St Lawrence

 

'Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.' (Proverbs 22:6)

Phonics

At St Lawrence, we use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all of the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing.  

Our phonics teaching starts in Reception and follows a very specific sequence that allows our children to build on their previous phonic knowledge and master specific phonic strategies as they move through school. As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words that they might discover. We also model these strategies in shared reading and writing both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum.  

reading at stl early reading phonics and ks2 for website 1 .pdf

How we teach phonics 

In reception and Y1, children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily and there is a review session on a Friday. 

Phonics starts in reception in week 2 to ensure the children make a strong start. 

By the end of reception, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 4. 

By the end of year 1, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 5. 

Reception lessons start at 10 minutes, with daily additional oral blending – increasing to 30 minutes as soon as possible. 

Y1 lessons are 30 minutes long. 

In Y2-Y3, phonic lessons are taught daily to children where appropriate – following the model of Little Wandle but plugging specific gaps identified through assessment. 

In Y2-Y6 there are planned phonic ‘catch-up’ sessions following a set model to address specific reading/writing gaps. These are short, sharp sessions lasting 10 minutes in length and taking place at least three times a week. 

 

Reading practice sessions 

Children across reception, year 1, year 2 (and beyond if appropriate) apply their phonics knowledge by using a full matched decodable reader in a small group reading practice session. 

These sessions are 10-20 minutes long and happen two to three times a week. There are approximately 6 children in a group. 

The sessions follow the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. 

The children then take the same book home on Friday of that week to ensure success is shared with the family. 

In reception these sessions start in week 4. Children who are not decoding, do a little blending lesson, following the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sound Revised.

 

Supporting your child with reading 

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. 

  

There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home: 

A reading practice book. 

This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently. 

  

A sharing or reading for pleasure book.  Your child may not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together. 

  

Reading practice book 

This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading. 

Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together. 

  

Sharing book 

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together. 

Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun! 

Programme Overview:

Programme Overview Reception and Year 1

 

Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1

This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1 video is designed to be shared with families by schools using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to he...

 

Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2

This Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2 video is designed to be shared with families to help them to support learning at home. Little Wandle Letters...

 

 

Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1

This Phase 3 sounds taught in Reception Spring 1 video is designed to be shared with families to help them support the learning at home. Little Wandle Letter...

 

How we teach blending

This How we teach blending video is designed to be shared with families by schools using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to help them to support lea...

 

How we teach tricky words

This explanation of tricky words video is designed to be shared with families by schools using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised complete phonics programme to help them to support learning at home. Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is based on the original Letters and Sounds but extensively revised to provide a complete....

 

Resources for home:

Glossary of Terms

Grapheme Mats Phase 2, 3 and 5

Grapheme Mats Phase 2 and 3

Handwriting and Pronunciation:

Pronunciation Guide Autumn 1

Pronunciation Guide Autumn 2

Capital Letter Formation