Phonics & Reading Evening

What is phonics?

• Phonics is the link between letters and the sounds that they make.

• We teach this through a structured programme which works through six progressive phases (Letters and Sounds)

• Children are taught:• The full range of common letter/ sound correspondences• To hear separate sounds within words• To blend sounds together

What are speech sounds?• Although there are 26 letters in the English alphabet there are

more than 40 speech sounds.

• Children should learn each letter by its sound, not its name. For instance, the letter a should be called a (as in ant) not ai (as in aim).  Similarly, the letter n should be nn (as in net), not en. This will help in blending. The names of each letter can follow later.

Jolly Phonics• Teaches the main 42 sounds of the English language• The sounds are split into 7 groups• Includes synthetic phonics where 2 (or more) letters make one

sound e.g. ee and or (these are called digraphs)• Also includes digraphs were the same letters can make different

sounds e.g. oo in look and in moon• Each sound has an action which helps children remember the

letter(s) that represent it.

The Phases

Phase One (Nursery & Early Rec.)•Phase one comprises of seven aspects.•Aspect One: Environmental Sounds•Aspect Two: Instrumental Sounds•Aspect Three: Body Percussion•Aspect Four: Rhythm and Rhyme•Aspect Five: Alliteration•Aspect Six: Voice Sounds•Aspect Seven: •Oral Blending - Hearing a series of spoken sounds and merging (blending) them together to make a spoken word. (b/u/s)

and segmenting – splitting a word up into sounds.

The PhasesPhase Two •By the end of phase two children should be able to read some vc (it, at) and cvc (cat, pin) words.•Children will also learn to read the words ‘the, to, go, I and no.’•Five sets of letters are introduced – at a rate of approximately one set per week.

Set 1: s, a, t, pSet 2: i, n, m, dSet 3: g, o, c, kSet 4: ck, e, u, rSet 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

The PhasesPhase Three (This is where we are currently working)•The children are taught another 25 graphemes•They continue to blend (for reading) and segment (for writing) CVC words•Children will then use this knowledge to blend and segment two syllable words.

•Set 6: j, v, w, x•Set 7: y, z, zz, qu•Consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng•Vowel digraphs: ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er

The Phases

Phases 4, 5 and 6

These phases are generally taught in Year 1 and Year 2 and build upon the knowledge and understanding the children

have gained in the first 3 phases.

What you can do to help?

• Familiarise yourself with jolly phonics and the sounds different letters make (see links)

• Be careful with the pronunciation of some of the sounds (see video)

• Reinforce the children’s learning in school by encouraging your child to sound out as they are reading and writing.

What can you do to help?• Build on your child’s curiosity and interest in reading when you’re

out and about.• Ask your child questions about what they have read to aid their

comprehension • Read both school reading books and other books they enjoy as

often as you can.• The words your child brings home on their key ring are ‘high

frequency words’ (the most popular words that appear in the books) and the children need to practise both reading and writing these where possible.

Early Learning GoalsThese are the goals which the children will be assessed against at the end of

the year. Children are assessed in the following areas:•Personal, Social and Emotional Development

•Physical Development•Communication and Language

•Literacy•Mathematics

•Expressive Arts•Knowledge and Understanding of the world

We will also assess the pupils’ progress in phonics to ensure smooth transition into Year One.

Reading Early Learning Goal

Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some

common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what

they have read.

WritingEarly Learning Goal

Children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write

some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and

others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.

Useful Resources

• www.jollylearning.co.uk (This is the Jolly phonics website with lots of useful information, including videos which show correct pronunciation of the sounds and the corresponding actions)

• www.phonicsplay.co.uk (This website has lots of phonics games – some are free some require a subscription)

• www.letters-and-sounds.com (This website has lots of information about each phase of phonics and links to different games)

If there you have any questions or require any more information please let me know.