1. Phonics Workshop

2. What is Phonics? Tuning in to sounds- honing in on language
Learning letters and the sounds they make
Developing the skill of blending these sounds together to read words
Developing the skill of segmenting the sounds in a word and choosing the correct letters needed to spell it

3. Progression
Before children can become confident readers and writers they need to become confident listeners and speakers
Phonics is structured following the ‘Letters and Sounds’ programme
The children are taught progressively through ‘phases’

4. Phase One
– Have fun with sounds
– Listen carefully
– Develop their vocabulary
– Speak confidently to others
– Tune into sounds
– Listen and remember sounds
– Talk about sounds
– Identify similarities in the sounds of words e.g. rhyme and alliteration
These are the FOUNDATIONS of becoming an articulate speaker, a fluent reader and a comprehensive writer

5. Supporting Phase One at home
(1) Discuss sounds they can hear in different places
(2) Play sound pattern games- Clap and Copy sounds
(3) Sing and change words familiar songs and rhymes
(4) Read books with simple rhymes- Ask your child to listen for the rhyming pairs
(5) Play rhyming games- say three words- “cat, apple, bat” can your child tell you which words rhyme?
(6) Play segmenting games- “I think I can r-u-n” Take it in turns to MODEL and then let your child try
(7) I spy games are great for this- I spy with my little eye... A b-u-s?
(8) Practice counting the beats in words- Cro-co-dile,
Jam- Sand-wi-ches

6. Phase Two -To teach 19 grapheme-phoneme correspondences
Set 1: s, a, t, p Set 2: i, n, m, d Set 3: g, o, c, k Set 4: ck, e, u, r Set 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss
Each sound has an action to support recognition

7. -To read and spell VC and simple CVC words
Phase Two
-To move from oral blending and segmenting to blending and segmenting with letters
-To read and spell VC and simple CVC words
Blending
peg
Segmenting
p e g

8. To learn High Frequency Words
Phase Two
To learn High Frequency Words
is, it, in, at, and
To learn Tricky words:
the, to, I, no, go, into

9. Phase Two To introduce reading words and simple captions
pat a dog dad and nan
a cat in a hat a nap in a cot
a sad man a kid in a cap
a pin on a map a tin can
pots and pans cats and dogs
a red rug rats on a sack
get to the top a pup in the mud
socks on a mat run to the den
a cap on a peg mugs and cups
a run in the sun an egg in an egg cup
a hug and a kiss a cat on a bed
on top of the rock to the top of the hill
a bag of nuts get off the bus
to huff and puff no lid on the pan
go to the log hut pack a pen in a bag
a hot hob a doll in a cot
sit back to back a cat and a big fat rat

10. Supporting Phase Two at home
Create a ‘thinking circle’ when sounding and blending: Cat- c – a – t - Cat
Sound out simple words (VC/ CVC) using fingers:
1 finger = 1 unit of sound
-Build words using flashcards which are both real and nonsense:
bat fon sar pop cup bed tuw zup

11. Phase Three -To teach a further 25 graphemes:
Most of these are digraphs (2 letters which make 1 unit of sound) or trigraphs (3 letters which make 1 unit of sound)
Set 6: j, v, w, x
Set 7: y, z, zz, qu
Digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, er
Trigraphs: ear, air, ure, igh,

12. picnic picnic Phase Three
- Further blending and segmenting of CVC words –
-Read and spell two syllable words and captions
Add both parts together
picnic
To read/spell (break it down)
picnic

13. A BIG emphasis on SPELLING
Phase Three
-Learn to read more tricky words and spell some of these words he
she we me be
was
you
they
all
are my
her I
the no go to
into
A BIG emphasis on SPELLING

14. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Phase Three
-Learn the NAMES of letters as well as the SOUNDS they make:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

15. Supporting Phase Three at home
Make sure children know the difference between sounds and syllables:
Example “apple” - apl ap-ple
Use an alphabet mat WHILE singing the song:
lmnop is not one letter!
Once confident reading tricky words, also practice writing them:
the I, no, go, to, into

16. Beginning to Read
Language and communication skills are vital to a child’s emotional and personal development as they develop a sense of self and their relationship to others.
Exposure to stories helps to enrich the imagination and provide knowledge of a range of experiences that a child can draw on to give them confidence in their daily life.
Unsurprisingly, the more children read (or are read to) the more they are likely to achieve.
The difference in achievement between children who read for half an hour a day and those who don’t is huge – as much as a year’s education by the time they are 15.

17. Beginning to Read
We assess the children each week in Robins as to their readiness for a reading book. It is counter productive to send home books when they are not ready for them.
If you child is not yet taking home a school reading book, share books at home together, talking about the pictures and the story, looking at the letters on the page and ask questions such as “what might happen next” or “why do you think ____ is feeling like that?”

18. Beginning to Read
As your child approaches the time where they will begin to take a school reading book home, we have compiled a few “do’s” and “don'ts” to help you support them at home.
We change the children’s books and hear them read on a MONDAY.
Please write and sign their reading record book otherwise we will not change their book until the following week

19. Reading at Home Do’s Keep reading enjoyable!
Once your child begins taking a reading book home, they feel so grown up and proud!! Even if they haven’t mastered segmenting and blending, if the concoct a nonsense story or only recognise a few sounds in the book, praise praise praise!!!
Keep it enjoyable, ask questions, read together and keep it short and it will all begin to progress.

