Supporting Phonics and Reading with my child

Aims

·Understand the process of phonics teaching·Understand the terminology used in school and by your children·Understand how to support your child's reading with their school reading scheme books·Understand the process of how your child learns to read·Understand the range of reading abilities that you would expect at this age·FEEL MORE CONFIDENT TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD!

Phonics is a method for teaching reading and writing by developing learners' phonic awareness.

This is the ability to hear and identify sounds, so that they can link the sounds to the letters that represent them (in other words the basics of reading and writing). Ultimately they shouldn't need phonics except for unfamiliar words.

What are phonemes, graphemes and digraphs?

What is segmenting and blending?

a ai

p ai n pain

(Website)

We follow the Letters and Sounds programme which is organised in phases.

Phase 1General sound discrimination (body percussion, instrumental and environmental sounds); rhyme; alliteration; voice sounds; oral segmenting and blending.

Phase 2To teach at least 19 letters and move the children from oral segmenting and blending to visual with letters. We teach this using the Jolly Phonics which is a multi sensory approach.

Letters at phase 2

s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

The sound is important at this point.

b ack

m o p

Phase 3To teach another 26 graphemes (most of which are digraphs) so that children can represent 43 phonemes with a grapheme

j, v, w, x, y, z, w, qu, ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, igh, oa, oo,ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er

sh ee p

ch i ck

Phonics in Year 1 and 2

In Year 1 Children will begin revising phase 3 digraphs before moving on to thinking about different representation of each sound.

eg Children will be taught that ai can be represented by the graphemes ay and a_e

They will also learn that graphemes are sometimes pronounced differently

i fin, find, g got, giant

ow cow, blow

c cat, cent ou out, shoulder, could, you

The primary focus will be on segmenting and blending for reading

eg Play

Children will work with both real and pseudo words (which the children know as alien words) in order to perfect their oral segmenting and blending

eg blaimbreep

How are children taught the different phonemes?

·Introduced to the sounds with a set of cards·Sound on one side ·A picture and caption on the other·Used on a daily basis in all Year 1 classrooms

How are children taught to segment and blend?

·Interactive games eg Obb and Bob·Use of sound buttons·Robot talk- the children are encouraged to sound out like a robot·Use of puppets/ characters who segment incorrectly·Phoneme spotter stories- children find the relevant grapheme in words in a story

The Phonics Screening Check

·Taken by all children who show an awareness of grapheme/ phoneme correspondence·Taken in June·1:1 with the class teacher·Children read a list of words some of which are real, some of which are not·This is indicated to the children by an alien next to the word·Children may read the word without segmenting or segment the word first but must give a whole word answer·The test is out of 40. The government publish a pass mark after the test has been taken·Children who don't meet the expected standard must retake in Year 2

How can I support my child with this?

·Lists sent home weekly for children to learn·Some of these will be pretend words·Look on class notice boards for information of which sound is being covered each week·Have a look on the website for links to some phonics games

Year 2

·Focus on phonics for spelling·The range of graphemes they are exposed to increases·eg aigh, eigh are introduced·Children are encouraged to make best bet attempts at spelling (eg ay/ai)·Children begin to think about different ways of writing consonant sounds eg s- sc se ·Children are taught to use a range of prefixes and suffixes- ed, er, est, ing, ly·Use of plurals·Use of apostrophe for contraction and possession·Children are encouraged to spot their own errors and correct them·Children are taught to spell words which are non-decodable·Spellings are tested regularly through a dictation

How can I support my child at home?

·Weekly spelling sheets sent home linked to phonics·Practice with your child little and often·Encourage children to look at their spelling and see if it 'looks' right.·Encourage children to write their words in context of a sentence

Any Questions?

Reading is the process of extracting meaning from a written or printed text

Children benefit from experiences in early childhood that foster language development, cultivate a motivation to read, and establish a link between print and spoken words.

60% of Babies50% of Toddlers40% of 4 year oldsAre not read to regularly!

Some studies show that reading to children from an early age can have a 20% positive impact on their development in certain key areas.

What makes a good reader?

A number of core abilities need to be developed together to create strong reading skills:

·Phonic awareness·Ability to blend and segment·Comprehension skills·Spelling, vocabulary skills·Ability to use a range of cues - Pictures, context

Basics:

·Knows the difference between print and picture·Has the reading direction firmly established·Has an interest in a range of books and stories·Can talk about books and stories they like

Range of Readers

Picturebooks

Independentreaders

Reading- What can I expect?

·In Reception- At start of half-term, 1 book with no words until they are able to recognise and hear graphemes and phonemes, then 1 Phonics book. When they reach a level where they are more confident and secure, they will get two books, 1 will be ORT phonics and the other phonics/high frequency words (usually when they are at level two). ·In Year 1- At the start of year 1- 2 reading books- ORT and another·Children read one of these in a group with class teacher before it is sent home·Year 2- continue with 2 books until children are ready to read chapter books·Children reading chapter books will choose one and swap it when it needs to be swapped·These children will have a chapter book that they are reading in their guided reading sessions

How can you help?

Read often with your child.

Make sure you read to them as well.

Make reading a pleasurable experience. If it is a becoming a battle, talk to their teacher.

Try reading one page and asking your child to read another

Don't worry if your child is not enjoying their school book- it's fine to read something different instead (just let the teacher know you have done this)

Don't let your child struggle with words for too long. Encourage them to sound out but then give them the word if they are struggling.

Talk about what your child has read and whether they are enjoying in the book.

Talk to us if you have any concerns!

Reading dos and don’ts!Do make reading a natural part of daily life. Let your child see you reading, too.Do provide quality time to reading, without distractions.Do read to your child for as long as they will possibly allow! If you model reading to your child, that’show they will learn.Do talk to your child about books and share an interest with them in their reading.Do try to share a range of books, such as stories, information books, jokes and poems.Do remain positive about reading, always!Do visit the library. They have an excellent range of children’s books – all for free!Do take turns to read with your child, and also read out loud with them to help them get the structureand flow of sentences.Don’t make reading a job to be completed, something to get out the way or, even worse, a punishment.Don’t rush your child or show any signs of frustration.Don’t compare your child with another. Remember, different children will learn at different rates.Don’t get hung up on reading levels or book stages, they will have been chosen for a reason!Don’t assume that because your child can say the words, he/she understands the text. They can be two very different things.Don’t try to take on too much of the teaching of reading at the expense of enjoyment and encouragement.

Any Questions?