Read Write Inc. Phonics Information
At Ysgol Penrhyn our children follow the Read Write Inc. programme in phonics.
How it works?
The children are assessed and grouped according to their ability. They work in small groups with a teacher or a teaching assistant to learn the sounds that they need to know. At the end of each half term the children will be assessed again to check they have made progress and will be grouped again.
Reading:
Through RWI the children will learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy in to understanding what they are reading.
The children will learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts. The children learn to read real and ‘nonsense’ words by blending sounds together. These sounds can be stretchy sounds or bouncy sounds.
Blending:
Children learn to read words by blending the letter/sounds that are in the Speed Sound sets. You can help your child to read words by sound-blending (Fred Talk) e.g. c-a-t= cat. In RWI we use pure sounds. This means removing the ‘uh’ from the sounds. There is also a ‘Parent Tutorial Sound Blending Video’ that may be helpful for you to look at:
Sound Pronunciation Guide:
Set 1 Sounds
Set 2
3 Sounds
Red Words:
We can’t Fred a red word! Red words need to be learnt by sight recognition. You cannot sound them out using Fred Talk.
Spelling:
Fred talk helps children learn to spell as well! Children convert words into sounds. They press the sounds they hear on to their fingers… We call this Fred Fingers
If you require any further information about the Read Write Inc programme in our school, please feel free to contact your child’s class teacher.
How can I help my child at home?
Make learning sounds fun!
1. Practise a mix of ‘non- words’ and real words. Ask your child to draw ‘sound buttons’ underneath each sound, to show they can correctly identify each one. Say all the sounds individually then put the word together.
2. Use the sound mats to help your child learn the sounds.
3. Read a variety of books to your child. Can you find the sound in the book?
4. Explain the meaning of new words.
5. Don’t forget about your school reading books and library books. Practising reading will really help!
There are lots of websites available to help your child with their phonics: