Phonics Policy September 2015 revised

Transcription

1 Phonics Policy September 2015 revised Introduction At Hungerford School & Children s Centre we use the synthetic phonics programme: Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High Quality Phonics (DCS, 2007) to plan the pace and progression of phonological awareness and phonics in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Rationale Children need to be supported in the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. In order to achieve this, children need to be encouraged to view themselves as readers and to value books as a source of pleasure, enjoyment and information. Children need to develop a positive approach to reading and value this as a life long skill. To achieve this, children need to learn strategies to enable them to decode words competently. Essential writing skills need to be taught in order to enable children to develop as competent writers, writing independently for different audiences across the curriculum. The ability to encode to spell is an essential element of learning to write and should be taught systematically. Aims By the end of KS1 pupils are able to: spell a range of words that are phonemically accurate; read longer and less familiar texts independently with increasing fluency. This is to ensure that, on entering Key Stage 2, the focus for the majority of pupils will shift from: learning to read to reading to learn. spelling to the compositional aspects of writing. This is achieved as a result of providing opportunities to develop children s: speaking and listening skills; phonological awareness; ability to orally blend and segment; knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondences(gpcs); ability to blend to read and segment to spell words; language comprehension. Key principles The key principles underpinning our school s approach to the teaching of early reading and writing, including the development of phonological awareness and phonic skills are: teaching and learning of early reading and writing should be challenging and enjoyable; discrete teaching of phonics should be set within the context of a language rich curriculum and stimulating learning environment; provision should reflect the key principles set out in the EYFS document (FS) and the Renewed Framework for Literacy (KS1); The teaching of early reading and writing should be differentiated, based on the principles of assessment for learning, and adapted to meet the needs of individual learners.

2 We use the Letters and Sounds six-phase teaching programme to teach phonological awareness and phonics from Nursery through to year two and in KS2 where appropriate The Aspects of Literacy Letters and Sounds covers phonological awareness; reading of phonemically decodable words; spelling of phonemically decodable words; blending and segmenting skills ; knowledge of the alphabetic code (GPCs); high frequency and tricky words. Phase Pace and Progression Year Group 1 Nursery (& continuing through KS1 & 2) Focus for teaching* Auditory discrimination Auditory memory and sequencing Developing vocabulary and language comprehension 2 Reception Teach 19 GPCs (refer to page 48) Orally segment and blend CVC words Blend to read and segment to spell VC and some CVC words words Teach reading of some high frequency words (HFWs) Read 2 syllable words and simple captions 3 Reception Teach 25 new GPCs, including some digraphs 4 Reception / Early Y1 Practise and consolidate blending to read and segmenting to spell CVC words using GPCs from phase 2 and 3 Read and spell simple 2 syllable words and captions Teach reading & spelling of further HFWs Learn letter names Consolidate knowledge of graphemes from earlier phase in reading and spelling words with adjacent consonant & polysyllabic words Teach reading & spelling of further HFWs Practice reading and writing sentences 5 Year 1 Broaden knowledge of GPCs by: Teaching alternative pronunciations of graphemes for reading Teaching alternative representations of phonemes for spelling Teach strategies / general conventions to encourage increasingly accurate choice of graphemes to spell words Teach reading & spelling of further HFWs Practise reading and writing sentences, incorporating 2/3 syllable words Teach new GPC zh Approx. duration On-going 6 weeks 12 weeks 4 weeks Throughout Y1 6 Year 2 Learn rarer GPCs (refer to page 168) Throughout

