Phonics
At Dallow Primary School, we use Read Write Inc. Phonics (RWI) to give our pupils the best possible start with their literacy development.
What is Read Write Inc.?
Read Write Inc. (RWI) is a phonics complete literacy programme, which helps all pupils learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for pupils aged 4-7. The RWI programme was developed by Ruth Miskin, more information on this can be found on:
https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
How will my child be taught to read?
We start by teaching phonics to the pupils in the Reception classes. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading, but it also helps pupils learn to spell well. We teach the pupils simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters.
Reading
The pupils:
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts (see below)
- Learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
- Read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
- Work well with partners
- Develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' discussion questions
Writing
The pupils:
- Learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
- Learn to write words by using Fred Talk
- Learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write
Talking
The pupils work in pairs so that they:
- Answer every question
- Practise every activity with their partner
- Take turns in talking and reading to each other
- Develop ambitious vocabulary
Five key principles underpin the teaching in all Read Write Inc. sessions:
- Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the pupils, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about
- Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning
- Praise – ensure pupils are praised for effort and learning, not ability
- Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning
- Passion – be passionate about teaching so pupils can be engaged emotionally
Segmenting and Blending:
Segmenting is breaking the words into individual sounds and blending is saying them together to read the word. Pupils are initially taught how to say the sounds using pictures for each sound, this will help them to recognise the sound and then form the shape of the sound. We use pure sounds (‘m’ not’ muh’,’s’ not ‘suh’, etc.) so that pupils will be able to blend the sounds into words more easily. At school, we use a puppet called Fred who is an expert on sounding out words! We call it, ‘Fred Talk’. E.g. m-o-p, c-a-t, m-a-n, sh-o-p, b-l-a-ck.
‘Fred talk’ (Segmenting and Blending) video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEzfpod5w_Q
Set 1, 2 & 3 Sounds:
The pupils are taught the sounds in 3 steps.
Step 1:
Set 1 Sounds are taught in the following order together with rhymes to help pupils form the letters correctly and instantly recognise sounds ready for blending.
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Set 1 |
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Sound |
Rhyme |
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m |
Down Maisie then over the two mountains. Maisie, mountain, mountain. |
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a |
Round the apple, down the leaf. |
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s |
Slide around the snake |
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d |
Round the dinosaur's back, up his neck and down to his feet. |
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t |
Down the tower, across the tower, |
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i |
Down the insect's body, dot for the head. |
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n |
Down Nobby and over the net. |
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p |
Down the plait, up and over the pirates face. |
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g |
Round the girls face, down her hair and give her a curl |
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o |
All around the orange |
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c |
Curl around the caterpillar |
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k |
Down the kangaroos body, tail and leg |
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u |
Down and under the umbrella, up to the top and down to the puddle |
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b |
Down the laces, over the toe and touch the heel |
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f |
Down the stem and draw the leaves |
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e |
Slice into the egg, go over the top, then under the egg |
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l |
Down the long leg |
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h |
Down the horse's head to the hooves and over his back |
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sh |
Slither down the snake, then down the horse's head to the hooves and over his back |
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r |
Down the robot's back, then up and curl |
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j |
Down his body, curl and dot |
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v |
Down a wing, up a wing |
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y |
Down a horn, up a horn and under the yak's head. |
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w |
Down, up, down, up the worm. |
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th |
Down the tower, across the tower, then down the horse’s head to the hooves and over his back |
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z |
Zig-zag-zig, down the zip. |
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ch |
Curl around the caterpillar, , then down the horse's head to the hooves and over his back |
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qu |
Round the queen’s head, up to her crown, down her hair and curl |
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x |
Cross down the arm and leg and cross the other way |
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ng |
A thing on a string |
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nk |
I think I stink |
Step 2:
The pupils are taught Set 2 Sounds - the long vowels. When they are very confident with all of set 1 and 2 sounds, they are taught Set 3 Sounds.
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Long vowel sound |
Set 2 Speed Sound cards Teach these first |
Set 3 Speed Sound cards |
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ay |
ay: may I play |
a-e: make a cake |
ai: snail in the rain |
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ee |
ee: what can you see |
ea: cup of tea |
e: he me we she be |
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igh |
igh: fly high |
i-e: nice smile |
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ow |
ow: blow the snow |
o-e: phone home |
ao: goat in a boat |
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oo |
oo: poo at the zoo |
u-e: huge brute |
ew: chew the stew |
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oo |
oo: look at a book |
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ar |
ar: start the car |
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or |
or: shut the door |
aw: yawn at dawn |
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air |
air: that’s not fair |
are: share and care |
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ir |
ir: whirl and twirl |
ur: nurse for a purse |
er: a better letter |
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ou |
ou: shout it out |
ow: brown cow |
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oy |
oy: toy for a boy |
oi: spoil the boy |
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ire |
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ire: fire fire! |
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ear |
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ear: hear with your ear |
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ure |
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ure: sure it’s pure? |
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Nonsense words (Alien words)
As well as learning to read and blend real words pupils will have plenty of opportunities to apply their sound recognition skills on reading ‘Nonsense words’. These words will also feature heavily in the Year One Phonics Screening check in the summer term. These words provide endless opportunities for pupils to apply and practise their thinking in a range of different contexts.