20. Reading at Home Do’s Complete the activities at the back
The Dandelion Readers are a fantastic scheme as they help the children feel like successful readers. They also support your child’s understanding of WHAT they have read.
Comprehension is the backbone of being an independent reader. If your child can read their book within 5 minutes then great, but if they don’t know what they have read, then they are not fully developing their skills as readers.

21. Reading at Home Do’s Be honest in their reading record book.
Don’t write ‘Read completely perfectly!’ if getting to the end of p1 was painstaking!
We want to help your child become a fantastic reader, and if it’s not going well at home, but the feedback doesn’t tell us, both you and your child will find reading frustrating not fun!
If your child is struggling and you need some helpful advice... Be honest, write it in the record book and we will support you as much as you need.

22. Reading at Home Do’s Be honest in their reading record book.
Don’t write ‘Read perfectly!’ if getting to the end of the first page was really tricky!
We want to help your child become a fantastic reader, and if it’s not going well at home, but the feedback doesn’t tell us, both you and your child will find reading frustrating not fun!
If your child is struggling and you need some helpful advice... Be honest, write it in the record book and we will support you as much as you need.

23. Reading at Home Dont’s Do not force your child to read at home.
We expect your child to have read their book at least once each week. We do not expect your child to have to read every night from one week to the next.
They have extremely busy days at school and sharing bedtime story is just as effective at developing reading.
Alongside their book, practice the High Frequency Words, Tricky Words or make words with their sound flashcards instead

24. Beginning Writing
Children often begin school with very ‘set’ ideas of themselves as writers.
“I can’t” children- These children are ‘reluctant writers’. Somewhere along their journey prior to school they have learnt that they ‘can’t’ so they ‘don’t’
CAPITAL LETTER writers- These children have learnt to write in CAPITAL letters only. They find if very difficult to re-learn lower case letters and change their pattern of thinking
‘I don’t do those letters I do these’
Mark Makers- These children are happy to have a go at making marks- lines, dots, swirls and circles- they enjoy the process and are less concerned about the final outcome

25. At school we expect every child to “have a go”
What we expect
“She must be so behind- She said she’d written ‘adventure park’ but it was just scribbles!”
Making Marks
Initial Sounds
“I can’t”
It is MUCH harder to teach a RELUCTANT writer than a child that is MAKING MARKS
At school we expect every child to “have a go”
From making marks to using their phonic knowledge, we make sure ALL attempts at writing are valued

26. Writing Progression (1) Initial Mark Making
Adults usually describe this as ‘scribbles’
Lots of random marks, but child is unable to ‘give meaning’ to what they have done
FIST GRIP
(3) Initial Mark Making
Copies an adults marks
Works across the page
Has a clearer idea of what marks they want to make
May use either hand
BEGINNING TO PINCER GRIP
(2) Initial Mark Making
More purposeful motion to marks
Attempts at closing shapes
Combine shape and lines representing ‘a word’
BEGINNING TO PINCER GRIP

27. Writing Progression (4) Emergent Writing Makes individual marks
May write some letters form name
Understands writing and drawing are different
Aware that print carries a message
DEVELOPING CONTROL GRIP WITH DOMINANT HAND
(5) Emergent Writing
Forms symbols and some recognisable letters
Beginning to write in horizontal direction
Aware that writing conveys meaning- may ‘read’ what they have written
DEVELOPING CONTROL GRIP WITH DOMINANT HAND

28. Writing Progression (4) Confident Writing
Writes using unfamiliar letters
Uses some upper and lower case (not in correct places)
Writes own name reliably
CONTROLLED GRIP WITH DOMINANT HAND
(5) Confident Writing
Writes most letters correctly
May use capital letters and full stops (not always correctly)
Attempts to write for a purpose- letters and lists
Can read back what they have written
CONTROLLED GRIP WITH DOMINANT HAND

29. Writing at home
Do’s
(1) MODEL writing at home- Spend time with your child while you write your shopping list, send an , write a birthday card.
The more they SEE writing, the more they will understand it’s PURPOSE
(2) Make sure they have ACCESS to paper, pens, pencils, envelopes etc- don’t just keep these as ‘rainy day’ resources
(3) VALUE any mark making your child does at home. Stick things on the fridge, keep things to show relatives and friends- if you’re proud, your child will feel proud

30. Writing at home
Don’t
(1) DOTTY LETTERS- this makes children develop a very disjointed way of writing and actually causes more problems than it solves
If your child wants your help, write it on a scrap of paper and they can look at this while they write freely on another piece
(2) UPPER CASE- It takes a longer for children to develop effective writing skills when they learn capital letters first. Stick with lower case letters (except for at the start of a sentence and names)
(3) I CAN’T READ IT- Comments like “I can’t read it!” “I don’t know what you’ve written” are quick to say and so easily knock confidence. Instead try “I wonder what you’ve written?” “Can you tell me all about it?”

31. Glossary -Grapheme- How a letter LOOKS Phoneme- How a letter SOUNDS
Segmenting- Breaking up a word into units of SOUND
Blending- Joining up units of sound to make a whole WORD
VC word- Vowel, Consonant
CVC word- Consonant, Vowel, Consonant
- High Frequency Words- Common words used in reading and writing
-Tricky Words- Cannot be segmented. SIGHT WORDS

32. Thank you Thank you for coming today
Please have a look through the examples of resources and games for supporting Phonics at home.
The Phase 1 packs can be taken home (1 per child) to play. The box will be available after school everyday for you to come and change your pack
Please sign your pack out and back in again!
If you have any questions please come and see me