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Phonics
Phonics
At English Martyrs’, we endeavour to ensure all pupils are fluent and successful readers by the end of Key Stage 1. This is achieved through daily high quality, discrete phonics teaching.
Phonics lessons are delivered through Anima Phonics, this is a full synthetic phonics programme validated by the Department for Education.
Each sound has its own accompanying action or poem, click on the link to visit the soundboard and see how many your child can teach you! If you would like any further information, please request a parental guide from you child's class teacher.
Structure of lessons
There are 4 elements to a phonics lesson: review, teach, practise and apply.
*Review - Graphemes previously taught are recapped. This section is very fast paced and allows children to apply their prior learning quickly.
*Teach – In this section, children are taught new graphemes, tricky words or high frequency words. The teaching is made engaging and enjoyable through the use of songs and actions.
*Practise – This section allows children to practise their spelling and reading.
*Apply – Children are given the opportunity to apply their skills independently by using the graphemes and words in a real-life context. They can do this by playing games and writing sentences.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
The phonics screening check comprises of a list of 40 words that children read one-to-one with a teacher. The list is a combination of both real and made up, non-words which rely purely on using phonics to decode. The non-words are words that have been made up and will be shown with a picture of an imaginary creature to help them. All children in Year 1 will take the test and parents will receive their result. If they do not meet the required level, they will retake the test in Year 2 and we will discuss with parents how they are being supported in their phonics learning.
Decodable Reading Books
Children across EYFS and KS1 are provided, weekly, with a fully decodable book which is tailored to the progression of lessons at school, providing an extra opportunity for children to consolidate their new knowledge.
Books are assigned through the Collins Big Cat e-Library. Our children are provided with a range of fiction and non-fiction books that are aligned to Letters and Sounds. The benefits of using e-books include:
- Children’s reading can be supported with fully synced audio.
- The e-books contain video tutorials that model how to pronounce phonemes correctly.
- Ideas to encourage comprehension skills and guided reading notes are included in all books.
