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Phonics and Spelling
Learning to read and write at St Barnabas – Information for Parents
We use a variety of methods and resources matched to the individual to support learning. Download the PowerPoint presentation to find out more.
DOWNLOAD: Phonics power point for parents
These videos may help you support your child with phonics learning.
Sounding out a basic CVC word.
It is really important you don’t say the letter name but use the letter sounds when sounding out a word. This allows blending letters together to be much easier.
Thinking about alternative digraphs and where they may come in a word. This helps the child not only with their reading but also when they come across these sounds in their writing. It challenges them to think independently about which alternative digraph they need to use to ensure a word is spelt correctly.
You don’t always need to start at the beginning of a word to sound it out. Break the word down. Identify the trickiest part within a word first, can help your child sounding it out.
Reading is an essential life skill and as a result we place strong emphasis on children becoming confident, strong readers who enjoy reading for purpose and pleasure.
In our Foundation Stage Class, Year 1 and Year 2, phonics is used as a crucial tool for helping children to become competent readers early in their school life.
What is phonics?
Phonics is a systematic way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. Whilst there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, spoken English uses about 42 sounds (phonemes). These phonemes are represented by a letter or group of letters (graphemes). The teaching of phonics begins by teaching children the letter sounds in isolation and then building up to blending the sounds together to read whole words. In turn children are then able to use their phonic skills to segment words to support with spelling.
How is phonics taught at our school?
Our approach to teaching phonics is through using ‘Letters and Sounds’ which breaks the teaching of phonics down into six phases which are taught throughout the EYFS and Key Stage one. We use the Jolly Phonics program which uses actions and rhymes to help us remember the sounds and Read Write Inc which help us form the letters.
Every child in Reception and Key Stage One receives daily focused phonics sessions. This is also provided for children in Key Stage 2 who require additional support with phonics. We aim for our lessons to be fast paced, engaging and fun. We expect children to use the skills they have acquired through phonics teaching in all reading, writing and spelling activities, therefore we ensure that phonics is embedded in all areas of our curriculum.
Our daily phonics lessons also include the teaching of ‘Tricky words’. These are words that cannot be read phonetically e.g. was, because.
The Year One phonics screening
The phonics screening check is a short, simple assessment to make sure that all pupils have learned phonic decoding to an appropriate standard by the age of 6. The check comprises a list of 40 words and non-words which the child will read one-to-one with a teacher.
Phonics and Spelling
Download: Ways to practice your spellings
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