Phonics
At Linchfield School we use the Phonics scheme Read Write Inc.
Phonics is for children in Reception, Y1 and Y2 who are learning to read.
Phonics is also for children in Y3 and Y4 who haven’t met the KS1 reading expectations.
Each half-term, we assess and group our children based on their stage of reading not age of reading. This means all children practise reading at the right level.
Using RWI, we make learning to read easy for children because we start by teaching them just one way of reading and writing every sound. There are 44 sounds in the English language, but we use 150 ways of representing them making it one of the most complex languages to learn.
The sounds are grouped into sets, 1, 2 and 3. We teach Set 1 sounds first, single letters and one way of representing vowel sounds – a, e, i, o and u. It is important that children know letter sounds – not letter names – to read words.
What Read Write Inc. does is simple - we teach sounds, children practise reading and spelling words containing these sounds, then we give children decodable books containing sounds and words they can read.
They read each Storybook three times at school and again with you at home.
On each reading, as children’s fluency increases, the more they can focus on what the story is about.
Children also learn to spell the words they have been reading and develop their ideas into sentences so that they can write about the Storybooks they read.
Alongside this we read stories to children: stories they cannot yet read for themselves.
Our aim is for children to finish the RWI Phonics programme quickly so they can start reading these books for themselves.
In KS2 the children continue to use the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ Programme of study for Spelling supplemented by the Year group National Curriculum Spelling Programme.
Reading
At Linchfield School, we believe that reading is an essential life skill and we are committed to enabling our children to become life-long readers who read fluently, accurately and with confidence. We recognise that reading in childhood enriches children’s vocabulary, wider knowledge of the world, social and emotional well-being and their imaginations. We strive to create a reading culture in which our children develop a love of reading so that they not only learn how to read but use reading to further their learning in other subjects and have a desire to read for pleasure.
We understand the importance of teaching children to read quickly through phonics and we use the Read Write Inc programme to do this in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One. At the start of the Autumn term in the Foundation Stage children begin daily phonics sessions, learning letter sounds and how these sounds are put together to form words. These daily phonics sessions take place throughout Key Stage One where the children are taught in small groups closely matched to their phonics ability. We aim for the children to become confident, fluent readers.
When children finish the Read, Write, Inc programme they begin the Accelerated Reader Programme. Children using Accelerated Reader choose their own books from a wide range, at their level. When finished, children use an iPad to take a short quiz on the book. Accelerated Reader gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help children set targets and direct ongoing reading practice.
We choose high quality books that engage our children and develop their awareness and understanding of diversity within our society. We provide our children with daily opportunities to read and, importantly, to be read to.
Around school and within classrooms we have developed social reading areas where the children can enjoy reading for pleasure, sharing books and reading material from a range of different genres.
Writing
At Linchfield Community Primary School we value every part of the writing process and to develop our pupils as enthusiastic writers. We plan for progression in the teaching and learning of writing using different strategies for giving appropriate support at each stage of the writing process. Children will be given as many ‘real’ reasons for writing as possible, incorporating cross curricular opportunities. Writing will be for a range of purposes and audiences, including books, poetry, captions, lists, recipes, articles, letters, instructions, stories, reports, records, memos, experiments etc. Film and drama will be used to enhance ideas and motivation for writing. Throughout the school children will have opportunities to be involved in the whole writing process of drafting, re-drafting and presentation. Children will be encouraged to improve their writing, considering increasing interest to the reader, using a rich vocabulary and different methods of presentation.
Grammar and Handwriting is also taught as discrete lessons and as part of the writing in all subjects.
