Please use the YouTube Lessons from ‘Letters and Sounds for home and school’.
It would hugely benefit the children to watch the ‘Reception lessons’ such as:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siVkXoEQDNc
as well as the ‘Learning to blend lessons’ such as:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCaXHnaKhHQ
They are released every week day at 10am.
You could also watch these short BBC Bitesize videos for each sound: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvq9bdm
You could also watch these videos from YouTube user ‘Little Learners’ for each sound such as this video for the ‘ear’ sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JSwmP61nXo
Above all, please try and read with your child, reading to them and listening the them read. Below is a link for a free online resource providing e-books for all different levels of ability. This is a good way to find books that you child feels comfortable reading should you then want to order some levelled books for your child to read at home. This Oxford Reading Tree website also provides guidance on reading with Phonics.
Please note each reading scheme levels their books slightly differently. We use the Oxford Reading Tree scheme and follow their levels. On the back of these books they often put what 'Letters and Sounds' Phonics phase it relates to, which is ideal as 'Letters and Sounds' is our Phonics scheme. If you have any questions please pop me a message on Class Dojo. https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/?view=image&query=&type=book&age_group=Age+4-5&level=&level_select=&book_type=&series=#
Please find a reminder of how phonics tends to be taught at school below.
Phonics Lesson Format
Each daily Phonics lesson lasts 15-20 minutes and follows roughly the same routine:
1. REVISE
Recap previously learnt sounds. Use flash cards to do this.
2. TEACH
Teach the new grapheme (letter/s) and the sound it makes.
Remember we call 2 or 3 letters making 1 sound ‘special friends’.
Teach one or two new tricky words.
How to teach the new sound:
Hear it then say it. You say the sound, Child repeats it.
Find objects at home that contain the sound you are learning.
See it then say it. Show them the flash card with the grapheme that makes the sound.
Say it then write it. Have a go at writing the grapheme. Can you write it on someone’s back? In the air? In sand? In shaving foam?
3. PRACTISE
Practise blending and reading words with the new sound in it.
Practise segmenting and spelling words with the new sound in it.
4. APPLY
Read or write a caption or sentence using the newly learnt sound and the newly learnt tricky words.
Play games to apply their knowledge.
Phonics Games
A few examples of games are:
- Splat-the-sound. Play this game with adults at home or siblings. Lay a selection of sounds out on a table/on the floor. One person is in charge; they say a sound and the first person to splat their hand on the correct sound wins it. Continue playing until all the sounds have been won.
- Quick-Write. Say a sound, the first person to write it down correctly is the winner.
- Memory game. Place a number of sound cards on the table face-up. Everyone playing the game has time to memorise the sounds before turning the cards face down. Point to a card, say the sound then turn it over. If you get the sound correct you get to keep it. Increase the number of sounds to make it more challenging.
- Phoneme spotter. Chose a focus sound then search in books/magazines/newspapers for that phoneme in words.
- Play teachers; you would be amazed at how excited some children get using the green pen!