Getting it Right – From the Start…

“From little pips, mighty apples grow”�

Purpose of this PowerPoint:

By the end of the presentation you should have a clearer understanding of:

​

• The contents of your pack
• The end of year expectations in Reading and Writing (Early Learning Goals)
• How we teach phonics, reading and writing in school
• How you can support your child at home

Reading and Writing

Packs

​

​

​

Inside your pack you will find:

​

• School library book to share
• My Set One Speed Sounds booklet (green)
• A set of letter sounds to learn and practise blending
• A reading record for you to sign once your child has read a school reading scheme book with you
• A letter formation mat
• A name card to practise writing their name
• A whiteboard and pen

Early Learning Goal in Reading...

Comprehension

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary;
• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories;
• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.

Word Reading

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs;
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending; -
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

RWI Phonics

Understanding Phonics

​

​

​

​

​

Phonics…�Daily letter sound teaching

​

​

​

Children are taught to say the sound (phoneme) for each written letter (grapheme) before they learn the correct letter name because using letter names will not help your child learn to blend.

​

All sounds are taught using a ‘picture and patter’ method to help the children remember the correct formation of the letter for writing.

​

My Turn, Your Turn...

Lots of adult modelling

​

How to say the sounds

​

​

Letter Sounds at Home...�Playing ‘My Turn, Your Turn’ at home!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• Green sound booklets contain all the sounds in the correct order

​

• Practise them so recognition is instant

​

• Please focus mainly on sounds NOT names

​

• Use the letters to build and blend words

​

​

​

​

​

​

Practise recognising

sounds at home

​

Practise, practise, practise!

​

​

​

• Each week set the sound cards on the table and practise pointing to each card and saying the sound.
• Challenge your child to quickly point to the matching card as you say the sound.
• Ask your child to challenge you to do the same!
• Use your whiteboard to practise forming the letters following the patter.
• Once your child is very confident with the sounds move onto word building and blending using them.
• Practise unfamiliar sounds regularly

Practise word building

at home

​

Practise, practise, practise!

​

​

​

• Show children 3 Fred Fingers
• Say “ we are going to build the word tap” and model pointing to each finger and saying the sounds t-a-p
• Help your child find the matching first sound /t/ from the selection on the table
• Go back to Fred Fingers and repeat the sounds inviting children to listen carefully to the middle sound /a/
• Repeat with the final sound /p/
• Repeat with other 3 letter words that can be built with the letters your child is very familiar with

Blending Sounds...�Reading simple words at home!

This is a skill that some children pick up quickly and for others it takes more time...

​

Practise, practise, practise!

​

​

​

​

The stages of blending…

​

1. Assisted - adult models and child repeats or you blend and say it together
2. Independent - child can accurately blend by themselves (out loud)
3. Silent - child can blend the sounds silently ‘in their head’ and just say the word
4. Instant - child recognises and says the word instantly

Home Reading

​

Why read to your child?

Research Shows...�Size of vocabulary is a key predictor of success:

​

Poor vocabulary is prime cause of academic failure

​

​

Vocabulary size is the most powerful indicator of early reading comprehension:

​

• Vocabulary size at 3 years = predicts SATS results
• Vocabulary size at 5 yrs = predicts GCSE results
• Vocabulary size at 16 yrs = predicts future income

​

Becker (1977); Beimiller and Slonim (2001); Clegg at al (2009); Hart and Risley (1995, 2003)

​

So TALK, TALK, TALK�and READ, READ, READ!

​

​

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

​

Albert Einstein

​

“I will defend the importance of bedtime stories to my last gasp.”

​

JK Rowling

​

​

10 things to think about when you read to your child

Reading Folders�

​

​

Bring your reading folders in every day.

​

In the folder children will have; a yellow reading record, a library book to share and a speed sound booklet. Later children will take home a school RWI reading book.

​

Please ensure the entire pack remains in the reading folder at all times so they can be updated when necessary.

​

Parents and Carers - Please sign or write comments in the reading record each time your child reads. This allows staff to know that your child has read and is ready for the next book.

Reading

​

​

Each week children will come home with one reading scheme book and a book to share (library book).

​

Book to share - these books are for adults to read to and enjoy with children. Each week your child is invited to select a book they want to read at home. We do not expect children to be able to independently read these texts.

​

Reading scheme book - Once children are familiar with the first few letter sounds they will progress onto books with simple repetitive words and sentences.

​

​

Reading Skills to focus on:

​

Expression Fluency Comprehension

Writing

​

Early Learning Goal in Writing...

Writing

• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed;
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters;
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

Formation

Pencil Grip & Control

​

​

Ideal grip

Dough Disco

What is Dough Disco?

​

Dough Disco is high tempo, high energy playdough sessions to develop children’s fine motor skills through manipulating dough is a variety of different ways. Children all have their own pot of dough and will practise and repeat specific actions such as: rolling, squeezing, snipping, squashing, jabbing - sometimes using all fingers and sometimes using individual fingers.

​

This improves the children’s hand muscles and their ability to isolate their fingers. This will lead to improved pencil control and mark making which in turn helps to improve their writing.

Squiggle While You Wiggle

and Scrimbling

Squiggling

Scrimbling

Squiggle me into a Writer

Squiggle me into a writer is included in our daily phonics session.

​

Each session takes around 5 minutes.

​

Children warm up using flipper flappers and squiggle dances combined to create the letter of the day.

​

After that children explore forming letters with their ‘Magic Finger’ on the carpet.

​

Finally children use whiteboards and pens to form the letter.

​

We use RWI patter to form all letters.

Teaching Writing

​

​

​

• Purposeful mark making and writing through play - believing writing is important and that ‘I am a writer’

​

​

• Phonics sessions - word building demonstrated earlier with Fred fingers (segmenting)

​

• Letter Formation

​

• Literacy sessions including Talk for Writing and Drawing Club

​

• Spelling - tricky and high frequency words

Drawing Club

​

​

• Drawing Club is a daily 10 minute activity, during which a story is shared as a whole class. Drawing Club is about the development of fine motor skills to add detail, the extension of vocabulary and finding the joy in success.

​

• It aims to promote conversations, mark making and maths. We discuss the characters, different settings and stretch the children’s imaginations through adventure.

​