"Enrichment for life"
At Water Lane we believe that Language and Literacy is fundamental to the overall development of the child and their access to the curriculum in all its aspects. We aim to deliver quality teaching of basic and higher order Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills to enable children to become confident and successful in their Literacy.
In Reception to Year 2 we follow the ‘Read Write Inc’ programme of synthetic phonics to teach children to read and spell. Any pupils in KS2 who need to catch up may also access RWI to help them make rapid progress in reading.
Read Write Inc., developed by Ruth Miskin, provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching literacy. It is used by more than a quarter of the UK’s primary schools and is designed to create fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers.
Each Read Write Inc. programme meets the higher expectations of the new curriculum and uses effective assessment to accelerate every child’s progress.
Read Write Inc – Our Phonics Scheme
Here at Water Lane Primary Academy, we are using the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their English. RWI is a method of learning based upon letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to aid children in their reading and writing.
Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who can read more challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.
The children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their ability. They will work with a RWI trained teacher or teaching assistant.
Reading
When using RWI to read the children will:
Writing
When using RWI to write the children will:
Talking
When using RWI the children will also work in pairs:
Blending
Help your child learn to read words by sounding-blending (Fred talk) eg. c-a-t = cat, sh-o-p = shop. Children learn to read words by blending the letter-sounds that are in the Speed Sounds set (shown further down the page).
Help your child to say the pure sounds (‘m’ not ‘muh’, ‘s’ not ‘suh’ etc.) as quickly as they can, and then blend the sounds together to say the whole word.
Reading Books Sent Home
Children in Reception who are learning the first 31 letter sounds (Set 1) and are not blending fluently will bring home sound sheets, picture books and a sharing book for you to read with them.
Once children can blend Set 1 fluently and are learning the 13 remaining sounds (Set 2) they will bring home Ditty sheets a sound blending book or a red Ditty book depending on their blending ability and a RWI Book Bag Book.
Read Write Inc Books
Please encourage your child to read though the speed sounds page first, then the green and red words page and then check your child understands the meaning of words on the vocabulary check page, before they start reading the book. Your child will have read this book at least three times before they bring it home. They should be able to read this book with fluency and expression by the time they bring it home and they should have a good comprehension of what the book is about. At the back of the book are find it/prove it questions for you to do with your child.
Finally, don’t worry if your child is struggling at first with their sounds and words, they will get there in their own time. If you have time (we know it is very precious!), we would urge you to try and read stories to your child before they go to bed. This will help develop a wider vocabulary which makes a vast difference to their quality of writing but it will also encourage them to enjoy a good story.