Phonics
What is Read Write Inc?
Read Write Inc. is a popular phonics scheme. Like all phonics schemes, it teaches children the sounds in English, the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters when writing. Read Write Inc. Phonics includes reading books written using only the letters they have learnt at each level (and a small number of separately taught tricky words). The children will quickly feel confident and successful.
What are sets?
The children will progress through three sets of sounds. Set 1 and Set 2 are learnt in Reception, Set 3 in Year 1 and all sets are consolidated and applied in Year 2. Once children have completed all the sets, they come off the Read, Write, Inc phonics scheme and focus on reading comprehension.
What is blending? (Fred Talk)
The children will be introduced to a character called Fred Frog. He is a little frog who can only speak in sounds and not whole words. For example he might say c-a-t and we have to help him blend the sounds to make the word ‘cat’. We call this ‘Fred Talk’ and we play “Fred Games”.
How do we teach handwriting?
Each set 1 sound (single letter sounds) come with their own handwriting rhyme. We use these rhymes to teach the children how to form each letter. At St Anthony’s we teach how to write using cursive handwriting. We start each letter with our pencils on the line, then we say “off we go” taking our pencil up to the letters starting point. Then we say the rhyme.
What are Red words? (Tricky words)
In some English words, the spelling of the word doesn’t appear to fit with the sounds that children have been taught so far. These words are taught as whole words rather than as a combination of sounds.
Red words (Tricky words) include the, go, said, my, he.
What are Nonsense Words? (Alien words)
These are words which are not real. Children are taught how to read nonsense words to make sure that they can apply their phonic knowledge.
How do we teach children how to write?
Fred Frog also helps us learn how to write. We say the word, then we use our ‘Fred Fingers’ to count how many sounds are in the word. This is called segmenting—where we split the word into it’s individual sounds. E.G. “Cat”, we need 3 Fred Fingers for “Cat” – c-a-t. The children then write each sound to create the word.
How is Read, Write, Inc taught in school?
In Nursery, the children begin to learn how to orally blend by playing ‘Fred Talk’ games and are introduced to the set 1 sounds, without handwriting.
In Reception the children have an hour phonics lesson each day. Each lesson comprises of:
- Learning a sound and how to for the letter
- Reading (blending) and writing (segmenting) words
- Reading a book
- Completing writing activities about their book.
In Year 1 and Year 2 the children have a 30 minute phonics lesson 4 days a week. Each lesson comprises of:
- Learning a sound or consolidating a sound
- Reading (blending) and writing (segmenting) words
- Reading a book
Once children have finished the Read, Write, Inc sets they no longer have phonics lessons, and instead focus on reading comprehension.
Children are taught in sets according to their reading ability.
How can I help my child at home?
Each week your child will receive a reading book. This is a paper copy of the book they have been reading in school. Please read this book with your child. Read it a few times over the week if possible and discuss what you read together. Please hand this book back in on time, in good condition. Unfortunately we do need to charge for any lost or damaged books.
You will also receive via Microsoft Teams or email some video links for your child to watch. These videos are linked to the sounds learnt in school. They can be watch on your phone, tablet or computer.
You also have access to Oxford Owl where your teach will set an online book for you each week. This book also comes with an online game and quiz!
Read, Write, Inc resources are also available to buy online or via Amazon. You can buy Fred Frog, sound cards, word cards and practise books.
How do I know how my child is doing?
Each half term your child is assessed by the school’s Reading Lead. These assessments are shared with parents so that you can see how well your child has done, and the areas they need a little help on. You will also be told which group your child is in – they will be placed in groups according to their ability.
Where should my child be? What does age related look like?
What happens if my child is not at age related?
All children progress at their own pace. Please do not be worried if your child is below age related. Please talk to your class teacher if you are worried. For children who are finding phonics a struggle we provide 1:1 tutoring several times a week, to help them catch up to their peers.
What happens if my child does not complete the Read, Write, Inc scheme by the end of Year 2?
The scheme will continue into Year 3.
Does it matter if my child misses a lesson or two?
Yes! It matters a lot. The way we teach children to read is very well organised, so even one missed lesson means your child had not learn something that they need to know to be a good reader.
What if my child turns out to be dyslexic?
The way we teach reading is especially helpful for children who might be dyslexic. This is because we use a very well-organised programme that has a strong focus on phonics. This is very important for children who find learning to read difficult. If you are worried about your child, please come and talk to us.
My child has difficulty pronouncing some sounds. Will this stop him learning to read through phonics?
This isn’t a problem for learning to read as long as we know what sound the child is trying to say. This is not something to worry about. Many children have a few sounds that they can hear clearly but find it difficult to say, particularly the l-sound, r-sound, w-sound, th-sound, s-sound, sh-sound and j-sound. Often they say a t-sound for the c-sound; “tttssh” for the s-sound; “w” for the r-sound and “r” for the l-sound. You can help your child by encouraging him or her to look at your mouth when you say the sound. Whatever you do, do not make your child feel a failure. They can easily learn to read, even if they find one or two sounds difficult to say.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns. We are here to help.
What if I have more questions?
In Reception parents are invited to several meetings throughout the year to explain Read, Write, Inc step by step.
Phonics and Reading will be discussed at parents evenings.
There are helpful websites for parents – for example on Facebook there is a parents Read, Write, Inc page.
If you have any other questions please ask your class teacher.