Supporting Your Child at Home
Hello Parents/Carers and welcome to our support page!
Here we will try to ensure that we provide you with advice and information that will help you throughout the Reception Year to support your child at home to ensure your child has the best start developing the foundations for reading and writing.
Here at Swansfield Park, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their literacy. It is a widely used and highly successful phonics programme providing a lively and systematic approach to teaching synthetic phonics. Read Write Inc. Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing, which is centred around learning the sounds of the letters (phonics) and then blending them together to read words. The children also learn to break down words into individual sounds in order to write them
When using RWI to read the children will:
Learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into understanding what they read.
Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts.
Learn to read words using Fred Talk.
Learn to read words by blending the sounds together.
Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out.
When using RWI to write children will:
Learn to write simple and then increasingly complex sentences.
Learn to form letters using correct orientation and formation.
Blending: Children learn to read words by blending the letter sounds that are in the Speed Sound sets. Help your child learn to read words by sound-blending e.g. c-a-t = cat. Help children to say the pure sounds, as quickly as they can and then to blend the sounds together to say the whole word.
Segmenting: Children are also taught to segment. This is the opposite of blending. Children are able to say a word and then break it up into the phonemes that make it up. This skill is vital in being able to spell words.
How Can I Support My Child At Home?
Read phonics books with your child at home every day.
Encourage them to use their sounds (Fred Talk) to read unfamiliar words.
Revise the sounds taught at school. You can find copies of sound mats on our school website.
Ensure that you pronounce ‘pure’ sounds when you practice the sounds with your child at home. We have videos and links on our school website.
Help your child to rote learn their red words.
Practise green words and/or sentence reading and writing from the Ditty sent home weekly.
Encourage correct letter formation, finger spaces, capital letters and full stops when your child starts to write.
Praise success and support effort – Learning to read and write is hardwork!
Help your child to learn to blend fluently by sound blending at home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNyFikwNQTg
Useful websites:
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources
http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/
https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/literacy.html
http://www.bigbrownbear.co.uk/letters/
Here are some tips and guidance to help you help your child read their Ditty at home.
Speed Sounds- at the top of each ditty will be a list of some speed sounds. Please read each of sounds correctly with your child, pointing to each sound and asking them to tell you what it is. Go over these several times to ensure they are correctly identifying the sound.
Green Words-there is then a list of a few words. These are words which are easily spelt out and blended simply, for example: m- a - t spells mat. Please spell out each sound and then blend the word. If your child is not able to blend show the how to blend the sounds and have them repeat the word back to you.
Red Words- there will then be a list of red words. These are words which cannot be blended and must simply be read out aloud and learnt.
The Ditty- This is where your child will read. There will be a few sentences; children must blend and read each word. Discuss what you are reading as you go through- ask questions to check your child is understanding what they are reading.
CVC word writing – Re-read the green words, have your child read the word (eg cat) and then attempt to write it using their sound knowledge. Do not help with the spelling of the word but use Fred talk alongside your child to help them to hear the individual sounds c-a-t.
Hold a sentence (Extension for those children who can easily blend)- After reading the Ditty, ask your child to read the first sentence back to you. Read it again together clapping the syllables of each word. Ask your child to write this sentence without looking at the page. You may need to say the words together several times and remind your child to use finger spaces between each word and correct letter formation using the RWInc. sound rhymes. Encourage your child to use the sound mat provided to help them to write.
The Ditty should be completed repeatedly throughout the week. Children need as much practice as possible and this is a key activity to helping your child read and write.