Phonics and Early Reading

Read Write Inc. Phonics Programme

At Colham Manor we teach the Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme Read Write Inc. Our aim is for every child to become a reader. Read Write Inc. 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 Colham Manor we begin the programme in Nursery from the summer term for children who are ready. We continue teaching RWInc. to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support with their reading.

Read, Write Inc. is an integrated approach to teaching phonics, reading, writing, handwriting and spelling. It is an effective programme in creating confident, fluent readers. Throughout the programme, children learn to read by: 

1. Reading letters (graphemes) by their ‘sounds’

2. Blending these sounds into words

3. Reading the words in a story

Each RWI lesson is split into three parts: 

1. A speed sound session to learn to read and write Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds

2. Reading a story, practising decoding and comprehension skills

3. Writing task linked closely to the book read that week. These tasks develop vocabulary, spelling, sentence structure and punctuation

Saying The Letter Sounds

We use pure sounds so the children are able to blend the sounds into words more easily. You can hear how the sounds are pronounced by clicking on this link:

Meet Fred!

Children will get to know Fred very well! He is a frog who can only speak in sounds (called “Fred Talk”). For example, instead of saying “dog”, he would say d-o-g. Instead of “sheep” he would say “sh-ee-p”. The children help Fred to say the word correctly!

Children will also be taught how to write the letter that represents the sound using correct letter formation. Each letter sound has a picture which children become familiar with. Each picture has a handwriting phrase which helps children to remember the sound and to form their letters in the correct way. 

Children will start by ‘reading/sharing’ Wordless books.

The purpose of the wordless books is for you and your child to talk about the pictures, to say what is happening, what might happen next, and to make up a story together about the book. Children who are learning the first few letter sounds will bring these books home. It is important at this stage for children to practise their oral blending skills.

Green Words

These are words that the children can use “Fred Talk” to read. The green word cards have a dot or “sound button” under each sound. Words that contain “special friends” (two letters which together make one sound such as sh, th, ch) have a line under the letters that make up the “special friends”. The word “ship” contains three sounds “sh–i–p”.

Red Words

Red words are words that children can’t use “Fred Talk” to read. They either have an unusual spelling or they contain sounds that children have not yet been taught. (If the latter is the case, once the sounds are taught, these words will no longer be red words).

Progression Beyond Phonics

• Please see Colham Manor Primary School’s ‘English Policy’