Phonics

How we teach Phonics at Mitchell Brook...

We recognise that a systematic approach to teaching sounds plays an important part in developing fluent readers. 

Throughout the Early Years and Key Stage 1, children are taught phonics on a daily basis.  We use the Read, Write, Inc. Phonics programme which provides a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills starting with initial sounds, blending and segmenting. It also introduces children to ‘red’ words or words that cannot be decoded by breaking it down.  The children are taught that these words sometimes have to be learned by sight. 

At Mitchell Brook, we understand that developing phonetic knowledge is only one skill to becoming a confident and competent reader.  Starting in Nursery, children are encouraged to demonstrate an understanding when talking with others about what they have either listened to or read. Teachers consistently model a range of reading strategies which support children to read with fluency and a depth of understanding.

What does it all mean?

For examples of how we teach the different sounds, please see the videos below with the examples words and images that are used across EYFS and KS1.

Single sounds - the sound for each letter of the alphabet, e.g. a, d

Digraphs - two letters which make together make one sound, e.g. ee, ch, ai

Split-digraphs - two letters which work together as a pair to make one sound but are separated within the word, e.g. a-e as in 'make' or 'late'

Trigraphs - three letters which together make one sounds, e.g. igh, air