Step 3:
Within all the RWI sessions/books pupils will be exposed to red and green words to learn to help them to become speedy readers. Red words are words that are not easily decodable and challenge, to extend vocabulary. Green words are linked to the sounds they have been learning and are easily decodable. Dots and dashes represent the sound each letter makes.
During the RWI session, pupils will read the book three times and at each new reading, they will have plenty of opportunities to practise using their developing comprehension skills.
Activities used during RWI lessons:
Special Friends is a term used for sounds containing more than one letter
Fred talk is term used to identify each sound in a word
Special Friends, Fred Talk, Read the word is a phrase used to encourage pupils to recognise each sound to enable them to blend the sounds correctly.
Word Time helps pupils to practise blending to read.
Fred Fingers is when pupils are encouraged to represent sounds using fingers to support with spelling.
Hold a sentence is an activity that encourages pupils to remember a whole sentence while focusing on spelling and punctuation.
Build a sentence is to give pupils the opportunity to create their own sentence to that shows the meaning of a word and edit a sentence allows the pupils to critique a sentence using their knowledge of spelling punctuation and grammar. Pupils complete a longer piece of independent writing, which gives them the opportunity to show off their creativity and to practice their spelling, grammar and punctuation.
What is taught when?
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Reception and KS1 |
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Year Groups |
Group |
In Speed Sounds lessons, pupils are taught to: |
To progress into the next group pupils should be able to: |
Reception and KS1 Progression Expectations |
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Reception |
Set 1 sounds Group A |
Read first 16 Set 1 sounds Learn to blend: Word Time 1.1 to 1.3 Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read first 16 single-letter sounds speedily |
By the End of the Summer term, Reception pupils to be on green and purple books |
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Set 1 sounds Group B |
Read 25 Set 1 single letter sounds Learn to blend: Word Time 1.1 to 1.4 Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read 25 single-letter sounds speedily Blend sounds into words orally |
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Set1 sounds Group C |
Read 25 Set 1 single letter sounds speedily Blend independently using Phonics Green Word cards: Word Time 1.1 to 1.5 Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read all Set 1 single letter sounds speedily Read Word Time 1.1 to 1.5 words with Fred Talk |
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Ditties |
Read Set 1 Special Friends Read words with Special Friends: Word Time 1.6 Review Word Time 1.1 to 1.5 Read 3-sound nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read all Set 1 Sounds speedily Read Word Time 1.6 words (words with Special Friends) with Fred Talk Read 3-sound nonsense words with Fred Talk |
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Red Books |
Review Set 1 sounds speedily Read 4 and 5 sound words: Word Time 1.7 Review Word Time 1.1 to 1.6 Read 3 and 4 sound nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read words with Special Friends and 4-sound words with Fred Talk Read 3 and 4 sound nonsense words with Fred Talk |
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Green Books |
Read Set 2 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words Review Set 1 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers |
Read Word Time 1.6 and 1.7 words Read 4 and 5 sound nonsense words with Fred Talk Read previously taught words with Set 1 sounds speedily |
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Purple Books |
Read Set 2 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words Review Set 1 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers Once secure, read Set 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words |
Read the first six Set 2 sounds (ay, ee, igh, ow, oo, oo) speedily Read these sounds in real words and nonsense words with Fred Talk Read previously taught words with Set 1 sounds speedily |
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Year 1 |
Pink Books |
Read Set 2 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words. Review Set 1 and 2 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers: focus on Set 2 words Once secure, read Set 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words |
Read all Set 2 sounds speedily Read these sounds in real words and nonsense words with Fred Talk Read previously taught words with Set 1 and 2 sounds speedily |
By the End of the Summer term, Year 1 pupils to be on blue at books and above |
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Orange Books |
Read Set 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words Review Set 1 and 2 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers: focus on Set 2 words |
Read Set 1 and Set 2 sounds in longer words Read Set 1 and Set 2 sounds in 4 and 5 sound nonsense words Read previously taught words with Set 1 and Set 2 sounds speedily |
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Yellow Books |
Read Set 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words Review Set 1, 2 and 3 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers: Set 2 and 3 words |
Read the first six Set 3 sounds (ea, oi, a-e, i-e,o-e, u-e) speedily Read these sounds in real words and nonsense words Read a passage at 60-70 words per minute, attempting intonation to show comprehension |
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Blue Books |
Read Set 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words Review Set 1, 2 and 3 Phonics Green Words Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers: Set 2 and 3 words |
Read all Set 3 sounds speedily Read Set 3 Sounds in real words and nonsense words Read a passage at 70-80 words per minute, attempting intonation to show comprehension |
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Year 2 |
Grey Books |
Read unfamiliar multisyllabic words Review Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds and matching Phonics Green Words including longer words speedily Read nonsense words Spell using Fred Fingers: multisyllabic, Set 2 and 3 words |
Read all Set 3 sounds in nonsense words Read multisyllabic words containing Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds Read a passage at 80-90+ words per minute with intonation that shows some comprehension |
By the end of End of Spring term, pupils in year 2 should be off the RWI programme. |
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Language and Literacy groups |
English Curriculum For Key stage 1 |
Independently be able to read with fluency and pace. |
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KS2 |
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RWI Interventions |
Pupils working below age expectations for reading in years 3 and 4 |
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Fresh Start |
Pupils working below age expectations for reading in years 5 and 6 |
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