Phonics at Old Hall Drive Academy

At Old Hall Drive we believe that early reading is fundamental for building bright futures.  We aspire for all of our pupils to become fluent, confident and passionate readers through systematic approaches to the teaching of reading and the belief in building a reading culture school wide.  We can achieve this together through:

• The Read Write Inc. program.  A systematic and robust approach to the teaching of Early Reading.

• Developing a reading culture where all pupils love to read and share books for pleasure both at school and at home.

• Giving children access to a wide range of books within classrooms, the school library, online libraries and Read, Write, Inc.

Read Write Inc. Phonics teaches children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension using engaging phonics games and stimulating Storybooks. They learn to form each letter, spell correctly, and compose their ideas step-by-step.  Children learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds and blend these sounds into words, then learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. They experience success from the very beginning. Lively phonic books are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases.

Along with a thought-provoking introduction, prompts for thinking out loud and discussion, children are helped to read with a storyteller’s voice.  The children write every day, rehearsing out loud what they want to say, before spelling the words using the graphemes and ‘tricky’ words they know.  They practice handwriting every day: they learn correct letter formation and how to join letters speedily and legibly.  Children’s composition (ideas, vocabulary and grammar) is developed by drawing on their own experiences and talking about the stories they read.

How is RWI taught at Old Hall Drive?
When your child is ready, they may begin to learn some sounds in Nursery in short, fun sessions.

As they move into Reception, they will begin to learn how to segment and blend words (we call this Fred Talk, see below for more on Fred Talk) and learn how these words are written down.  This is called the Speed Sounds section of the RWI lesson.  Your child will begin learning Set 1 Sounds, then, when they are confident and secure with Set 1 will move onto Set 2 and then Set 3 (usually in Year 1). Your child will be assessed regularly to ensure that they are in the right group for them to make maximum progress. You can view examples of Speed Sound Lessons here:

Your child will then apply their learning of the new sound and practice older sounds through the reading of closely matched ditty books and Storybooks. As your child moves through the program they will learn challenging vocabulary and build their comprehension skills whilst being fully emerged in exciting texts.

Finally, they apply the new sound that they have learnt and consolidate older sounds during Get Writing! Writing activities. Closely linked to the ditty and story books, these activities teach children the basic writing skills whilst incorporating grammar and handwriting.

What is Fred Talk?
Fred Talk is the segmenting and blending of sounds to read and write words.  You may have heard it being called `Sounding Out` before.  When we `Fred Talk`, we say the different sounds out load then blend them together to say the whole word.  When we do Fred in your Head, the children segment the sound in their heads before saying the whole word. Here is a video showing Fred talk and some ideas for games you can play at home to practice.

For more information and for resources to support your child at home, please visit:
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/