Phonics is the recommended first strategy to support children's learning of early reading skills. Phonics helps children tune into sounds and recognise the different sounds within words. This supports their reading and word understanding as they are able to break decodable words down into sounds in order to successfully read the word.
Phonics also introduces tricky words which are non-decodable high frequency words to familiarise children with.
Phonics lessons are fast paced, fun and educational. Providing children with the skills they need to read words and support their writing.
Phase 1 is taught over the first half term of school. This supports children's listening and attention skills in order to tune in and hear different sounds. The children will play lots of games to support their listening skills through environmental and instrumental sounds, body percussion, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, voice sounds which support the children's blending and segmenting of words ready for phase 2 phonics!
Phase 2 is taught across the Autumn terms. The children are introduced to 23 graphemes (Letters) - some of which are are doubled letters (Diagraphs). Single letters are phonemes. The children are introduced to different graphemes each week. We will practice and apply these sounds throughout the week and continue to revisit them over the teaching of phonics. Phase 2 also introduces our tricky words: I, no, go, the, into. These are not decodable.