Phonics and Early Reading
INTENT: Learning to read is the most important thing your child will learn at our school. Everything else depends on it, so we put as much energy as we possibly can into making sure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible. We want your child to love reading – and to want to read for themselves. This is why we put our efforts into making sure they develop a love of books as well as simply learning to read. At St. Peter’s CE we use Read Write Inc Phonics/Reading. Read, Write Inc. has 5 underlying principles – the five Ps:
1. PACE – no time is wasted during teaching sessions! Children are active and involved in a fun and creative way. The aim is for the children to complete the programme as quickly as possible.
2. PRAISE – teachers praise the children constantly throughout the teaching sessions. Children learn more quickly when they are praised for what they do well, rather than nagged for what they do wrong. The children are encouraged to praise each other and as a school we have developed several ‘Praise Phrases’ and ‘Praise actions’. Ask your child to demonstrate!
3. PURPOSE – each activity has a very clear purpose. The teacher will set this purpose at the beginning of the lesson so that the children know exactly what they will be learning.
4. PARTICIPATION – all children take part in all parts of the lesson. Full participation is gained through partner work and choral response.
5. PASSION – as a staff we are passionate about our teaching and the benefits of the Read, Write Inc. programme! We love teaching the sessions and this enthusiasm rubs off onto the children.
IMPLEMENTATION: Read, Write Inc is a tried and tested, highly successful phonics programme for children aged 4 to 7 who are learning to read and write. It teaches children how to both decode and understand written language to become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. This is achieved by a dynamic approach to teaching phonics that is consistent across the school using the Read, Write Inc phonics resources and fully decodable reading books.
Children are grouped according to their ability in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 to ensure that teaching is matched to their level. Phonics in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 takes place on a daily basis. Children in Key Stage 2 that still require phonics teaching, continue with a specially tailored programme (RWInc) to meet their individual needs.
Shared Reading forms part of the daily phonics lessons and is led by the reading teachers. All texts are linked to the child's phonic ability. Children enjoy one focus text per week and learning activities support accurate and fluent reading to facilitate comprehension. In addition, children take fully decodable reading books home to further practise skills learnt at school. These books are matched to each child's phonics ability and are closly monitored by the reading teachers to ensure that children are reading books of an appropriate level. Each child visits the school library every week to select a book of their choice to share at home.
We start by teaching phonics to the children in the Reception class. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the (Phonemes) sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down (Graphemes). This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well.
We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters. Once the children have learnt to blend accurately, they start to read with fluency. This is achieved through speedy reading of individual words and repeated reads of their shared reading books. 'Tricky words' such as 'once' 'said' 'the' are not phonetically decodable and these are taught explicitly as part of the reading session. To develop the child's love of stories, we have dedicated story time, across all Key Stages, daily. The teachers read to the children so that they get to know a variety of stories, poetry and information books. They acquire new vocabulary through our word aware teaching, which focuses on embedding new words into their authographic memory.
Children who join the School throughout the year are quickly assessed in phonics and put in the correct group according to their phonics ability. Children progress from Read Write Inc. Phonics to the Read Write Inc. Spelling in year 2 upwards throughout the school. A dedicated spelling session is taought daily.
SEN pupils are fully involved in Read Write Inc lessons as children work in groups with others who at their level. Teaching is geared to the speed of progress of each group. Additional 1:1 tuition may take place, but this will be identified by teachers in conjunction with the Read Write Leader. Children significantly below expected attainment are regularly assessed to support progression.
Assessment:
Children are assessed throughout every lesson through teacher observation. Teachers assess how children:
• Recognise and say the sounds
• Read the green and red word lists
• Decode the ditty/story
• Comprehend the story Formal assessment is completed at least once per half-term by the Read Write Inc. Leader. This checks individual children’s ability to recognise and say each sound and blend and say real and nonsense words. This assessment is then used to place children in groups with other children at a similar stage to them.
IMPACT:
The Read Write Inc Manager:
- Assesses all children on the programme and designates pupils to the correct groups.
- ‘Drops in’ on Read Write Inc groups to give advice and informally check that pupils are in the correct groups.
- Where necessary models lessons.
- Speaks with the Senior Leadership Team and English Team regarding groupings, teaching spaces and other pertinent matters.
- Liaises when necessary with Emma Griffiths (Read Write Inc representative) and the Lacey Green English Hub.
Useful Links:
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk
Oxford Owl is a free website built to support you with your child’s learning. You’ll find age-specific reading and maths tips and activities, eBooks, and lots of fun ideas to really bring your child’s learning to life. You will also find support and advice on a range of questions you may have – including helping your child with their phonics, motivating boys to read and ensuring your child is doing their best in maths.
www.bookstart.co.uk
This website provides information about the national Bookstart scheme and the Bookstart packs that your child will receive as a baby, a toddler and at age three to four. It also gives information about sharing books with your child. You can find out about Bookstart events in your area, which you can attend with your child.
What can I do to help?
Below are some videos to support parents with the way we teach phonics.
Please also see our School Twitter and Half Termly Newsletter for information about parent workshops.