Phonics at Stonebow

In Read Write Inc. Phonics lessons children learn to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. They learn to form each letter, spell correctly, and compose their ideas step-by-step.

Throughout the programme, children learn the English alphabetic code: the 150+ graphemes that represent 44 speech sounds. They rapidly learn sounds and the letter, or group of letters, they need to represent them, in three sets of Speed Sounds Lessons. Simple and enjoyable mnemonics help all children to grasp the letter-sound correspondences quickly, especially those who are at risk of making slower progress or those who are new to learning English. This knowledge is taught as ‘tricky’ words (we call them Red Words) and are practised frequently.

Phonic books are closely matched to children’s increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words so that, early on, they experience plenty of success. Repeated readings of the texts support their increasingly fluent decoding. A thought-provoking introduction, prompts for thinking out loud and discussion to help teachers ensure that children comprehend what they are reading. Teachers read aloud and discuss picture books with similar themes to those in the storybooks, so children build up background knowledge ready for the next storybook.