The English Language is complicated.
There are 26 letters in the English Language.
There are 44 different sounds.
There are over 1,000 ways of writing those sounds.
How do we teach phonics?
“The teaching of ‘synthetic phonics’ offers the
vast majority of children the best and most
direct route to becoming skilled readers and
writers.”
(Rose report 2006)
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Read, Write Inc is a phonics program that we started
in November.
The program covers; the teaching of phonics,
reading, spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing.
Each child is assessed regularly and put into a small
group depending upon their reading ability.
The children are grouped across the years to make
best use of teaching staff.
Phonics teaching takes place every day when
possible.
Every child is unique and therefore learns at a
different pace to their peers.
At Maple we work hard to deliver appropriate
phonic sessions for your child.
Every member of staff that teaches RWI has
been on a 2 day training course.
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Set 1 sounds: 31 sounds are taught in a fun way with a
focus on the correct formation of the letter.
Each sound (called phoneme) has a phrase or rhyme to
help the children remember it.
And a picture for visual learners.
Magnetic letters are sometimes used to build words if
children are having trouble writing the letters or for
speed.
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Fred is a frog that can only Fred Talk!
C-a-t
D-o-g
He can only speak purely and in a clear voice with no ‘ugh’
sound.
m a s d t p I
Sounds are not taught in alphabetical order. They are
taught in groups so that words can be built as soon as
possible and reading can begin.
mat sat lap
 Green
words are words that can be
sounded out.
 b-u-sh
 s-w-i-m
Red words have ‘grotty graphemes’ that
can’t be sounded out.
the
my
I
what
They just have to be learnt!
When all 31 sounds have been taught, reading
books are introduced.
These reading books use sounds that have already
been learnt by the children.
This will give them success and confidence when
reading .
Each child has a reading partner of a similar ability
giving them the opportunity to be the ‘teacher’.
Each book is read 3 times in a week.
When the children are ready they will be taught
Set 2 and 3 sounds
These are the alternative ways of writing some of
the phonemes. e.g.
ie
i_e
y
er
ir
ur
or
ore
oor
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Using the reading the books as a stimulus, writing
activities are taught.
Hold a sentence
Punctuation
Build a sentence
Edit a sentence
Power words
Composition
Redrafting
Once the children have learnt all the common phonic
sounds and read the grey books, they will have literacy
lessons.
These lessons will use real books, for comprehension,
writing stimulus, increasing vocabulary and spelling
rules.
Phonics will still be a big part of the lesson.
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Encourage you child to read when you are out and
about.
Hear them read their reading books daily.
Read stories to your children.
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In reception
Letters that been learnt during the week will come home
on a Friday.
Some children will be given words to learn.
In years 1 and 2
A list of spellings will come home on a Monday and be
tested in school on a Friday.
Please help your children by going through the words or
sounds at home.
Make their writing have a purpose.
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Notes
Messages
Postcards
Diaries
Lists
Photo albums
Letters
Cards