Sounds-Write Phonics
Sounds-Write Phonics Overview
At St Botolph’s we follow the linguistic phonics approach called Sounds write. Phonics lessons are carried out daily in EYFS and KS1, then three times a week in KS2.
Planning
We follow the implementation guidance from Sounds Write, ensuring National Curriculum requirements are covered through Sounds Write lessons. Developmentally appropriate vocabulary is also taught, to enhance pupils understand of subjects such as history, geography, science and maths for example.
Sounds write ‘units’ are planned and taught over a fortnight, to allow ‘mastery’ of the code being taught. Over the fortnight, lessons are planned carefully to ensure that:
- 50% of time is spent - teaching new* content: the spellings of the target phoneme
- 40% of time - reviewing previously taught* code:
- 10% of time - retrieval* practise of previously taught code.
This may change to meet the needs of learners, but there will always be a balance of new learning and revisiting previous learning to help learners remember more.
Intervention
Ongoing assessment is an integral part of successful phonics teaching. In each class, children are identified for interventions. We carry out interventions/support to ensure children do not become distressed or feel they are not ‘included’ with peers. Children falling behind are identified quickly and have access to interventions at least three times a week and these may be;
‘Catch up’- this is for learners working several units behind their peers, they will access a mixture of activities such as a pre-teach or a pre-teach of lesson taught to the class, reading to an adult, carrying out a lesson from a unit that meets their needs. These children are still in class accessing the new code taught, and intervention sessions take place at a separate time.
'Keep up' – these are learners who need extra practise with new code being taught – this will include a mixture of word building, extra reading or segmenting activities.These children are still in class accessing the new code taught, and intervention sessions take place at a separate time.
Some frequently asked questions:
What is an everyday word?
At St Botolph’s, common exception words and high frequency words are called ‘everyday words’. This is because we use these words regularly, and we can use our code knowledge to blend for reading these words and segment them for spelling. We do not carry out weekly spelling tests, we do not teach spelling rules. We may carry out spelling ‘quizzes’ in the classroom as part of our ongoing assessment to inform us of what each child needs to revisit in their learning. At times, we may ask for spellings to be practised at home, but we do not endorse the look, cover, write, check approach, instead we ask the children to use their code knowledge to help them read and spell words.
How will my child learn to read?
We will provide a book for your child that they can ‘decode’ – this means that when they see a word, they can recognise the letters and blend them together to read it. At school, we us the phrase ‘say the sounds and read the word’
In reception, you should expect to receive your child’s first reading book by October half term. This is to allow the children to have a secure understanding of the code in the book. We do not give children books to read at home where they are faced with something they don’t know. We teach each ‘code’ in Reception and KS1 for 2 weeks. Once the new code has been taught, a reading book will be sent home so that your child can practise reading it. It is a very good thing if your child reads their book with confidence. This means they have remembered the new code they have been taught at school. It does not mean it is ‘too easy’.
As your child goes through KS1 (years 1 and 2) you should expect to see a wider variety of books coming home for your child to read to develop their confidence and fluency (recognising words without saying the sounds and reading the words).
How will my child learn to spell?
No spelling rules are taught in Sounds Write – we encourage children to talk In a spelling voice eg separate = sep er ate – using syllables. We ensure vocabulary taught is developmentally appropriate and goes beyond National Curriculum requirements. We use morphology to help explain vocabulary, in subjects such as Maths, History, Science and Geography for example.
Do you teach handwriting in Sounds-Write lessons?
No. Teachers use judgement to correct letter reversals eg d and b but will not use handwriting ‘patter’, instead teachers will ask the children to ‘write this letter like me’.
How do we meet the needs of all learners?
It is paramount that all children feel included in sounds write lessons and that they feel success when participating. Lessons are carefully planned to add complex and simple structure to ensure all learners are supported and challenged.
- The full range of lessons from sounds write are used across a two-week teaching unit, ensuring concepts are delivered.
- A careful selection of words are used to enable all children to join in e.g. bee, fleet, street, using adjacent consonants, as well as continuant and obstruent sounds.
- Choosing to provide or omit lines in words to aid spelling of words
- Choosing to leave a spelling, part of the spelling or no spelling on the board while children are writing the word themselves
- Providing children with letter tiles
- Carefully choosing text for whole class reading
- Provide cloze procedure for children to scaffold dictation – providing lines to show where children write ‘missing’ code rather than the whole word.
- Ensure children who need it are given lots of practise to ‘say the sounds and read the word’ during a lesson
- Interventions delivered outside of whole class teaching
Assessment and Tracking
Is ongoing and acted upon immediately. It informs planning and interventions and is reviewed to ensure it is having an impact.
Further information to support you:
An introduction from John Walker, the founder – although it is written for parents of children in Reception, it is a useful read for all -
Links to free resources, including free online courses -
https://www.sounds-write.co.uk/sites/soundswrite/uploads/files/70-soundswriteresourcescovid19.pdf
Free printable resources -
This video will show you how to help your child to read a decodable story.
https://video.link/w/c2fad
Please do not hesitate to talk to your child’s teacher should you have any questions about this approach.