Early Reading and Phonics
At Wyvern, we follow the ALS phonics validated scheme when teaching children to read and write. The systematic and synthetic scheme is based on the principles of Letters and Sounds developed by Ann Smalberger, Literacy consultant. ALS phonics ensures a consistent approach from EYFS to KS1.
Children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have daily whole class phonic sessions and also learn to read and spell ‘tricky’ words; words which do not always rely on phonics.
All children work through the following phases in phonics:
Phase 1 focuses on playing with sounds –recognising everyday sounds, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration and orally blending and segmenting.
Phase 2 focuses on learning all single letter sounds and how to read and write them in words.
Phase 3 focuses on learning simple digraph (2 letters 1 sound) and trigraph (3 letters 1 sound) sounds and applying these in words and sentences (for example, igh, oo, ear and er).
Phase 4 focuses on learning adjacent consonants in words (for example, fl, pr, cr, and st).
Phase 5 focuses on learning alternative digraph and trigraph sounds and applying these in words and sentences (for example, ie, ph, oe and ai).
High Frequency Words
High frequency words or tricky words as they are also known as, are taught during phonic lessons, shared reading and English lessons. Some of the words are decodable although the children are encouraged to ‘see the word and say the word’. This is to encourage fluency in their reading.
Shared Reading
Shared reading is a whole class lessons to teach the strategies used for reading and develop vocabulary. Children apply their phonic knowledge during the lessons as well as developing other strategies for reading.
Guided Reading
During guided reading children are grouped into groups of up to 6 children. The children each have a book or text and are encouraged to apply the skills they have learnt in shared reading and during phonic lessons. They read individually by themselves and the teacher listens to them, asking questions. After the children have read, they are asked questions about what they have read and to find evidence in the text.
Shared Writing
Shared writing is taught in whole class lessons to teach the strategies used for writing, using the mantras taught in the phonics lessons.
Talk for Writing
Alongside ALS phonics, EYFS and KS1 have adopted the Talk for Writing (T4W) approach. This approach develops children’s writing through the use of talk, thinking, creativity and exploring.
Children of given the chance to experience a text and learn it verbally. This is enhanced with short bursts of writing to develop grammar, understanding and reading of the text. The children are also encouraged to use drama throughout this process, always developing their language. Language is at the centre of this approach especially developing vocabulary.
In EYFS, T4W concentrates on developing verbal storytelling. Teachers allow children to practise innovating and inventing stories regularly through role play areas, small world and helicopter stories. Year 1 children transition between verbally inventing and starting to write their own stories. In Year 2 children are given the opportunity to regularly write and create their own stories using skills learnt in the previous years.
