Here at St. Joseph's, we teach phonics and early reading through Read, Write, Inc. We chose this highly successful scheme as it effectively teaches systematic phonics. The children are regularly assessed and taught in groups according to their reading ability. The children learn the phonemes, graphemes, common words and blending skills that they need in order to become confident readers. We find that our children love this scheme due to the engaging books, daily routine and effective strategies such as 'Fred in your head' and 'Fred fingers'.
What is Read Write Inc?
Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at St Joseph's we begin the programme in the summer term in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.
RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin. More information on this can be found at https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
How will RWI be taught?
All children are assessed regularly by our RWI lead teacher so they work with children at the same level. This allows complete participation in lessons and to ensure that the children are reading books that are accurately matched to their ability. The next set of sounds that the children need to learn will be included in the reading books that they read in school and then at home.
Nursery
When appropriate, children will be introduced to the initial sounds in short five minutes sessions.
Reception
In the first half of the autumn term, Reception all children will learn how to ‘read’ the set 1 sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down as a whole class. Following on from this, the children will be assessed and then be taught in their reading ability group.
KS1
Throughout KS1 children will secure their understanding of how to blend and segment sounds for reading and spelling, aiming for automatic recall and fluency.
Reading
The children:
- learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below
- learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
- read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
- work well with partners
- develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' discussion questions
- bring a copy of the school RWI text to share at home (once they are placed into their colour groups)
Talking
The children work in pairs so that they:
- answer every question
- practise every activity with their partner
- take turns in talking and reading to each other
- develop ambitious vocabulary
Spelling
The children learn how to spell words that include set 1, 2 and 3 sounds.
From the Yellow group onward, children learn to spell red (common/high frequency) and green story words.
Pure Sounds
Ruth Miskin shows you why pronouncing sounds in a 'pure' way is the most effective for teaching children how to read.
Please see 'Parent video: How to say the sounds' on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXcabDUg7Q
Useful Websites
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/literacy.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zgkw2hv
Please find the Powerpoint from the parent information meeting below.