Reading and Phonics
Reading
At St Mary Queen of Martyrs we value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We believe reading is key for academic success and we implement the following strategies:
- Children take part in daily Guided Reading lessons within which they are exposed to a range of different texts and can demonstrate their understanding and thinking behind these.
- We have a wide range of reading books in our school. All children from Nursery to Year 6 take a reading book home to read. Children currently on the phonics programme will take home books linked to their phonics lessons.
- Children who are not yet ‘free readers’, will work through our home reading scheme from which they take home banded books. These books will match their current reading ability at an independent level. We expect all pupils to read at home daily and be supported by parents and family members in doing so.
By the time children leave our school, we aspire for them to be competent readers and we aim that they can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books, including evaluating an author’s use of language and the impact this can have on the reader.
Phonics
At St Mary Queen of Martyrs we use the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to ensure our children get a flying start with their phonics and reading. All children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 receive daily phonics teaching through the Read, Write Inc. programme. Children in Key Stage 2 in need of further support also access the programme. RWI is a method of learning centred around letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to aid children in their early reading and writing.
Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.
Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read.
When using RWI to read the children will:
- learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
- learn to read words using Fred Talk
- read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
- show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.
When using RWI to write the children will:
- learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds.
- learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
- write simple sentences
Click on the link below to go to the Ruth Miskin Read Write Inc website.
To know more about Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds and words click on the links:
- Set 1: Set 1 Mini Flashcards, Green Words Set 1, Red Words
- Set 2: Set 2 Sounds, Set 2 Green Words, Red Words 1
- Set 3: Set 3 Resources, Set 3 Sounds, Set 3 Green Words, Red Words 3
Oxford Owl website has a section for Reading RWI books
Here are some videos, these will help you support your child with their Read Write Inc. Phonics.
