Phonics

 
RWI - Read Write Inc. | - William Reynolds
 
In Reception we follow a programme called 'Read Write Inc' (RWI). The Read Write Inc programme is for primary school children learning to read. It enables every child to become a confident and fluent reader.
 
Below are some useful resources to support your child's learning in Phonics including Set 1 and Set 2 Phonic mats. These have all of the letter sounds that your child will be learning.
 
By the end of Reception children should be able to read and spell all of the key words attached below and know all of the Set 1 and some of Set 2 sounds. 
 
 

Fred Talk

 

We use pure sounds (‘m’ not’ muh’,’s’ not ‘suh’, etc.) so that your child 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

 

Set 1

Set 1 sounds are taught in the following order together with rhymes to help children form the letters correctly and instantly recognise sounds ready for blending.  Set 1 sounds are taught in Reception.

 

Set 1

Sound

Rhyme

m

 Maisie mountain, mountain

a

Round the apple, down the leaf.

s

Slither down the snake

d

Round the dinosaur's bottom, up his tall neck and down to his feet.

t

Down the tower, across the tower,

i

Down the insects body, dot for the head.

n

Down Nobby and over the net.

p

Down the pirates plait and around his face.

g

Around the girls face, and down her plait.

o

All around the orange

c

Curl around the caterpillar

k

Down the kangaroos body, tail and leg

u

Down and under the umbrella, up to the top and down to the puddle

b

Down the laces to the heel and around the toe

f

Down the stem and draw the leaves

e

Lift off the top and scoop out the egg

l

Down the long leg

h

Down the horse's head to the hooves and over his back

 

  

r

Down the robot's back and curl over his arm

j

Down his body, curl and dot for his head

v

Down a wing, up a wing

y

Down a horn, up a horn and under the head.

w

Down, up, down, up 

 

  

z

Zig-zag-zig

 

  

x

Down the arm and leg, repeat the other side

qu

 Round her head, up past her earring, down her hair and flick

Please do not use letter names at this early stage.

 

Children will also use pictures for each sound to help recognise the sound and then form the shape of the sound.

 

Set 2 and Set 3

The children are then taught set 2 sounds. Set 2 sounds are taught in Reception and the beginning of Year 1.

When children are confident with all of set 1 and set 2 sounds, they are taught set 3 sounds. Set 3 sounds are taught in year 1.

 

 

Set 2 

Set 3

 

ay: may I play

a-e: make a cake

ai: snail in the rain

 

ee: what can you see

ea: cup of tea

e: he me we she be

 

igh: fly high

i-e: nice smile

 

ow: blow the snow

o-e: phone home

oa: goat in a boat

 

oo: poo at the zoo

u-e: huge brute

ew: chew the stew

 

oo: look at a book

 

 

 

ar: start the car

 

 

 

or: shut the door

aw: yawn at dawn

 

 

air: that’s not fair

are: share and care

 

 

ir: whirl and twirl

ur: nurse for a purse

er: a better letter

 

ou: shout it out

ow: brown cow

 

 

oy: toy for a boy

oi: spoil the boy

 

 

 

ire: fire fire!

 

 

 

ear: hear with your ear

 

 

 

ure: sure it’s pure?

 

 

Nonsense words/Alien words         

As well as learning to read and blend real words children will have plenty of opportunities to apply their sound recognition skills when reading a variety of ‘Nonsense words’. These words will also feature heavily in the Year 1 Phonics Screening check in the summer term. 

 

Spelling

Each day the children are supported to develop their spelling skills. Children will use ‘Fred fingers’ to first sound out a word before they write it down. Children use 'Fred talk' and sound out the word and pinch each sound on their fingers before writing the word.