3 Phase Year Group Focus for teaching* Begin to teach some morphological conventions e.g. inflected endings, prefixes and suffixes Consolidate knowledge and skills from previous phase, encouraging automaticity in reading and spelling Develop capacity to read for meaning * Whilst the content in this column focuses on the teaching provision, children s attainment Approx. duration Y2 and ongoing into KS2 will be assessed against the assessment criteria for each phase. These are located towards the end of each section in Letters and Sounds (phases 2 to 6 only). These statements do not exist for Phases 1 and 6, which are on-going. Planning Learning across a Week In the Nursery the programme relies on small adult-led group sessions to develop phonological awareness. Freely chosen activities are equally fundamental to children s development at this stage. In Reception, Year One and Year 2 the programme uses a minute daily discrete phonic teaching sessions as a key vehicle to teach skills and knowledge. Guided and independent reading and writing must be in place in your class, allowing opportunities for children to consolidate and apply learning from the discrete session. In Key Stage One pupils are taught in sets organised by Phonic Phase. From Nursery to Year Two: a read-aloud programme and a home reading scheme is in place (see English & Literacy Policy for details). Opportunities for independent and selfinitiated learning opportunities are vital to support learning and consolidation of skills and knowledge. There may be groups of pupils within KS2 that need to continue with the Phinics Programme. They will be taught in small groups or individually with a focus on a rapid acceleration to reading fluency through the synthetic phonic approach. For hose pupils who do not succeed using this methodology the Inclusion Team will select and teach a specific targeted programme. Structure of Phonics Lessons The following model for planning and delivering the discrete phonic session is used when teaching from Letters and Sounds Phase 2 to 5: Revisit and Review Teach Practise Apply Approx 2 Approx5-7 Approx 5-7 Approx 3 mins mins mins mins Details of how to use this model are outlined at the start of each phase in the Letters and Sounds programme. When teaching phase 5 this model may need to be used more flexibly to allow sufficient time to teach and investigate alternative representations of phonemes / alternative pronunciations of graphemes. However, a balance of the different elements of the sequence must be maintained over a week.

4 At Hungerford we plan weekly phonic sessions (from phase 2 onwards) using the agreed planning pro-forma. Phonic planning should be completed electronically and stored in the shared drive, along with planning for wider literacy provision. For planning at phase 1 in Nursery and Reception, appropriate objectives and activities should be referenced within the school s agreed Foundation Stage weekly planning proforma. Planning Phonics When selecting activities for teaching and consolidating phonic skills and knowledge (whole class, independent, self-initiated), the following criteria should be adopted: visual and multi-sensory resources e.g. pictures, concrete objects words chosen should be age-appropriate and meaningful* interactive and engaging activities should be use to support application of learning e.g. magnetic letters, individual whiteboards, grapheme-phoneme flashcards whole class discrete sessions can be differentiated through questioning and choice of resources a worksheet approach is not encouraged ICT resources should be used as an interactive tool to enhance learning Vocabulary development Whilst the focus of discrete sessions should be on teaching phonic skills and knowledge, opportunities to widen and consolidate children s vocabulary should be taken whenever possible. Words should not be used without explanation of its meaning. High frequency words Teaching children to read and spell high frequency words should be incorporated into the discrete sessions. Words appropriate for each phase are set out within the Letters and Sounds programme, along with strategies to teach them. Teaching letter names Children need to know letter sounds in order to learn to read and spell words using a phonic approach. However, letter names need to be taught to enable children to talk about their learning, e.g. when working on digraphs. Letter names should be introduced by the beginning of phase 3 at the latest. Resources Children should have on-going access to the following resources in their classrooms: Alphabet picture mats to support independent spelling, guided reading and writing activities High frequency word mats High frequency words display High quality fiction and non-fiction books, nursery and action rhyme books in the reading corner and to support work across the curriculum Captions for key resources around the classroom Alphabet frieze Frieze / display with key grapheme-phoneme correspondences relevant to phase being taught Home corner / role play areas to support speaking & listening skills Sand and water play

