What do the children learn
in school?
READING
The children:
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture
prompts
- Learn to read words using sound blending
- Read lively stories featuring words they have
learned to sound out
What is Read Write Inc.?
Read Write Inc. is a programme for
primary school children learning to
read. It enables every child to become
a confident and fluent reader at the
first attempt. Every child who completes Read Write Inc. learns to read
fluently and confidently.
- Have meaningful discussions led by an adult
where comprehension of the story is built upon
Children are assessed so they work with
children at the same reading level for an
hour a day. This allows them to take a full
part in all lessons.
WRITING
The children:
- Learn to write the letters/letter groups
which represent the 44 sounds
Useful Websites
- Learn to write words by saying the sounds
and graphemes
- Learn to build sentences orally using adventurous vocabulary
- Start with simple sentences and develop towards more complex ones by the end of the
programme
- Compose a range of texts using discussion
prompts
TALKING
They work in pairs so that they:
- Answer every question
- Practise every activity with their partner
http://www.oup.com/oxed/primary/rwi/
forparents/
Contains extra information about the programme and the link to the sounds PowerPoint.
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Reading/
Lots of online storybooks and fun activities that
your child can complete at home
http://www.ruthmiskinliteracy.com/
For more information about Read Write Inc.
Reading opens the door to all
learning. A child who reads a lot
will become a good reader. A
good reader will be able to read
challenging material. A child who
reads challenging material is a
child who will learn. The more a
child learns the more a child
wants to find out.
It is, therefore, vital that your
child finds learning to read and
write a rewarding and successful
experience.
This booklet outlines the way
our literacy programme works.
We hope that you will not
hesitate to ask for any help
throughout the programme. We
are here for your child!
How can I help my child learn to read?
Read as many stories to your child as you can. Traditional tales, stories from other cultures, poetry, their favourite story - talk about the stories with them. Explain
the meaning of new words. Most importantly though, show the fun that can be gained by listening to stories.
Speed Sounds
Before you start to help your child, practise saying the sounds using the PowerPoint presentation on the website. These are the sounds we use to
speak in English. We use pure sounds (‘m’ not’ muh’,’s’ not ‘suh’, etc.) so that your child will be able to blend the sounds into words more easily. At
school we use a character called Fred who can do this beautifully! You can practice the speed sounds with your child on the top of the ditty page or
in the front of their storybook that they take home.
Green Words
Children learn to read words by blending the letter-sounds together. Help your child to say the pure sounds, as quickly as they can, and then to blend
the sounds together to say the whole word. We call this Fred Talk e.g. l-e-g, b-a-ck, h-ea-d, p-e-n, c-u-p, g-r-ee-n . You can practise the green words
at the top of the ditty page or in the front of the storybook at home.
Red Words
‘It is hard to Fred a Red!’ Help your child to remember the red words by constantly revising them. These words contain tricky parts that are hard
to sound out, so expose them to these words as much as possible. Tell them the word if they get stuck and talk through the tricky part e.g. “was”
sounds like “woz” so the “a-s” is the tricky part. You can find the red words at the top of the ditty page or in the front of the storybooks.
Read the Ditty/Storybooks
Ask your child to read the story/ditty independently however if your child hesitates when reading remind them to use ‘Fred Talk’ to read the
word. Every time your child reads a story their reading should improve. On the first reading of a story a child should focus on working out all of
the words (it is often quite slow). The second reading they should be thinking about what is happening in the story and what it means (the reading should have sped up). The third time a child reads a story they should begin to sound like storytellers: reading quickly, using expression, responding to punctuation and using character voices.
Speed Words (Storybooks only)
In the back of the storybooks you will find a grid filled with words. Your child needs to practise reading these at speed (without using
‘Fred Talk’). Play a game using the words: work across the rows or down the columns and every time your child hesitates or uses ‘Fred Talk’
get them to start at the beginning again.