At Warden House, we teach phonics and early reading using the "Little Wandle" Letters and Sounds programme. We purchased this last year and it has brought our reading approaches in line with the new government guidance about how to teach children to read. 

We have seen some great results with it already! Please read the information below to find out about how we will be teaching our Year 1 children to read from this year - particularly if you have had older children at Warden House. There will be some key changes this year that you will need to be aware of.

Please watch the brief YouTube video below from Miss Allsopp explaining the changes to home reading from this year:

 

 

Supporting your child with reading

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home.

In a change to how we have done things previously, there will be two types of reading book that your child will bring home this term:

1. A reading practice book. This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently. Your child will keep this book for a full week.

2. A sharing book. Your child may not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together. This will be clearly labelled as a sharing book.

 

Reading practice book

This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading. Little Wandle places a greater emphasis on mastering the skill of fluency and as such we encourage children to reread books to develop this important aspect of reading.

Listen to them read the book repeatedly. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together. Please read this book with your child every day and allow them to really build their fluency.

Because we want the children to master fluency, we will no longer change books daily but encourage you to follow the guidance that will be inside your child’s reading record.

 

Sharing book

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.

Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun! This book can be changed weekly – or earlier if required.

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How we teach reading and phonics

Little Wandle have a great area for parents on their website. There are videos that demonstrate how to pronounce the sounds. Click below to access this:

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

Notice how the children don’t add an ‘uh’ sound at the end, so they say: ‘t’ not ‘tuh’. Use the downloadable information to help your child remember how to write their letters and say their sounds.

The videos included on this website also show you how we teach specific aspects of phonics in class including blending and tricky words.

Each week, staff will send home an overview of what your child is learning that week. It will include the phonemes that your child is learning, oral blending and tricky words to begin with. As they make progress, it will include whole sentences to read, writing words and spelling. Thank you for your support – it really is important and we really value all the time that you can give at home in support of your child’s reading.