Download Phonics meeting for Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2 parents

Phonics at Asquith Primary
School
September 2013
What is phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. They are taught
how to:
• recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;
• identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make such as ‘sh’ or ‘ai’;
and
• blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.
Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see.
This is the first important step in learning to read.
In school we follow a government document called Letters and Sounds
and use activities, songs and actions from Jolly Phonics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djz82FBYiug
What are PHONEMES?
In spoken English there are approximately 44 different sounds. These
are called phonemes (pronounced foe-neems). If the children know all
these sounds and can say them, they will be able to read/spell most
words.
What are GRAPHEMES?
All of the 44 sounds will be written down in words.
The same sound can sometimes be written in different ways. The way a
sound is shown when it is written is called a GRAPHEME (pronounced
graf-eem).
For example;
Phoneme (sound) ‘oa’ is in goat, flow, stone, go, toe but each word has a
different grapheme (written sound).
Speaking clearly for children
To give children the best chance of learning to read and spell most
of their words we must say the sounds properly.
It is important that we do not add ‘uh’ to letter sounds, for
example; ‘Fuh’ for f and ‘Luh’ for l
A fantastic website to listen to the sounds is
www.getreadingright.co.uk (click on the You Tube link at the side
of the screen)
Segmenting and blending
Children have to be able to split the words up into their phonemes. This is called
segmenting or we often say ‘sound it out’. In writing this will encourage them to
have a go at spelling words.
The children also have to be able to put the sounds in a word together. This is called
blending. This will help children to have a go at reading words. For example;
sh o p
h e n
sh op
h en
shop
hen
Alien words
Alien words or nonsense words are used from Reception class to Year 2. By asking
children to read a nonsense word we are checking that children are using their
knowledge of sounds and not just memorising words.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
Nonsense words are also included in the end of Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
In this test children are asked to read 40 words to their class teacher. Half of the
words in the test are nonsense words so it is important that children are familiar with
using their knowledge of sounds to segment and blend lots of words, real or not real.
Tricky words
There are some words that cannot be sounded out.
We call these words, tricky words. Children must learn to say and spell
these words.
We include two or three tricky words in our phonics lessons. Year 2
includes tricky words in their fortnightly spelling tests.
Some of the tricky words are:
I
the
said
was
you
Phonics activities in school
• Daily phonics lessons that follow the Revise, Teach, Practise and Apply method
from the Letters and Sounds programme.
• Stories, posters, Jolly Phonics songs and nursery rhymes are linked to the sounds of
the week.
• Games are played in phonics lessons e.g. Walk the plank with real and nonsense
words, cross the river, silly sentences, quick write, bingo, using a large alphabet
mat, Phonemes detectives, especially at lunchtimes e.g. s for sandwiches, m for
muffin, ch for chips.
• Spelling test in Year 2 linked to the sounds of the week.
• Additional reading homework in Year 1 such as word searches, phoneme spotters,
nonsense words.
How can you help?
Reception class Look at your child’s Jolly Phonics book, say the sound together,
learn the action/song. Ask about their pictures & writing. Play detectives and find
objects around your home or when you are out and about. Encourage your child to
draw, write or glue pictures in their book.
Use foam letters in the bath to spell/read alien and real words.
Help with fortnightly spellings in Year 2. Try to encourage your child to think of
other words that contain the sounds of the week.
Talk to your child about what they’ve been learning that week, read with your child
regularly and enjoy finding words and phonemes in the environment or in books at
home.
How can you help?
If you have access to the internet these websites are very good;
http://www.educationcity.com (£29.95 for the year)
http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk (some of the games and resources are free and the
yearly subscription starts from £12)
http://www.getreadingright.co.uk/synthetic-phonics (further information for
parents)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/alphablocks/games/alphablocks-games/
Watch Alphablocks on CBeebies
You tube have video clips of Jolly Phonics songs and actions