Phonics
Every child deserves success right from the start. We know that the sooner children learn to read, the greater their success at school. This’s why reading is at the heart of everything we do. One of the key ways we support this is through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
One of the greatest gifts adults can give is to read to children
Carl Sagan
How is it taught?
From Reception, children will take part in daily Phonics lessons. The lessons take the format of:
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Revisit and Review – recapping the previously visited sounds with the use of flash cards.
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Teach – introduce a new sound, building on the order of the scheme’s progression. Enunciation is key at this stage.
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Practise – using the sound in words. Spotting the new phoneme in words, modelling blending and then allowing the children to read words with the new sound from flashcards.
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Apply – The children will be asked to read a sentence. Identifying ‘tricky words’, previously learnt phonemes and the new phoneme for the day. They will then be able to sound out and blend each word to form the sentence verbally. Children will then be asked to write words and/or sentences to apply the new sound to their writing.
What will they learn?
Phase 1 of Letters and Sounds usually begins at Nursery age. Children are introduced to the skills they will need to then begin recognising and identifying their letters and corresponding sounds.
Children begin to learn the phonemes and corresponding graphemes from Phase 2 of the Letters and Sounds scheme during Reception. They will then progress through the phases usually within Key Stage 1.
Each phase is made up of sets of phonemes so children are introduced to a few sounds at a time, progressively getting more complex as they build their knowledge and skills.
What can I do to help at home?
One of the most powerful things you can do to support your child's reading journey is to read to them as often as you can. This helps them develop a love for books and expand their vocabulary.
Here are some other simple, powerful ways to help:
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Practice: When helping your child sound out a word, encourage them to say the sounds and then "push" them together to make the whole word. For example, for "cat," say the sounds c-a-t, then blend them to say the word.
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Focus on the sounds, not the letter names. You can hear how to pronounce the sounds correctly in the videos below.
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Ask questions about their books: If your child brings home a book they know well, encourage them to read it to you and ask them about the story. Ask them about the characters, their favourite parts, and what they think will happen next.
