What is Phonics?

Phonics is a method of learning to read words that is taught from the start of Reception. Synthetic phonics is a way of teaching reading. Your child will be taught two crucial things when they are learning to read using synthetic phonics:

1. How sounds are represented by written letters. For example, they will be taught that the letter ‘m’ represents an mmm sound.

2. How sounds can be blended together to make words. For example, they will be taught that the sounds of the letters ‘c-a-t’ blend together to make the word ‘cat’.

Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy the dog have made Oxford Reading Tree the UK’s most popular reading scheme used by 80% of primary schools in the UK.

Which Phonics programme do we follow at Woodchurch?

At Woodchurch we Follow 'Floppy's Phonics' which is closely linked to Letters and Sounds. Floppy’s Phonics is a rigorous, easy-to-use systematic synthetic phonics teaching programme for early reading and writing success. We use the interactive phonics lessons and activities to teach sounds, blending, grapheme-phoneme correspondences, letter formation and pronunciation to the whole class, groups or for individual practice. 

The programme is started immediately as children enter Reception; with the expectation that they will be fluent readers, having secured word recognition skills, by the end of key stage one.

Phonics sessions take place every day and last for 15-20 minutes initially, rising to 30 minutes during level 1 + and thereafter 30 minutes throughout Reception and Year 1 and year 2 if required. The children are taught as a whole class at a steady rate progressively moving through each level. In reception levels 1-3 are taught progressively and then in year 1 the children move onto learning level 4 and 5. Progress is assessed at the end of teaching books and at the end of levels to ensure rapid progress is being made and quick intervention can be given if required to those who need it either for sound recognition, blending or application into spelling. If there is a need to extend pupils this is done so within that taught level and they are not moved beyond this. 

Each phonic session is structured as follows with 2 lessons per sound, one with a focus on reading and the other with a focus on spelling and writing:

• Revisit and review – Practise recognition of previously taught letters and common exception/tricky words. Practise oral blending and segmenting using pure sound .Practise reading word lists and sound posters.
• Teach – Teach new grapheme and blending and segmenting with the new grapheme Teach new tricky words – these are also introduced in a clearly defined sequence.

Children will be shown how to write the grapheme using print, if handwriting issues are identified they should be noted for later intervention to pick up in taught handwriting and practise sessions. 

• Practise – Practise reading or spelling using taught graphemes, including interactive parts of flopy's, word cards with the graphemes, phoneme spotters or activities from the teaching books
• Apply – Read or write a caption using taught, tricky and decodable words or read a section from a phonetically decodable book
• Consolidate - More application if needed of the above.

To ensure consistency and fidelity to SSP all phonics teachers using floppy's phonics flashcards, friezes, sound mats and other resources to ensure consistency for children moving between groups or year groups and it allows no distractions when reading graphemes and words. 

To scaffold learning:

•  staff use a ‘dashes' to represent each single letter grapheme and to represent a grapheme of more than one letter when spelling and writing and when reading children use their 'pointy finger' to track. 
• when sound talking words, each phoneme in a word is shown using the fingers on one hand raising them from right to left (left to right for the children as this is the direction we read). 

• Phonics lessons should be fast paced and constantly reinforce knowledge and consolidate understanding.
• Children who are falling behind should be swiftly identified and targeted interventions provided to enable them to keep up. The same resources used in lessons are used to deliver group or 1:1 interventions for consistency. 
• Nonsense words or alien words are not introduced until term 3 in preparation for the Y1 Phonics Screening Check.
• Current Friezes for each group or class should be displayed and tricky words should be visible for the current level. 
• To ensure quality, consistency and continuity of teaching, training in the delivery of Floppy's phonics will be provided by the Reading Lead. 

Please see below our progression documents for EYFS and Y1 and the order of intended teaching. 

Hi gang,
Welcome to our web page, thank you for coming to explore. We are all part of the Floppy’s Phonics team and we would love for you to join in and have a go at some phonics with us. First, we must introduce ourselves so scroll down to find out who we are.

The Robinsons:

Our Friends:

Now you know our names it’s time to have some fun! Below are some resources your teachers have uploaded to help you practise your sounds. There is a video for each level and say the sounds posters for you to spot the sounds and circle them. Also, it is equally as important for you to practise saying these sounds when you are reading, you can do this through reading the sentences. Finally, there is a link to some of the amazing reading books where you will find us, find a book you like and jump into the story.

Come and join in!
Biff, chip and Kipper

Level 1+

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Ideas for using the Grapheme tiles 

• Cut them out and use as another way to practise saying your sounds without a picture.
• Spread the cards out on the floor and get someone to call out different sounds for you to find!
•  Use the tiles to blend sounds together to make words 

Ideas for using the say the sounds posters

These are just a different way to practise recognising your sounds for each level. 

• Get someone to call out sounds for you to find on the poster 
• Point to each sound and say it using your pointy finger 
• Get someone to point to a random sound on the page and you have to tell them what it is 

Floppy's Phonics Resources

Phonics Screening Check

At the end of year 1, children sit a phonics screening to check their understanding and knowledge of phonics. To help prepare them for this you need to practise any sounds sent home and continue daily reading. We practise these checks with the children in school so they are familiar with the content and process.  Please see below some other useful materials to support practise for the phonics screening check.

This year, due to Covid19, children in year 2 will sit the check in Term 2 2021. 

Useful Web Links:

Oxford Owl