Phonics at Wrangle

Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.  The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Wrangle we will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.

Reading

The children:

• - learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below
• - learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
• - read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
• - work well with partners
• - develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' discussion questions

Writing

The children:

• - learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
• - learn to write words by using Fred Talk
• - learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write 

Talking

The children work in pairs so that they:

• - answer every question
• - practise every activity with their partner
• - take turns in talking and reading to each other
• - develop ambitious vocabulary

Fred Talk

We use pure sounds (‘m’ not’ muh’,’s’ not ‘suh’, etc.) so that your child will be able to blend the sounds into words more easily.

At school we use a puppet called Fred who is an expert on sounding out words! we call it, ‘Fred Talk’. E.g. m-o-p, c-a-t, m-a-n, sh-o-p, b-l-a-ck.

The following video is an example of blending sounds with Fred. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEzfpod5w_Q

The children are taught the sounds in 3 sets.

Step 1:

Set 1 Sounds are taught in the following order together with rhymes to help children form the letters correctly and instantly recognise sounds ready for blending. 

Please do not use letter names at this early stage.

Step 2:

The children are then taught Set 2 Sounds - the long vowels. When they are very confident with all of set 1 and 2 they are taught Set 3 Sounds. 

Step 3:

Within all the books children will have red and green words to learn to help them to become speedy readers. Red words are words that are not easily decodable and challenge words to extend children’s vocabulary. Green words are linked to the sounds they have been learning and are easily decodable.

Dots and dashes represent the sound each letter makes.

During the RWI session children will read the book three times and at each new reading they will have plenty of opportunities to practise using their developing comprehension skills. You may have hear your child talking about ‘hold, edit or build a sentence’.

Hold a sentence is an activity that encourages children to remember a whole sentence while focusing on spelling and punctuation.

Build a sentence is to give children the opportunity to create their own sentence to that shows the meaning of a word and edit a sentence allows the children to critique a sentence using their knowledge of spelling punctuation and grammar. Children complete a longer piece of independent writing, which gives them the opportunity to show off their creativity and to practice their spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Order of Story books: Children will hopefully follow the order listed below. The expectation is that all children will leave Year One as confident speedy readers, ready to take on the challenges of Year Two. However, some children may need extra support and your teacher will talk to you about this. 

All children who are accessing RWI Phonics will receive two reading books. One reading book that matches their book level and the sounds that they are learning - we can this an 'I can' book as children can read this themselves. They have a second book, a 'we can' book to share together with an adult to develop their love of reading.