Welcome to Panda and GiraffeParent Information

Evening

September 2015

Mrs Olivia BingMrs Heather Green

Contents• Reception as a whole unit• Timetable• Phonics programme• Reading in Giraffe & Panda

class• Assessment• Any questions?

Reception as a unit

The children are split into two classes for registration purposes.

They are encouraged to use both classrooms and the outside areas

(when appropriate) during activities.

The children will be taught by all the adults in the unit, not just by one

teacher.

Timetable

Phonics Programme

In Reception we use the ‘Read, Write, Inc.’ Phonics Scheme, produced by Ruth Miskin and Oxford University Press.

Through this we are able to deliver a multi-sensory phonics, reading and writing programme of learning.

The key teaching principles of the scheme are:Pace, purpose, praise and passion.

But, what is Phonics?Phonics is the teaching of the 44 sounds that the 26 letters

of the alphabet make.Phonics IS NOT new.

However, research in recent years has again highlighted its

importance in the process of learning to read.

Technical terms…

Phonemes

• The 44 different sounds that can be spoken aloud.

Graphemes

• The written form of the 44 different sounds.

• Some sounds can be written in up to 5 different ways.

Progression in Phonics• Every child is taught the Set 1

sounds from the RWI scheme.(These link to Phase 2/3 Letters and Sounds)

m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h sh r j v y w th z ch q x ng nk

• By learning the sounds in this order the children can read simple words and enjoy first reading books.

Moving on with Phonics• When children are confident with

Set1 sounds they learn Set 2 sounds:(These link to Phase 3/4 Letters and Sounds)

ay ee igh ow oo oo ar or air ir ou oy

• At this point each sound only has one spelling.

• In class we use the ‘Simple Speed Sounds Chart’ to teach this.

Continuing with Phonics• When confident in the use of Set 2

sounds, your child will be introduced to the different ways of writing each sound.

• This is called Set 3 sounds.(These link to Phase 4/5 Letters and Sounds)

a-e ea i-e o-e u-e aw are ur er ow ai oa ew ire ear ure tious tion

• This stage of phonics teaching will happen for most children during Year 1.

How do we know where to start teaching your

child?Following our initial assessments (baseline assessment) the children in Reception have been grouped according to their

phonic knowledge.

•Some children will be working from the beginning of the Set 1 Sounds• Some children will be focusing more on the blends and the skill of building sounds into simple words.

We also spend a great deal of time ensuring the children are confident when forming their letters, our ‘I-Spy’ books are a way to help with this at home.

Once we have completed Set 1 sounds the children are then assessed and will either move onto Set 2 sounds or may have to revisit set 1 sounds.

This process of revisiting is not unusual as blending is a tricky concept and the last half a dozen sounds are more challenging.

What is a typical daily phonics lesson?

When we teach a sound there are 4 parts to the lesson:

•To begin with the children learn to hear and say the sound. We discuss whether the sound is a ‘stretchy’ (m) or ‘bouncy sound’ (a) •We teach the children how to read the sound•By using the picture card and the rhyme as a tool we teach the children how to write the sound. m- ”Maisie, mountain mountain”•We then practise saying the sounds in simple words (Fred Talk) and then blending them together to form the word. e.g. s-i-t sit

Teaching ‘Tricky’ wordsAs well as learning to blend words there are some ‘tricky’ words the children will need to learn through sight recognition. These are often referred to as ‘common words’ or ‘High Frequency Words.’ We call them ‘Red Words.’

We teach these to the children throughout the year, alongside their phonics and will be sending out a home-learning pack after half term.

Reading in Early YearsIn Reception at Butlers Court School we

firmly believe a secure phonics knowledge is key to helping your child to become a

confident reader.However, we also recognise there are far

more reading skills to be taught!A good reader does not only decode

written text, but understands what they are reading.

We work hard to develop the key skills needed to do this .

Becoming a reader in Early Years

The Starting Point

As many of you will have seen from your child’s reading book, the starting point for reading is being able to tell a story from pictures.

This skill is incredibly important and we are very keen to ensure it is not missed out as it is vital in developing a child’s imagination and vocabulary. When reading or sharing a book with your child, please take time to discuss the pictures. Ask your child:

• What do you see happening? •Why do you think think this is happening?• What do you think might happen next?

The Next Step

As their reading progresses and their confidence grows, the children are able to use the following strategies to decipher the words on the page in order to ‘read.’

•Using pictures as clues to the story content•Using phonic knowledge to blend sounds and decode words•Use ‘Red Word’ knowledge to read tricky words that cannot be sounded out

Becoming a reader is a process, each stage is of equal importance and it is important to be aware the one stage leads to the next.

Reception Reading Aim

It is our aim that every child develops a passion for reading.

Whether this be by reading themselves or by being read to.

Reading should be FUN!

How To help your child with Phonics and reading.

Phonics/reading works best when children are given plenty of encouragement and learn to enjoy reading and books.

• Make (daily) time to read and share books.• Point out letters and sounds being taught at school in home reading, not

only in school reading books.• With all books, encourage children to sound out unfamiliar words and

blend sounds together to build words.• School books (decodable readers) are at a level appropriate to your child’s

phonic understanding and your child should be able to sound out words in these.

• Word games such as ‘I-Spy’ are an excellent way to teach sounds.

Assessment in ReceptionMuch of the children’s learning time in the EYFS is through the engagement of

practical activities.

In order for us to build up an accurate picture of what each child knows, understands and is interested in each member of the Reception team carries out and records detailed observations of what each child can do.

We also use the following books to record what the children produce:• A writing book• A general work folder• Busy Book• ‘I Spy’ Book (Home)

But we need your help!

Early Years ProfileAt points during the year we use our observational notes and recorded evidence to assess the progress of each child within

the following areas of the Early Years Profile (EYP)

Personal, social and emotional development Communication and Language Physical Development Literacy (reading and writing) Mathematics (numbers and shape, space and measure) Understanding of the worldExpressive arts and design and exploring and using mediaAt the end of the academic year a final judgement is made as to whether each child leaves Reception at one of three levels:

Emerging, Expected or Exceeding.

Reminders

Reading books need to be in book bags everyday.

Encourage friendly behaviour.

No jewellery (whole school policy.)

Help with dressing.

Communication book and magic moments.

Please come to us with any questions, queries or concerns.

Any

other

Questions?