All about phonics!

'Phonics' plays an important part of our daily routine in Class 1, right from nursery. It is a gateway into reading and spelling, opening up a whole world of successful communication for our children. We follow the Twinkl Phonics programme. 

Nursery

We learn to listen to and single out the sounds all around us through games, toys and simple listening activities. We learn about rhyme and play with rhyming objects. When children are ready we then look at matching letter sounds to the letters in the alphabet, often starting with the letters in the child's name.

Reception 

We learn to say, read and write the sounds of the letters in the alphabet as well as sounds that are made of two or three letters (e.g. th and igh). We practise blending the sounds together to make whole words. In reading we practise breaking down (segmenting) a word into individual sounds, then blending them again to read the word. This becomes more fluent over time. We also learn about tricky words that are more helpful simply learned by sight.

Year 1

We continue to learn and practise sounds to help us read and write common words. We use our knowledge of sounds and memory of tricky words to read and write sentences with growing confidence and accuracy. We set written tasks with a purpose such as writing letters, invitations for real parties, instructions for others to follow and stories that they can read to younger children.

Reading at home

We are delighted that so many children at Wiggonby are read to and read with at home. We encourage regular reading both of a book at the child's current reading level and of stories or information books that will spark their curiosity and imagination. We have a lovely collection of new books (marked with a star) for families to borrow and enjoy at home. Your child will also take home three reading books per week when they are ready. We encourage reading 5 times a week and run a 'Strive for Five' reading challenge each term.