Early Reading
Here at Langland Community School, we are committed to ensuring that all children develop the ability to communicate fluently and effectively and to become confident, independent readers. We do this by delivering a designated Talk for Reading lessons in addition to daily Read Write Inc lessons.
Read Write Inc is designed to support our early readers with phonic development and initial reading skills such as blending and comprehension. The scheme teaches the children to recognise letter sounds and then how to blend them to read words (combine the sounds to read a word). We also teach children to read words by sight, these are known as ‘red words’. In addition, the children are taught to spell words by segmenting, which means breaking words into their individual sounds, and writing down the sounds they can hear.
Our phonics journey begins in the EYFS and is at the heart of everything we do! Phonics is taught systematically and actively to ensure learning is memorable and engaging. All children in Reception and Key Stage 1 have a phonics session every day in which they are carefully grouped based on regular assessment to ensure that every child is learning at a level appropriate for their needs. Each group is taught a different set of sounds that the children apply to the words in their reading book. The children bring home a copy of the text that they are reading in school that week alongside an unseen reading book. The children should be able to read most of the words in these books effortlessly to support the development of their fluency as well as their understanding. The children will still be challenged by a few words on each page that they may need to either ‘Fred Talk’ or ‘Fred in their head’ to read.
Phonics Screening Check
In June, all Year One children will be expected to undertake a statutory Phonics Screening. The aim is to check that a child is making the expected progress in phonics and using skills to decode unfamiliar words in their reading. The check comprises of a list of 40 words, both real and nonsense, which the child reads one-to-one with a teacher. For any children who do not pass the check, extra support will be given and they will then resit the test in Year 2. If they do not pass the test in Year 2 they will receive specific phonic interventions to meet their individual needs in Year 3.
RWI Spelling
Moving on, in Year 2 and 3 the children begin the RWI spelling programme continuing to do so throughout the years into Year 6. This programme enables teachers to deliver active lessons for the learning of spelling. Not only do children gain knowledge, understanding and investigate key spelling patterns, they also activate prior knowledge by revisiting previous linked learning. This is delivered through a series of well-planned and resourced sessions during the year. Where children will be introduced to new concepts then given the opportunity to practise, extend, explore, and then explain and demonstrate their understanding.
Reading at home
All children at Langland Community School have a reading book to take home. In Key Stage 1 the reading books are phonetically decodable and link to the Read Write Inc. scheme. With such high expectations, we recommend pupils read at least three times at home.
A love of reading is developed through the experience of high-quality texts from a variety of authors during the Talk for Writing sessions and through use of our reading for pleasure books and our class stories. All children, from our early readers to those who are fluent, have a rich and varied reading diet, promoting both reading pleasure and an experience and appreciation for a range of texts.
By the end of Key Stage 2 we strive for our children to be competent and confident readers who can read a wide range of texts and show an understanding through proficient comprehension skills.
For further information on the RWI programme or for more information on how to support your child to become a reader, please click on this link https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/