St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School EYFS Phonics
Phonics
Our phonics and reading programme is called Read Write Inc, or RWI for short.
What is Read, write Inc?
Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics based programme which helps children learn to read whilst also developing a wide range of vocabulary and encouraging a love of stories.
FS1
In FS1 we focus on seven aspects which are designed to help children:
- Listen attentively;
- Widen their vocabulary;
- Speak confidently to adults and other children;
- Discriminate between phonemes (sounds);
- Reproduce audibly the phonemes they hear, in order, all through the word;
- Use sound-talk to segment words into phonemes
The Seven Aspects
The seven aspects of phase 1, are covered during your child’s time in FS1. By being aware of these aspects, you may find opportunities to reinforce their learning at home.
Aspect 1: Sounds around us e.g. listening to leaves rustling, wind howling etc
Aspect 2: Sounds that can be made with instruments e.g. kitchen utensils etc
Aspect 3: Sounds that can be made with the body e.g. clapping, stamping etc
Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme e.g. nursery rhymes
Aspect 5: Words that begin with the same sounds e.g. pitter/patter
Aspect 6: Sounds that can be made with the voice e.g. whispering, whistling etc
Aspect 7: Saying sounds within words clearly e.g. c-a-t = cat
In the spring term, we introduce letters and focus on blending orally e.g. c-a-t=cat
Oral blending
Click here to watch a video to support you to teach your child oral blending.
FS2
All your children are assessed and grouped according to their phonic knowledge and ability.
They work daily with a member of staff, at their level, to learn sounds. They are also expected to read and write words containing the sounds they know.
Read Write Inc. Speed Sounds
At the heart of Read Write Inc. Phonics is the systematic teaching of all the common sounds in the English language (RWI calls these the Speed Sounds). Children are taught to recognise the sounds and to put them together (‘sound blend’ them) into words for reading.
Children are taught one way of representing the 44 main sounds of English first, and then go on to learn the alternative spellings later on.
Once children know the first set of Speed Sounds, they are ready to read the first Storybooks.
Please see files to download below for Set 1 speed sounds. When your child knows these you can move onto Set 2 speed sounds.
Below are the set 1 and 2 sounds:
Elly and Fred
t
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/BuhsVEBB/LnOcDII1
i
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/sjzf767m/hyszSB4K
n
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/0VMyQ1IU/QnsQSOrs
p
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/l1XyuKbo/GBJxkN6o
g
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UumriU5a/TopqDTnC
How do I say the sound?
It is essential that children use 'pure sounds' when segmenting and blending.
This ensures that they are pronouncing all sounds correctly.
For more information about how to pronounce each sound, see the video below.
Green Words
During our Read Write Inc sessions we practise our reading skills by reading ‘Green Words’. These are words that are decodable because they only contain sounds that your child will be able to recognise. The children have met Fred during our sessions. Fred is a frog who cannot read words as we can but says everything in sounds, or ‘Fred Talk’.
The children know to sound out or ‘Fred Talk’ each sound whilst pointing underneath the letters, then to blend the sounds to make the word. If your child knows them on sight they can read them without sounding out and this is an important progression in their reading.
Please see files to download for green words that your child can practise reading and writing. Please work on Set 1 green words first and then you can move on to set 2, then 3, then 4, when they are confident.
Please click here to see a video to help you support your child with blending to read words.
Red Words
In the Read, Write, Inc. scheme ‘red words’ are used to help the children recognise the fact that there are words that are tricky to read because you cannot sound them out in the normal way. With your child, look for the parts of each word that they can sound out normally and then identify the parts that are tricky! Your child needs to be able to read these words on sight. We will be sending home lists of red words for you to help your child learn.
Please see files to download for red words. Please support your child to read and then write these words. Don't forget these are tricky words and you can't sound them out in the normal way. Start with the easy ones such as I, and, the, me and my, and then move onto the others.
Have a look at these resources and games to help you to support your child at home.
Click on the image below to access Topmarks Phonics games to support your child with reading.
Click on the image below to access Phonics Bloom Phonics games to support your child with reading.
