Brinsworth Manor Infant School
Literacy and Read Write Inc Phonics
At Brinsworth Manor Infant School we aim to develop children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes. Children are encouraged to be confident learners and to use language to learn and communicate their ideas, views and feelings across a wide range of situations within the curriculum. It enables children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively, as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as non-fiction texts.
Literacy Curriculum Documents
Phonics and Reading at Brinsworth Manor Infant School
Children develop their phonics skills through a variety of speaking and listening activities. We keep up to date with the latest advice and training through the 'South Yorkshire Reading Guarantee'. This helps us to use materials that allow us to develop practice in early phonics and reading.
Our whole school approach is taught through ‘Read Write Inc’, where children learn and practise their sounds on a daily basis during a ‘Speed Sound Lesson’. When children start to blend sounds together to read words they are given their first Read Write Inc reading book! Children will read their book in their group for 3 consecutive days, practising word reading, fluency and using expression. On day 3 they will bring their book home to read to parents and carers, showing you how fantastic they are at reading! Groups will also take home an additional Read Write Inc ‘Book Bag Book’ which is connected to their main reading book. This is one for you to read and enjoy first with your child. These will also be changed on a weekly basis or more frequently, depending on your child’s group. When your child has demonstrated confidence in word reading, fluency and understanding they move off the programme to focus on developing their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension.
Please access helpful tips and videos from the Ruth Miskin Read Write Inc website below or access free ebooks on the Oxford Owl website!
Please see the website ideas below to help support your child through their phonics journey. A lot of these websites have free games for your child to learn as they play!
Writing
Children are also taught writing through additional daily Literacy lessons, centred around the Key Stage's theme! We begin with an exciting main focus text then explore many other texts to learn how to be a confident writer. Different writing genres are practised such as, ‘narrative’, ‘non-fiction’, ‘poetry’ and ‘instructions’. We focus on 'oral composition' so that every child can use adventurous language and use 'sentence stems' and 'sentence voices' to develop their language and formulation of sentences. Each child has a writing folder where we collect your child’s writing. Teachers follow our school's Writing Policy and Marking Policy to develop children's confidence and progress in Writing.
Children learn their writing skills in their own class matched to their own RWI level. As children move through their RWI phonics books, teachers begin to expect more of the 'red words' (words that have tricky letters and are difficult to use phonics to write these) to appear correctly written in a child's writing. Children have discrete handwriting lessons in an afternoon to strengthen their ability to form all letters correctly. Children learn the common exception words and also the spelling patterns for their year group. Spellings are sent home for additional practice but time is also spent in school practising and remembering these words. Children can then develop their confidence in bringing all of these components together to be able to write sentences effectively. Children who have already developed their reading fluency will focus on the Y2 spelling patterns as well as comprehension and writing tasks linked to a variety of exciting texts. These will be taught through the programme, 'Cracking Comprehension'.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
The teaching and learning of spelling, punctuation and grammar is a key part of the new curriculum. In order to meet these expectations, children develop a variety of techniques and strategies which are practised in Literacy lessons and during everyday class activities and games.
Starting from the Foundation Stage, when children begin to learn to write, children are taught basic punctuation, which continues into Year 1, developing further techniques in Year 2. Weekly spellings are sent home when children reach Key Stage 1, where parents are invited to help support their child with the learning of new words. The class teacher will then move each child onto their next words as and when they are ready. By the end of Year 2 each child should be able to write a variety of common exception words from memory, including them in their independent writing.
Handwriting
As a school, our aim is for all children to develop a fluent handwriting style with joining strokes by the end of Year 2. Throughout the foundation stage children are taught how to use a pencil and hold it correctly to form recognisable letters, using our ‘Read Write Inc’ programme. In addition, children are encouraged to develop gross and fine motor skills through a wide range of activities such as painting and outdoor physical exercise, to using pincers and threading beads. During this time children are introduced to the terms: ‘tall’, ‘short’ and ‘tail’ letters (ascenders and descenders) using line guides with a broken top line to clearly demonstrate the difference in sizing between each of these letter groups. This begins by teaching each letter in turn following a set programme of letter styles, progressing to joining 2 letters, until a child can write each word confidently, featuring joined letters.