Phonics

Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) and the symbols that represent them (graphemes, or letter groups).  We teach phonics daily in Underwater Class, to ensure children have regular opportunities to practise what they have already learned and to continue to learn more.
 
Most children learn best when they are actively involved and playing games.  They also need the opportunity to practise what they have learned through the application of their skills, by reading and writing words which contain the focused phoneme/grapheme.  
 
Please find resources here which indicate what children should know by the end of their Reception year, and will support you and your child at home. 
 
 
As of Friday 20th March, Underwater Class have been taught all the graphemes/phonemes to the end of Phase 3.  All children will need to revise these to embed this learning: 'over learning' is an important aspect of learning to read, so that children become increasingly proficient and eventually become fluent readers.  They will also need to begin work on Phase 4, which focuses on words with adjacent consonants eg in truck and help and on reading words with two syllables.
 
Some children will need to return to Phase 2 to 'over learn' these sounds, while others will just need to focus on the more recent digraphs and trigraphs.   
 
Phonics Play is a very useful website, and is currently free to use.  Please email if you have problems accessing this.
 
Mr Thorne on YouTube is also a very useful resource, where you will be able to find mini-clips for every grapheme/phoneme that your child needs to learn.  Find an introduction to the alphabet here, but there are many more clips besides this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTw0oiLNys&t=60s
 
Finally, also on YouTube, you will be able to find the Phase 2 and Phase 3 'tricky words' songs which help children to read these words by sight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMyssfAUx0