Phonics
We are delighted to announce that we are currently introducing the new, DfE validated, phonics scheme from Twinkl; we are confident that this scheme will allow us to build even stronger foundations for early reading and writing at Lantern Lane.
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What is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skillfully.
They are taught how to:
- recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;
- identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make such as /sh/ or /ee/;
- blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.
Children can then use this knowledge to ‘decode’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.
The opposite of blending is segmenting: breaking words down into individual sounds. This -together with being able to chose the correct grapheme to represent a sound - allows us to spell.
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Why Phonics?
Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. It is particularly helpful for children aged 5 to 7. Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills they need to tackle new words. They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment.
Children who have been taught phonics also tend to read more accurately than those taught using other methods, such as ‘look and say’.
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For more information, you can read the Department of Education’s ‘Learning to read through phonics: information for parents’ document here.
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Children will be taught to blend for early reading and to segment for early writing.
Find out more about these two key skills and how to say the 'pure' sounds (that your children are taught) in the videos below:
Phonics lessons are carefully structured. They begin with a revisit & review of what has already been taught before new content is introduced. Children are given lots of opportunities to practise what they have learnt and then apply their new knowledge.
A story context with familiar characters is used to engage the children in their learning.
What does this look like for the children in practice?
The video below demonstrates an actual phonics lesson:
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Helping your child with phonics at home...
As introduced at our parents' information meetings (October 2022), we are pleased to share some resources that you can access to help your child.
Click on the links to open the presentations shared at:
EYFS Phonics Information Meeting
Year 1 Phonics Information Meeting
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Twinkl have produced a useful guide for parents, which includes an outline of the key vocabulary used when teaching children to use phonics for reading and spelling. Find this below:
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Click on the images below to discover the actions that the children learn for each of the phonemes taught at Level 2, 3 and 5.
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