Phonics
Read Write Inc
At Gidea Park we follow the Read Write Inc phonics scheme. Children from Reception through to Year 2 have daily, focused teaching to build the requisiste skills to enable them to read with increasing independence and confidence. Interventions are put in place for any children who need additional support, be this in Reception right through into Key Stage 2 after the whole class phonics scheme is complete.
At Home
To support your child with their reading at home, Read Write Inc provides some videos to demonstrate to parents how phonics is taught and allow for consistency of approach between home and school. More are available directly from their YouTube channel.
Sounds
Please see below for a full breakdown of phonic sounds in each set, including memorable phrases and rhymes used to aid memory.
Set 1 Sounds
m: maisie, mountain, mountain
a: round the apple, down the leaf
s: slither down the snake
d: round the dinosaur’s back, up his tall neck and down to his feet
t: town the tower, across the tower
i: down the insects body, dot for the head
n: down Nobby and over the net
p: down the plait, up and over the pirate’s face
g: round the girls face, down her hair and give her a curl
o: all around the orange
c: curl around the caterpillar
k: down the kangaroo’s body, tail and leg
u: down and under the umbrella, up to the top and down to the puddle
b: down the laces, over the toe and touch the heel
f: down the stem and draw the leaves
e: slice into the egg, go over the top, then under the egg
l: down the long leg
h: down the horse’s head, to the hooves and over his back
r: down the robot’s back, then up and curl
j: down his body, curl and dot
v: down a wing, up a wing
y: down a horn, up a horn and under the yak’s head
w: down, up, down, up the worm
z: zig-zag-zig, down the zip
x: cross down the arm and leg and cross the other way
sh: slither down the snake, then down the horse’s head, to the hooves and over his back
th: down the tower, across the tower, then down the horse’s head, to the hooves and over his back
ch: curl around the caterpillar, then down the horse’s head, to the hooves and over his back
qu: round the queen’s head, up to her crown, down her hair and curl
ng: a thing on a string
nk: I think I stink
Set 2 Sounds
ay: may I play
ee: what can you see
igh: fly high
ow: blow the snow
oo: poo at the zoo
oo: look at the book
ar: start the car
or: shut the door
air: that’s not fair
ir: whirl and twirl
ou: shout it out
oy: toy to enjoy
Set 3 Sounds
ea: cup of tea
oi: spoil the boy
a-e: make a cake
i-e: nice smile
o-e: phone home
u-e: huge brute
aw: yawn at dawn
are: share and care
ur: purse for a nurse
er: a better letter
ow: brown cow
ai: snail in the rain
oa: goat in a boat
ew: chew the stew
ire: fire fire!
ear: hear with your ear
ure: sure it’s pure
tion: (celebration)
tious / cious: (scrumptious / delicious)
e: he me we she be
Read Write Inc Glossary
Speed sounds – the individual sounds that make up words
Special friends – a combination of two or three letters representing one sound, e.g. sh, ng, igh
Fred talk – say each sound in a word e.g. c-a-t, sh-ee-p, f-l-igh-t
Read the word - blend the sounds together and say the whole word
Fred finger spelling - teaches children to break down words into individual sounds then press each sound onto their fingers before writing.
Red words: common words with an uncommon spelling that cannot be phonetically sounded out e.g. said, you, the
Year 1 Phonics Screening
At the end of Year 1, all children will participate in the statutory Phonics Screening Check to assess their phonic abilities. Any children who are unable to achieve the required score at this stage will take a follow up assessment in Year 2, after receiving additional targeted support.