READING AND PHONICS
Read Write Inc - Our Phonics Scheme
The Government strongly recommend the use of synthetic phonics when teaching early reading skills to children. Synthetic phonics is simply the ability to convert a letter or letter group into sounds that are then blended together into a word.
Here at Birchwood C of E Primary School, we are using the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their reading. RWI is a method of learning based upon letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to aid children in their reading and writing from the term they start at Birchwood.
Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who can read more challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.
The children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their ability. They will work with a RWI trained teacher or teaching assistant.
Reading
When using RWI to read the children will:
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple prompts
- Learn to read words using sound blending (Fred talk)
- Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out
- Show that they comprehend the stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' questions
Writing
When using RWI to write the children will:
- Learn to write the letter/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds
- Learn to write words by saying the sounds and graphemes (Fred fingers)
Talking
When using RWI the children will also work in pairs:
- To answer questions
- To take turns talking and listening to each other
- To give positive praise to each other
Blending
Help your child learn to read words by sounding-blending (Fred talk) eg. c-a-t = cat, sh-o-p = shop. Children learn to read words by blending the letter-sounds that are in the Speed Sounds set .
Help your child to say the pure sounds ('m' not 'muh', 's' not 'suh' etc.) as quickly as they can, and then blend the sounds together to say the whole word.
Reading Books Sent Home
Children will bring home two RWI books. One is a book they have read that week during their Read Write Inc lessons. It will help to continue to develop children's fluency and pace. The second book is an unseen book based at their current phonics level. This book will allow the children to continue or build up their decoding skills using sounds they have been taught. These are stories to encourage your child to apply their phonics knowledge, reading strategy skills and knowledge of Red Words (words that can't be decoded) .
Read Write Inc Books
Please encourage your child to read though the speed sounds page first, then the green and red words page and then check your child understands the meaning of words on the vocabulary check page, before they start reading the book. Your child will have read this book before they bring it home. They should be able to read this book with fluency and expression by the time they bring it home and they should have a good comprehension of what the book is about. At the back of the book are find it/prove it questions for you to do with your child. The second book allows them to further practise these skills, consolidate their learning further and build their reading confidence.
Finally, don't worry if your child is struggling at first with their sounds and words, they will get there in their own time. If you have time (we know it is very precious!), we would urge you to try and read stories to your child before they go to bed. This will help develop a wider vocabulary which makes a vast difference to their quality of writing but it will also encourage them to enjoy a good story. Each week yor child will also bring home a library book they have chosen which you can read to them too.
For more information please ask your child’s class teacher or visit the links below:
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parents/
www.oxfordowl.co.uk/read-write-inc-home
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide
RWI - Sound Pronunciation Guide
PHONICS POLICY
READING AT BIRCHWOOD
Here at Birchwood C of E, we follow a Mastery approach to English through the programme Pathways to Read. Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for reading. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the reading activities provided.
In KS2, the programme is delivered through whole class shared reading lessons. In Y2, children participate in one whole class lesson followed by bespoke grouped reading at least once a week as well as individual reading. For pupils still needing support with phonics from years 2-6, we provide an individual reading programme that has phonically decodable texts at the heart of it. In our whole class reading, there is a clear teaching focus with the opportunity to master key reading skills in each session. There are follow on reading tasks to enable pupils to evidence the skills they have mastered independently.
Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Read approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary. Children will practise reading aloud regularly with support from the teacher to build their reading fluency.
you will find the end of year expectations for reading for each of our year groups in the documents below. For further detail on the skills that your children are learning on a termly basis, please contact your class teacher.
We also use Pathways to Write to drive our writing curriculum. This aligns with Pathways to Read ensuring meaningful links for our pupils with texts and topics that are used across Literacy, Humanities and Science.
Please take a look below of just some of the high quality reading texts we will explore througohout Pathways To Read within Year 2 - 6.
