taught to write them.)
It is quite important to point out that hearing problems such as glue ear, or speech and language difficulties can make the blending and segmenting skill trickier for the children.
Also often children can hear the initial and final sound but struggle to hear the medial sound e.g. c-a-t, they may struggle to hear the “a”.
nest

25. Reading tricky words Tricky Words –
Teaching tricky words is the fifth of the five basic skills-
At this stage the children are very familiar with working out regular words by blending,
Now they have to learn that some words have tricky bits, and when they are blended they do not always give the correct pronunciation,
Letters and sounds, the scheme that is followed throughout key stage one, provides a list of 100 common words that the children need to know in order to become fluent at reading and writing,
These words are introduced in the foundation stage and continue through key stage one. However, foundation stage children may not yet have had a copy of the words sent home as it may not yet be appropriate.
It is important that the children can recognise the words quickly in and out or context without the need to break them down into individual sounds.
Tricky words or high frequency words as they are commonly called, need to be learnt by sight so the children have to use strategies such as recognising the shape of the word etc. rather than the skill of blending and segmenting to read them.

26. s a t i p n Games Games (For Practice and Revision)
Children need lots of revision – and all the better if they have fun doing it!
Once the sounds have been taught they can be used to play games or complete fun activities.
For example…using a set of sound cards or a game board…
Pairs Game – Place the cards face down, ensuring there are two of each letter sound. A child turns over two cards, one at a time, saying the sounds. If they are the same, the child keeps them and has another go. The child with the most cars at the end is the winner.
Snap – Play snap in the usual way, making sure the children say the letter sound before calling out “snap”. The aim is to make the children so familiar with the letter sounds that their response is automatic and fluent.
Flashcards – The letters can be used as little flashcards.
Making Words- Simple words can be made with the cards and blended.
Dictation Games – Say a sound/word or sentence for the children to write down or complete the action etc.

27. What games can you play at home?
Sound/action/word recognition games
Show your child a sound and ask them to complete the action, say the sound, or give an object that begins with that sound
Turn a set of ‘sound’ cards face up, you complete an action or say a sound and ask your child to find the correct card to match it
Show an object and ask your child to find the beginning sound, or show the action
Quick recall of words that they are shown
Use the words in a sentence. Orally or written
Lots of variety is best
What Games Can You Play At Home?
Sound/action/word recognition games
Show your child a sound and ask them to complete the action, say the sound, or give an object that begins with that sound
Turn a set of ‘sound’ cards face up, you complete an action or say a sound and ask your child to find the correct card to match it
Show an object and ask your child to find the beginning sound, or show the action
Quick recall of words that they are shown
Use the words in a sentence. Orally or written
Lots of variety is best Sound, action or word recognition game.

28. Other games to play Spot the sound/letter/word Pairs game Snap
Reading words
Building words and sentences
Letter/word/sentence bingo
Other Games to Play –
Pairs Game- Matching the sound or word. Mix up a set of sound or words cards and place them face down on a table. Take it in turns to pick up two cars, if the sounds/words/ match, you win those cards and have another go. If not, the cards are turned face down again and it is the next players turn. The person to get the most pairs is the winner.
Snap – Play in the usual way, making sure the children say the letter, sound, or the word, before calling “snap”,
The aim is to make the children so familiar with the sound/word that their response is automatic and fluent.
Reading Words – If using letters, they can be arranged to make lots of simple regular words. If using words they can be arranged to make a sentence. The sentence can be discussed. Does it make sense? Is it real or nonsense?
Once the children are confident with the sounds or works, you may like to make some deliberate mistakes for fun, and see if they correct you!
Building Words –This time, the children are told a simple regular words e.g. pig, pot, etc. They then have to listen out for the sounds, pick up the letters that make the sound and lay them out in the correct order. They then need to check if it’s correct by blending the sounds and getting back to the original word.

29. Sharing books
To support the revision and application of phonic knowledge it is also extremely important to read books to, and with, children and talk about the things read.
It gives the children…
A love of books/texts
A much wider vocabulary
And helps them to understand our language.
However, it does not teach them to read book for themselves. For this, the children need to learn how the code works. This is what phonics provides.

30. Reading together School reading books Reading books from home
Library books
Newspapers
Magazines
Comics
Cereal packets
Game instructions
Etc, etc, etc
At Stafford Leys all year groups ask you to hear your child read frequently as part of the homework tasks that are set. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, this is the most important part of the homework as although we hear the children read individually during the guided reading sessions we do not sit with the children on a one to one basis.
The children are provided with school books for this purpose.
However there are many other opportunities to explore books or other reading materials together such as looking at newspapers of comics, joining the local library and visiting together, reading books or other texts at home and many many more.

31. Independent writing The children need to know: The 42 letter sounds
How to hear the sounds in words
One way of writing the letters for the sounds
What they want to say
Independent Writing –
As I have mentioned, the ability to apply phonic skills develops at a later stage.
Once the children are able to write words and little sentences in this way, they are ready for some independent writing,
First, the children should think of a sentence they want to write,
Then they need to think of each word in turn and write down letters for the sounds they can hear.
Then they need to re read the sentence to check that they have included all of the intended words.
At this stage the children’s spelling will not be accurate, but their work can be read,
This is very empowering and encouraging for a youngster.
Accurate Spelling –
Accurate spelling develops through –
reading plenty of books,
knowing the ways English sounds are written,
following a phonics programme,
The children with a good visual memory may become better at spelling as they find it easier to recall what the work looks like e.g. tall or long letters, length etc. They may also find it easier to visualise the kinaesthetic actions that they have been taught.

32. Praise and encouragement
Inspire them to keep learning
Keep them motivated and excited about learning
Verbal praise and rewards such as stickers are excellent encouragers
Praise and Encouragement –
Children need lots of praise and encouragement to inspire them and to keep them motivated and excited about learning.
Verbal praise and rewards such as stickers are excellent encouragers.

33. Parents
Support from home is invaluable in helping your child to learn to read and write.
It is essential that home and school work closely together in order to provide the best support for your child.
Support from home is invaluable in helping your child to learn to read and write.
It is essential that home and school work closely together in order to provide the best support for your child.
The more you are able to support your child at home, the better experience they will have with learning to read and write – and it is proven that children who have a high amount of support at home make more progress with Literacy skills.

34. Key points! Every child is different
Children learn/progress at different rates
Do not become frustrated – keep going. It will eventually pay off! We promise!!!
There are a few key point to remember when supporting your child at home.
Please remember that...
Every child is different. Children find different things easy/hard – Do not compare to siblings or friends.
Children learn/progress at different rates. They will get it!
Some children find it easier to read by sight or memory rather then blending but will also use phonics clues to support this.
Do not become frustrated – Keep Going. It will eventually pay off! I promise!!!

35. Thank you for attending the Stafford Leys Phonics afternoon Any questions?