1. Phonics and Reading Information

2. What is phonics? Phonics is all about using: skills for reading and spelling knowledge of the alphabet Learning phonics will help your child to become a good reader and writer

3. The spoken language From a very early age, children develop an awareness of the different sounds in our spoken language(s). They learn how to use their voices: – to make contact with you – to let you know what they need – to show how they are feeling As parents and carers, you best understand your child’s communications; you are key in helping them to develop their speaking and listening skills.

4. Daily Phonics Every day the children have 10-15 minute sessions of phonics with Mrs Jones Lessons encompass a range of games, songs and rhymes We use the Letters and Sounds planning document to support the teaching of phonics There are 6 phonics phases which the children work through at their own pace

5. Phase 1 Phase 1 is made up of 7 different areas: – Environmental sounds – Instrumental sounds – Body percussion – Rhythm and rhyme – Alliteration (words that begin with the same sound) – Voice sounds – Oral blending and segmenting

6. Phase 1 Your child will be learning to: – Have fun with sounds – Listen carefully – Develop their vocabulary – Speak confidently to you, other adults and children – Tune into sounds – Listen and remember sounds – Talk about sounds – Understand that spoken words are made up of different sounds

7. Phase 2 Children begin to formally learn the sounds in the English language Phonics sessions are fun sessions involving lots of speaking, listening and games

8. Children will learn their first 19 phonemes: Set 1: s a t p Set 2: i n m d Set 3: g o c k Set 4: ck (as in duck) e u r Set 5: h b l f ff (as in puff) ll (as in hill) ss (as in hiss) They will use these phonemes to read and spell simple “consonant-vowel-consonant” (CVC) words: sat, tap, dig, duck, rug, puff, hill, hiss

9. Books Sharing Books Please take a book on a daily weekly/basis from the Nursery box to share with your children. Please share a book with your child as often as possible. Library Books On a weekly basis your child will be bringing home a library book of their choice. They may not be able to read the words but it is a great discussion point and a opportunity to share a different book. Reading Scheme Once the children have learnt a range of Phase 2 sounds and are able to blend and segment they will be put onto the reading scheme. They will be heard read once a week in Nursery and this will be recorded in their diary. Please read with your child as often as possible. Please provide your child with a book bag to transport their books in.

10. How can you help? Provide your child with lots of different opportunities to speak and listen with others: – Preparing meals – Tidying up – Putting shopping away – Getting ready to go out Read stories Use puppets and toys Please refer to the handout

11. Websites Useful web sites www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk/Curriculum/Literac y.htm click on KS1 activities www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/lite racy.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpicture s/ www.ictgames.com/literacy.html literacy based games www.phonicsplay.co.uk click on parents http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/