Totternhoe C.E. Academy
With God’s love, we seek adventure with our minds and find a home for our hearts
Phonics
Here at Totternhoe, we believe that it is important that the children read for pleasure as well as during their learning. Reading the books they enjoy not only increases their confidence and understanding of stories, but also their vocabulary . Quality children's literature is a vast source of interesting vocabulary for children rivaled only by technical texts for adults. Books also allow access to places and situations where we may not or cannot go, as the author Neil Gaiman said "A book is a dream you hold in your hands."
Read Write Inc
In September 2015 we introduced the phonics programme, Read Write Inc, to the children. This is a fun and interactive phonics scheme that with the help of 'Fred' the Frog, gets everyone reading quickly and confidently.
Take a look at the videos and documents below to learn more about RWI and phonics.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
During the Summer term every Year 1 child will take part in the Government Phonics Screening Check. This is a check which involves children reading 40 decodable words (words that they can 'Fred talk') using their phonic knowledge. The 40 words will include 20 'nonsense' words in order to ensure use of phonics as opposed to sight recognition of words. This is a progress check to identify those children not at the expected level in their reading. The results will be reported to parents. Children will be re-checked in Year 2 if they do not reach the expected level. Any child working below the level of the screening check, may be dis-applied, with the acknowledgment of the parent/carer.
You can find out more about the check by clicking here.
Click the links below to access past papers and practise at home.
Teach Your Monster to Read
In Reception and Year 1, we are also teaching our monsters to read at school and at home. Each child has their own login details and can earn certificates and letters from their monsters. If you need reminding of your child's login details, please speak to your child's teacher.
Click here to login to Teach Your Monster to Read.
Click here to login to Teach Your Monster to Read.
Phonics in Key Stage 2
If children in Key Stage 2 experience difficulty in reading and/or writing because they have missed or misunderstood a crucial phase of systematic phonics teaching, additional resources can and will be used to support them, such as intervention groups like precision teaching or the Fresh Start programme. |