ENGLISH
Phonics
At Norton In Hales, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to begin our children’s reading journey. RWI is a method of learning which teaches letter sounds and synthetic phonics and has proved to get children off to a flying start with their literacy learning.
Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot has the potential to become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more they will want to find out.
Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.
When using RWI to read the children will:
- Learn that sounds are represented by written letters.To practice the sounds and learn how to pronounce them accurately please see the video using the following link Read Write Inc Phonics: How to say the Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts. These can be found in the files below.
- Learn how to blend sounds and read words using Fred Talk. The following link shows how we teach children to ‘Fred talk, read the word’: Read Write Inc. Blending Sounds Books tutorial
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Learn that some words with ‘tricky letters’ can’t be read using Fred Talk – these are known as red words – remember you can’t Fred a red! These can also be found in the files below.
- Read fun and lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out. They then show they comprehend the stories by answering questions and discussing the text.
All children in Year 1 complete a phonics screening check in the summer term. If you would like to find out more about the phonics screening check, please click the following link:What to expect from the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1
Why Read to your child?
Why read to your child?Ten things to think about when you are reading with your child
10 things to think about when you read to your child
Once your child has completed the RWI reading books, your child will become a free reader and can choose any book that may interest them. The links below provide suggestions for age-appropriate books for you.
Recommended Book List Key Stage 1
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/category/reading-lists-for-ks1-school-pupils/
Recommended Book List Key Stage 2
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/category/reading-lists-for-ks2-school-pupils/
RWI Get Writing
In Reception and Key Stage 1, we follow RWI Get Writing. The Read Write Inc. Phonics Get Writing! Books contain a range of writing activities for each of the Core Storybooks and selected Non-fiction books. They include step-by-step guidance to help children move from writing simple sentences to extended texts such as invitations, letters, descriptive texts and non-fiction texts. The Get Writing! Books also include composition, grammar and spelling activities.
Talk for Writing
We use Talk for Writing at Norton In Hales in our Literacy lessons in Key Stage 2. Talk for Writing is an engaging teaching framework developed by Pie Corbett, supported by Julia Strong. It is powerful because it is based on the principles of how children learn. It enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own version.
There are three stages to each unit of writing for both fiction and non-fiction.
- Immersion
- Innovation
- Independent
Handwriting
Alongside their phonics learning, the children learn rhymes to help them with letter formation for each letter during Set 1. They then use these rhymes to help them practice and master the formation of each letter before moving onto the cursive script in Year 2.
Research suggests that printing letters and writing in cursive activate different parts of the brain. Learning cursive is good for children's fine motor skills, and writing in longhand generally helps children retain more information and generate more ideas. The children can work towards their pen licenses (Bronze, Silver and Gold) by showing good cursive handwriting and presentation in all of their work.
| Name | Format | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | |||
| redwords.pdf | |||
| complexsoundchart.pdf | |||
| simplesoundchart.pdf | |||
| Name | Format | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | |||
| primarynationalcurriculumenglish.pdf | |||
| Talk for Writing Progression Grid.pdf | |||
| Literacy and Reading Policy 2026 1.docx | .docx | ||
