1. Welcome to St John’s Infants Parent Workshop 16 th October 2014 Phonics

2. What is Phonics? "The sounding-out-and-blending approach to decoding is known as synthetic phonics. In a synthetic phonics program, students are taught to decode new words by retrieving from memory the sound that each letter, or combination of letters, in a word represents and blending the sounds into a recognisable word (National Reading Panel, 2000). It is a parts-to- whole approach (Strickland, 1998)."

3. English Language  How many letters in the English alphabet?  26  How many different phonemes (sounds) are there that make up the English language?  44  How many different graphemes (combinations of written letters) are used to make these 44 sounds?  Over 150.

4. Ruth Miskin Literacy  Read Write Inc. Phonics is aimed at four to seven-year-old children who are learning to read and write  It is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme  It is a full teaching programme proven to develop: fluent, enthusiastic readers confident speakers keen writers  Seven of the twelve schools highlighted as outstanding in Ofsted’s report, Reading by Six, used Read Write Inc. Phonics in their literacy lessons.

5. Phonic Programme Children are taught to:  learn to read and write letter-sound correspondences quickly  decode effortlessly, spell and handwrite easily  comprehend what they read  read with fluency and expression  write confidently using oral rehearsal  work effectively with a partner to articulate their learning at every step Every child succeeds.

6. The Simple View of Reading Reading to Learn/Learning to Read

7. Language Rich Environment This is essential both at home and in school in order to support our children we must ensure that we are;  Talking with them  Reading with them  Learning about new words  Teaching comprehension strategies This will help us to bridge the gap between children who are ‘talked to’ and children who are ‘talked at’

8. Teaching Programme The children will follow;  Speed sounds Set 1  Word time and blending  Ditty books and ditty a day worksheet  Speed sounds Set 2  Green to Grey storybooks  Speed Sounds Set 3  Comprehension

9. In Foundation 2  Teach 4 sounds a week using phonics as our daily literacy session. All children work together for 30 mins.  Children are assessed continually and will be set once Set 1 is complete  We use word time as group focus activities for children when they are ready and this will also be reinforced in phonic sessions if needed  Some children will begin working on ditty books and worksheets before the end of this term.  All other children will work on blending and recapping Set 1 sounds  In the Spring term children will be reassessed and grouped ready for 25 min phonic session daily from 9.00 - 9.25, incorporating the reading books into the sessions

10. In Year 1  Children are assessed at the beginning of the year and placed into a group at the appropriate level.  Daily phonic sessions (25 minutes) each morning.  During phonic sessions, we focus upon hearing the sound, saying the sound, reading the sound and writing the sound.  Children are split across 4 groups working on a ditty a day, speed sounds set 2 and speed sounds set 3.  Children are continually assessed to ensure continued progress and teaching at the appropriate level.  In some phonic sessions, children visit a book related to a sound they have learnt to consolidate their skills.

11. In Year 2  Children have recently been assessed and will be placed into a group at the appropriate level.  Phonic sessions (25 minutes) three mornings a week with two mornings a week dedicated to reading.  During phonic sessions, we focus upon hearing the sound, saying the sound, reading the sound and writing the sound.  Children will be split across 4 groups working on speed sounds set 2 and speed sounds set 3.  Children will be continually assessed to ensure continued progress and teaching at the appropriate level.  In some phonic sessions, children will visit a book related to a sound they have learnt to consolidate their skills.  Once these sounds have been mastered the children will be challenged through reading and comprehension activities.

12. The Five Principles  Pace  Praise a lot  Purpose  Participation  Passion

13. Phonic lesson  Find perfect partner position  Introduce yourself and get ready to join in  EVERYONE must join in at all times in order to ensure that nobody feels left out.  Enjoy and please ask questions if there is anything you are unsure of

14. Phonics in Action  You are now welcome to join your child in class to share learning and observe phonic activities taking place.  Please join in with your child and ask any questions if you need to. Thank you for attending the workshop today and for your continued support