5 Malleable materials to support development of fine motor skills Instruments for phase 1 consolidation Tape recorder with audio stories, songs and rhymes Writing table Resources for the discrete session Activities outlined in Letters and Sounds are used to deliver the discrete session. Core resources required in each class to support the learning in the discrete session are individual whiteboards and pens magnetic letters / letter cards* flashcards for the review sessions * At phase 2, to maintain the focus on developing spelling skills as opposed to the physical process of writing, magnetic letters/letter cards are useful. However, the teacher should always model new letter formations, giving the children the opportunity to spell words using whiteboards and pens at least once a week where appropriate. As children progress through the phases, whiteboards and pens may be used more regularly. Whole school shared resources to support phonic teaching We have a whole school approach to sharing resources. A range of concrete phonic resources to support learning from phase 2 onwards, linked to the Letters and Sounds progression, are located in classrooms and the Reading Resource Room. Please use the peg system when you take resources and return them promptly. If you make new resources that align with Letters and Sounds, please store appropriately. A range of electronic resources (e.g. picture banks linked to grapheme / phoneme correspondences, show me cards, word banks, flashcards) are stored on the shared drive in the CLLd file on the t drive and in Year 1 and 2 Planning files in the Planning Folder. Assessment of Phonics Assessment of phonic skills and knowledge, as well as the ability to read and spell high frequency words, is one aspect of assessing pupils reading and writing. Children s phonological awareness should be assessed using the guidelines from the EYFS profile. This may be supported by the guidance given in the Letters and Sounds programme for phase 1 We use the assessment statements set out in Letters and Sounds to assess progress within phonic phases 2 to 5. These are located in Appendix 3 of the Letters and Sounds programme. From phase 6, as the emphasis shifts towards wider spelling conventions, the end of year objectives for spelling (strand 6) should be used to assess pupils as part of the APP process which we use in this school. As well as on-going assessments of phonological awareness, phonic skills i.e. children s ability to blend phonemes for reading and segment phonemes for spelling is essential. Equally important is the assessment of children s phonic knowledge e.g. letter knowledge, ability to pronounce phonemes correctly and match phonemes to graphemes. Children s progress is tracked through a reliable and robust assessment process. Pupils are assessed during whole class, guided and independent activities, using observation and questioning as key tools. The principles of Assessment for Learning that

6 we adopt in our school are applied to phonic assessments. Phonic planning identifies AfL opportunities on a daily basis (what knowledge/skills will be assessed, who will complete the assessment and what group or individual will be the focus each day). It may be appropriate for a child to be assessed individually. In such cases, assessment activities will be carried out sensitively and using interactive, multi-sensory activities e.g. matching pictures to initial graphemes, bingo games. In addition, children s independent writing across the curriculum should be used to gather assessment information on spelling. Tracking and Recording of Progress Evidence gathered as part of daily assessment practices (AfL) should be used to review each child s attainment at the end of every half term. Teachers should decide the Letters and Sounds phase each pupil is working on and should record this on the half-termly phonic tracking sheet (Appendix 3). There is no requirement that children should have mastered all of the skills in Phase One -e.g. the ability to supply a rhyming- word before beginning Phase Two. Refer to advice on page 3 of Letters and Sounds for further guidance. The boundaries between the phases should not be regarded as fixed and a best fit judgment will be made to ascertain the phase the pupil is working within This tracking sheet, along with other literacy assessments, will be shared with the Leadership team at pupil progress review meetings as a basis for discussion. Where pupils are not making appropriate progress, appropriate forms of wave 2 interventions or other additional support may be required. The Inclusion Team is involved in this process. All teachers from Reception to Y2 must update the tracking sheet half termly. KS2 teachers should continue to use and update the tracking sheet for any pupils not yet working within phase 6. This should also be used at pupil progress review meetings. This tracking sheet should be used by teachers to plan provision for the following half-term, ensuring that: The discrete session is pitched at the appropriate phase to accelerate learning independent and guided sessions are differentiated to support the needs of all learners The class teacher must take responsibility for ensuring: all pupils are assessed through ongoing AfL practice, half termly tracking sheet is accurately updated each half term using teaching assistants effectively and appropriately to support good assessment practice Parental Involvement Each year we hold parent workshops, which focus on helping parents to support their children with early reading and writing and fostering an enjoyment for reading. Strategies to support the development of phonological awareness, phonic skills and knowledge are incorporated into this session. A leaflet has been developed for parents. This is given to all parents in Foundation Stage, Key stage 1, (and KS2 where appropriate) at the start of each academic year. We encourage parents to support us in developing a range of reading and phonic resources and by attending Phonics Workshops.