Phonics

At Bothal Primary School we use a synthetic phonics programme to teach reading called 'Read Write Inc' produced by Ruth Miskin. We are part of a two year DfE funded project to ensure every child learns to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities.As children progress and can decode fluently they move onto the Literacy and Language part of the programme which develops children’s comprehension, vocabulary, writing, critical thinking and discussion skills and grammar – in a fun and meaningful way.Read Write Inc Phonics is a method of teaching reading which is centred around learning the sounds of the letters (phonics), and then blending them together to read words.  The children also learn to break down words into individual sounds in order to write them.

How it works

The children are assessed and grouped according to their ability by the Reading Leader. They work in small groups with a reading teacher. Every six weeks, the children will be assessed again to check they have made progress and will be grouped again.  1:1 support is put in place to tutor children who may need extra help. In addition to the Read Write Inc programme, the children will also be working on early literacy skills, writing skills and storytelling in their classes with their own class teacher.

Reading

Using Read Write Inc, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all of their energy into understanding what they read.When using 'Read Write Inc' to read the children will:

• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• Learn to read words by blending the sounds together
• Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out
• Show that they understand the stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove it' discussion questions.

Writing

Read Write Inc allows the children to spell effortlessly so that they can put their energy into working out what they want to write. When using 'Read Write Inc' to write the children will:

• Learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds (graphemes)
• Learn to write words by sounding them out and then writing the corresponding graphemes
• Learn to write simple and then increasingly complex sentences
• Compose a range of texts using discussion prompts
• Compose stories based on picture strips. 

Talking

When using 'Read Write Inc' the children work in pairs to:

• Answer questions to practise every activity
• Take turns talking to each other
• Give positive praise to each other.

Blending

Children learn to read words by blending the letter-sounds that are in the Speed Sound sets. Help your child learn to read words by sound-blending e.g. c-a-t = cat.Help children to say the pure sounds, as quickly as they can, and then to blend the sounds together to say the whole word.

Read a variety of books (fiction, non-fiction, rhymes etc). Discuss the different features of various books. Talk about the books and other reading materials that you have shared.Explain the meaning of new words. Most importantly though, show the fun that can be gained by listening to stories and reading a range of texts.e.g. reading and then following a recipe together.Don't forget you don't have to read just books, cereal packets, shopping lists, road signs, web pages, magazines, newspapers etc are useful ways to practise reading.