Reading

Reading Lessons at Litcham School Primary Phase

Read, Write, Inc. Phonics

We follow the Read, Write, Inc. phonics programme which supports the develop of early word reading, fluency and comprehension skills for children in EYFS and KS1. We also continue to use the teaching of phonics to support any children in KS2 who have not met the expected standard in Reading at the end of Year 2. We teach phonics every day in 30-minute sessions. They are grouped according to their reading ability so that all children are adequately supported and challenged.

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Decoding

In every phonics session children have a speed sounds lesson. This means that every day children learn a new sound, review previously taught sounds, read and write words containing the target sound. They also read a fully decodable text everyday which is matched to their reading ability. We teach children the story words and common exception words that they will encounter in the story. With every re-read, the children focus on fluency, expression and understanding.

Comprehension

Each week children complete a range of activities related to their fully decodable story which allow them to build the foundations of reading for understanding. They are introduced to new vocabulary, hear a story introduction, make links to their own experiences, make predictions, answer retrieval questions and answer some inference questions.

Writing

Within each phonics session children practise writing individual words and practise letter formation. Each week the children also practise orally rehearsing dictated sentences to write. They then focus on punctuation and finger spacing when recalling these sentences to write.

Assessment and Progress

Each half-term, every child completes a Read, Write, Inc Assessment with the Reading Leader. Children are then grouped based on their reading ability. Any children that phonics teachers feel need more support that children are being accelerated through the programme. Any children that have not made expected progress will have group or individual tutoring to allow them to consolidate target sounds or skills to ensure that they keep up.

Phonics across the year groups

During our teaching of English, all teachers use their knowledge of phonics to support children in their class with reading and writing tasks. Children have access to ‘sound mats’ to support them with their own writing and teachers regularly refer to and model strategies taught in phonics to allow children to transfer these skills into their own reading and writing.