Ridgeway Primary Academy

Reception Reading Workshop

Welcome to our Reading Workshop!

Aims of the Talk

• To give you a clear picture of how we approach the teaching of phonics in Reception.

• To inform you how phonic skills and knowledge form a part of learning to read.

• To give you ideas of how to support your child at home with phonics and reading.

Early Experiences

• Speaking and listening activities.• Sharing books with adults and other children.• Singing and saying rhymes.

Entry to School

• Early experiences are built on.• Phonics screening.• Children grouped according to existing

knowledge.• Regular phonics teaching for 20 minutes every

day.

Phonemes and Graphemes

• Phonemes - sounds in words• Graphemes – a sound written in a letter(s)• Phonics teaches children to link sounds to

letters and apply this knowledge to reading and writing.

Letters and Sounds

• A systematic phonics programme.• Supplemented by activities and games from

other sources such as Jolly Phonics and Phonics Play

Phases

• Letters and Sounds is divided into six phases.• Children are grouped according to knowledge

of letters and sounds.

Phase 1

• Children listen attentively to sounds around them.

• Nursery rhymes and songs are taught.• Good books are read and shared. • Children learn about ‘sound talk’ or blending,

a vital skill for reading.• Example of an activity - What’s in the Box?

Supporting Children at Home –Phase 1

• Games, e.g. I Spy• Alliteration – tongue twisters• Rhyming activities

Phase 2

• Link sounds to letters.• Pronunciation of sounds – ‘bouncy and stretchy

sounds’.• Jolly Phonics – pictures, stories, songs and

actions.• Blending for reading and segmenting for

spelling.• CVC and VC words. C=consonant, V=vowel• Tricky words

Phase 2 Activities

• Teaching letters and sounds through Jolly Phonics.

• Computer activities• Word building with letter cards and magnetic

letters.• Word mats, for example dinosaur mats, car

parks.

Supporting Children at Home – Phase 2

• Magnetic letters• Alphabet posters• Computer games• Applying phonic knowledge when reading

with children. Support by modelling where necessary.

Phase 3

• Rest of 44 sounds are taught. In addition to letters of the alphabet, digraphs and trigraphs.

• Digraphs – sounds made with two letters e.g. ck, ll, ai, sh, ar.

• Trigraphs – sounds made with three letters e.g. igh, ear.

• New sounds applied to segmenting and blending.

Phase 3

• More tricky words are learned.• Spelling phase 2 tricky words.• Names of letters of the alphabet.• Phrases and sentences.

Phase 3 Activities

• Similar to Phase 2 activities.• Children encouraged to spell using writing

skills as long as they are ready to write.

Supporting Children at Home - Phase 3

• Play I Spy using letter names.• Sing alphabet songs.• Making digraphs and trigraphs using magnetic

letters.• Computer games.

Phase 4

• Consonant clusters - children learn to blend two consonants together in a CVCC or CCVC word.

• Digraphs and trigraphs are incorporated into the words.

• For example, help(CVCC), faint(CVCC), clip(CCVC), flight(CCVC).

• Reading and writing words, phrases and sentences.

• Tricky words.

Supporting Children at Home – Phase 4

• Use magnetic letters to spell CCVC and CVCC words.

• Look for words which the children can read in the environment, e.g. fish and chips.

• Read more difficult words together.• Computer games.

Phase 5• Some children may move into phase 5 in Reception.• Children learn that some sounds can be spelt in more than one way, e.g.

the ‘i’ sound, igh(night), i(kind), y(fly), ie(tie), i-e(kite).• Children learn that some letters and combinations of letters can represent

more than one sound, e.g. ea sounds like ee in mean and e in bread.• Tricky words.

Phonics Play

• Phonics Play is a website subscribed to by Ridgeway.

• Parents can access this at home to practise phonic skills with their children.

• User name – ridgeway• Password - phonics

Applying Phonic Knowledge and Skills

• Good phonic knowledge and skills help children to read fluently and spell accurately.

• However, children need to read and write for a purpose.

• Literacy lessons focus on enjoyment, understanding and purpose of reading and writing.

School Reading Books

• Apply phonics where appropriate.• Look at cover, predict what the story is about.• Discuss pictures.• What will happen on the next page?• How will the story end?• Use picture clues and context clues (read ahead then go back)

for unknown words which cannot be decoded using phonics.• Discuss meanings of new words.• Discuss characters and setting.• Most importantly of all, make this an enjoyable time.

Ideas for Supporting Reading at Home

• Share books together.• Sing nursery rhymes.• Story tapes and CDs.• Visit the library.• Let the children see you reading.• Act out stories using puppets and nursery

rhymes.• Above all, remember that learning to read should

be fun for both children and parents!

Any Questions?

• If you are unsure which phonics phase your child is working within, or you require any further information, please feel free to ask myself or Miss Gill.