Phonics
At Mere Green, we prioritise Early Reading. We provide excellent teaching and learning opportunities so that every pupil will learn to read fluently and confidently, regardless of their background, needs or abilities, and endeavour to develop a life-long enjoyment of reading and books. In order to achieve this, we follow a systematic phonics programme to ensure all children become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1.
What is Read, Write, Inc?
Read Write Inc is a phonics programme for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who are learning to read. It is also for children in KS2 who may need extra practise. Within the programme every child learns to:
- Read accurately and fluently, and develop a love of reading
- Spell, handwrite and develop their ideas for writing
- Articulate their understanding and practise what they have been taught
Children are regularly assessed and grouped according to their current reading ability; not their year group. This ensures all children are reading at the appropriate level of challenge.
Each day children are:
- Taught new sounds (they will learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups)
- Learn to read words using sound blending (Fred Talk)
- Practise spelling words containing these sounds
- Read decodable books containing sounds and words they can read
- Develop their ideas into sentences so that they can write about the storybooks they read
Children read each storybook three times in class with their partner. Re-reading the same book helps children to become confident and fluent readers. We set a focus for each read in school:
- The first read focuses on reading every word accurately (decoding)
- The second on reading the story more quickly (fluency)
- The third read on comprehension (understanding what they read)
Child have access to the same RWI book home to read and enjoy with parents again and again to showcase their reading skills. This is through an e-book on the Oxford Owl website. Please see the ‘Reading’ section of the website for more information on the books that will be sent home each week, under ‘Home Readers’.
Progression of Read, Write, Inc
All children are assessed half termly by our Phonics and English Lead so they work at an appropriate level suited to their sound needs. Any child who is working below expectations will receive daily robust intervention so children keep up, not catch up.
In Reception, children:
- Learn to say, read and write Set 1 sounds
- Write sounds using correct letter formation – we do not use letter names at this stage
- Begin to read and write simple, decodable words
- Begin to read and write simple sentences
In Year 1, children:
- Learn to say, read and write Set 2 and Set 3 sounds
- Write sounds using correct letter formation – we introduce letter names in Set 3
- Spell using known sounds
- Begin to read with fluency and expression
By the end of Spring term in Year 2, we aim for all children to become accurate and fluent readers and move onto Shared Reading, (see the ‘Reading’ section of the website).
How can I support my child at home?
It is evidenced that the more a person practises a new skill, the stronger the pathways in the brain become, proving that ‘practise makes permanent’.
You can support your child at home by:
- Using ‘Fred Talk’ when saying a word to see if your child can blend it e.g. Get your c-oa-t
- Using ‘Fred Talk’ when reading a new word
- Spotting ‘Special Friends’ in words (see the list of special friends (two or more combined letters) below under ‘Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds’)
- Blending sounds together when reading
- Listening to them read daily
- Reading to them daily
Pure sounds and Blending
When we say sounds in RWI, it’s important we use pure sounds. For example, we say ‘t’ not ‘tug’, or ‘r’ not ‘ruh’. It is much easier for children to blend when using pure sounds. Learn how to pronounce all 44 phonics sounds, or phonemes, below, along with how to orally blend.
