Phonics – Read Write Inc

Read Write Inc – Overview

Read Write Inc., developed by Ruth Miskin, provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching English. It is used by more than a quarter of the UK’s primary schools and is designed to create fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers. It has developed a fantastic reputation for success and is used widely in schools in areas of high deprivation as well as in some of the top independent schools.

Each Read Write Inc. programme meets the higher expectations of the 2014 National Curriculum and uses effective assessment to accelerate every child’s progress and prepare them for the National Curriculum Tests and the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.

Children from Nursery to Year 2 follow the phonics programme. This then leads into Read Write Inc Spelling. However, those who are still in need of support with Phonics in Year 2 and beyond will remain on the programme until their reading speed and comprehension is in line with their peers.

 

Read Write Inc – Spelling Programme

Read Write Inc. Spelling for Years 2 to 6 has been specially created to meet the higher demands of the national curriculum. Lessons are just 15-20 minutes a day and slot easily into the timetable.

• Spelling rules are introduced by aliens from an exciting online spelling planet and are taught in a systematic way using the methods and approaches from the phonics programme.

For children in KS2 who have not managed to keep up with their peers an intervention called Fresh Start is carried out, again taking the same principles and approaches of the phonics programme but in a manner more appropriate to the age of the children.

Read Write Inc. programmes work because we get children’s brain ‘COGS’ working:

• Everything CONNECTS: children connect sounds with mnemonic pictures; words with their meanings; and stories with the sounds they know. They connect their own experiences to the stories they read and learn to lift the words off the page.
• Children learn ONE thing at a time and practise it until it becomes second nature. Interactive practice keeps children focused, and their capacity to learn develops exponentially.
• They learn at their GOLDILOCKS spot (not too easy, not too hard) with others at a similar challenge level. No time is wasted.
• Children remember what they learn by SAYING it out loud to a partner. If they can’t explain it, the teacher repeats it until they can.

How will I know how my child is doing?

We will always let you know how well your child is doing. We use various ways to find out how the children are getting on in reading. We use the information to decide what reading group they should be in. Your child will work with children who are at the same reading level as him or her. Children will move to a different group if they are making faster progress than the others. Your child will have one-to-one support if we think he or she needs some extra help to keep up. We also use a reading test so that we can make sure that all our children are at the level that they should be for their age compared to all the children across the country. In the summer term, the government asks us to do a phonics check of all the Year 1 children. That gives us extra information about their progress. We will talk to you about how well your child has done, and especially if we have any worries at all.

How long will it take to learn to read well?

By the end of Year 2, your child should be able to read aloud books that are at the right level for his or her age. In Year 3 we concentrate more on helping children to understand what they are reading, although this work begins very early on. This happens when the teacher reads to the children and also when the children read their own story book.

What can parents do to help? Is there anything that should not be done?

Your child will bring different sorts of books home from school. It helps if you know whether this is a book that your child can read on their own or whether this is a book that you should read to them. The teacher will have explained which is which. Please trust your child’s teacher to choose the book(s) that will help your child the most. Sometimes your child might bring home a picture book that they know well. Please don’t say, ‘This is too easy.’ Instead, encourage your child to tell you the story out loud; ask them questions about things that happen or what they think about some of the characters in the story. We know parents and carers are very busy people. But if you can find time to read to your child as much as possible, it helps him or her to learn about books and stories. They also learn new words and what they mean. Show that you are interested in reading yourself and talk about reading as a family.

Does it matter if my child misses a lesson or two?

It matters a lot if your child misses school. The way we teach children to read is very well organised, so even one missed lesson means that your child has not learnt something that they need to know to be a good reader.

My child has difficulty in pronouncing some sounds. Will this stop them from learning to read through phonics?

This isn’t a problem for learning to read as long as we know what sound the child is trying to say. This is not something to worry about. Many children have a few sounds that they can hear clearly but find it difficult to say, particularly the l-sound, r-sound, w-sound, th-sound, s-sound, sh-sound and j-sound. Often they say a t-sound for the c-sound; “tttssh” for the s-sound; “w” for the r-sound and “r” for the l-sound. You can help your child by encouraging him or her to look at your mouth when you say the sound. Whatever you do, do not make your child feel a failure. They can easily learn to read, even if they find one or two sounds difficult to say.