Our Approach

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

When using RWI to read the children will:

• Learn to read fluently
• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts.
• Learn to read words using Fred Talk.
• Learn to read words by blending the sounds together.
• Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out.
• Show that they understand the stories by answering ‘Find It’ and ‘Prove it’ discussion questions.

When using RWI to write the children will:

• Learn to spell
• Learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds (graphemes)
• Learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• Learn to write simple and then increasingly complex sentences.
• Compose a range of texts
• Write simple sentences
• The ‘sounds’

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. 

Handwriting & Letter Formation

The Read Write Inc. Phonics programme teacher letter sound correspondence through a set of mnemonics. Each letter has a mnemonic to help children remember its sounds and how to form the letter. We use the RWI mnemonics – memory pictures – to help children visualise the letter or join before they write it down. Therefore, children learn the letter formation alongside learning the sound.

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).

Home Reading for Pupils on the Phonics Scheme

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.

Each week children in 1A, 1B & 1C groups will bring home sound blending books and flash cards alongside wordless books. Children in Ditty and above will bring home a coloured story book and a book bag book in line with their phonics group. All children also take home a reading for pleasure book each week from the school library.