Phonics – How to say the different phonemes
It is very important when children are beginning to read and spell that the phonemes (sounds) are said correctly.
This is a list of the phonemes in the order that they are taught.
(Don’t forget to avoid saying an ‘uh’ sound after some letter sounds – this might be how you remember the sounds, but it’s not helpful to spell a word like ‘dog’ with each letter pronounced ‘duh-o-guh’ – instead, try to just say the very initial, pure sound: ‘d-o-g’.)
- s Weave your hand in an s shape, like a snake, and say ssssss
- a Wiggle fingers above elbow as if ants are crawling on you and say a, a, a
- t Turn your head from side to side as if watching tennis and say t, t, t
- i Pretend to be a mouse by wriggling your fingers at the end of your nose and squeak i, i, i
- p Pretend to puff out candles on a cake and say p, p, p
- n Make a noise as if you are a plane. Hold your arms out and say nnnnnn
- e Pretend to tap an egg on the side of a pan and crack it into the pan, saying eh, eh, eh
- h Hold your hand in front of your mouth and pant as if you are out of breath and say h, h, h
- r Pretend to be a puppy holding a piece of rag. Shake your head from side to side and say rrrrrr
- m Rub your tummy as if seeing tasty food and say mmmmmm
- d Beat your hands up and down as if playing a drum and say d, d, d
- g Spiral your hand down as if water is going down the drain and say g, g, g
- o Pretend to turn a light switch on and off and say o, o, o
- c k Raise your hands and snap your fingers as if playing castanets and say ck, ck, ck
- u Pretend you are putting up an umbrella and say u, u, u
- l Pretend to lick a lollipop and say lllllll
- f Let hands gently come together as if toy fish deflating, and say fffff
- b Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b, b, b
- j Pretend to wobble on a plate and say j, j, j
- w Blow on to your open hand as if you are the wind and say wh, wh, wh
- v Pretend to be holding the steering wheel of a van and say vvvvvv
- z Put your arms out at your sides and pretend to be a bee saying zzzzzz
- y Pretend to be eating a yogurt and say y, y, y
- x Pretend to take an x-ray of someone and say ks, ks, ks
- ch Move arms at sides as if you are a train and say ch, ch, ch
- sh Place index finger over lips and say sh, sh, sh
- th th Pretend to be naughty clowns and stick out tongue a little for the th and further for the th sound (this and thumb)
- qu Make a duck’s beak with your hands and say qu, qu, qu
- ng Imagine you are a weightlifter and pretend to lift a heavy weight above your head saying ng…
- ai Cup hand over ear and say ai, ai, ai
- ee or Put your hands on your head as if ears on a donkey and say eeyore, eeyore
- oa Bring your hand over your mouth as if you have done something wrong and say oh!
- ie Stand to attention and salute, saying ie ie
- oo oo Move head back and forth as if it is the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock saying u, oo,u, oo (little and long oo.)
- ou Pretend your finger is a needle and prick thumb saying ou, ou, ou
- oi Cup hands around mouth and shout to another boat saying oi, oi ship ahoy!
- ue Point to people around you and say you, you, you
- er Roll hands over each other like a mixer and say er,er,er
- ar Open mouth wide and say ah. Flap hands as if a seal and say ar, ar, ar
Helping your child with phonics
This week the children will begin to blend (read) and segment (spell) words orally. We call this ‘sound talk’.
For example, c-a-t = cat. The separate sounds (phonemes) are spoken aloud, in order, all through the word, and are then merged together into the whole word. The merging together is called blending – it is a vital skill for reading.
Children will also learn to do this the other way around: cat = c-a-t. The whole word is spoken aloud, and then broken up into its sounds (phonemes) in order, all through the word. This is called segmenting – a vital skill for spelling.
An important point to remember is to avoid saying the ‘uh’ sound that you might remember from school. Think of ‘b’, ‘c’ without the ‘uh’ – make the sound as short and ‘pure’ as possible for these sounds. For others, like ‘f’ and ‘l’, the sound should also not have an ‘uh’ sound, but these letters can be more continuous.
At the moment, blending and segmenting is all oral (spoken). Your child will not be expected to match the letter to the sound at this stage. The emphasis is on helping children to hear the separate sounds in words and to create spoken sounds.
Try this at home:
Find real objects around your home which have three phonemes (sounds) and practise ‘sound talk’ – first just let them listen, then see if they will join in, eg:
- ‘I spy a p-e-g – peg’
- ‘I spy a c-u-p – cup’
- ‘Where’s your other s-o-ck – sock?’
- ‘Simon says – put your hands on your h-ea-d’
- ‘Simon says – touch your ch-i-n’
- ‘Simon says – pick up your b-a-g’
Play other phonic games at home, too!
We are happy learning in Reception!
Learning to rhyme
In Reception this week, we’re listening to rhymes and poems and identifying rhyming words. Hearing and saying rhymes is great for learning to read. Sharing rhymes with young children helps them listen to the patterns of language. Children first begin to notice that certain words have the same sounds at the end (rhyme). Later, they notice that many words share a pattern in the way they are spelt. Understanding these links makes learning to read much easier. You can help by making sure that children hear a lot of rhymes. The rhythm found in poetry is also helpful as there is a rhythm to reading.
You can help your child to “tune in” to rhyme by:
- Sharing nursery rhymes, making them fun by adding actions and body movements
- Reading rhyming stories
- Play games such as ‘I spy with my little eye something that rhymes with …’
Reading is fun!
Your child will be bringing a reading book home very soon. At this stage, you can help with their reading by enjoying books together. Talk about what they think might happen next in a story and ask them to retell the story themselves using the pictures. Can they think about what they would feel if they were in the story?
Your enthusiasm for a book will help children to understand that books are exciting.
Focus on the sounds of spoken language by playing games which point out similar sounds in different words. For example, how many things can you find around the house that begin with the sound ‘f’? Share favourite rhymes letting children supply the rhyming word or encouraging them to choose their own silly rhyme. Help children to understand that the marks on the page mean something. Explain that they represent the words and sentences we speak. Point to the words as you read. Show them examples of print around you: the sign on a bus stop, labels at the supermarket, traffic signs, and so on. Read alphabet books together to make the link between the sounds used in words and the letters used to write those sounds. Label your child’s bedroom door to help them to recognise their name.
Share the following books:
- rhyming books
- alphabet books
- a wide range of exciting stories
- non-fiction books about favourite subjects
Remember:
- Make sure your child sees you reading.
- Read to your child. Show you like the book. Bring stories to life by using loud/soft/scary voices – let yourself go!
- Spread books around your house for your child to dip into.
- Let your child choose what they would like to read – books, comics, catalogues.
- Read favourite books over and over again.
Enjoy!
If you have any questions about reading and how we teach this in Reception, please ask.
Learning together!
Reception have settled well and made new friends.
The new Reception Class have arrived!
We’ve had a fantastic first week in Reception. There were very few tears, even from the parents!
Don’t forget Relax and Read on Thursday. Come and
enjoy reading with your child.
Welcome to Reception
Finally the start of school for Reception children has arrived! All the new children will be starting this week.
Here are some of the things you need to know this week.
Arrival
After the first day children need to arrive by 8.50 when the bell rings. Reception children don’t line up but please bring your child into the classroom to help them with their coat and to settle them. There will be different activities for the children and you to get involved with. We will play music when it’s time for parents to leave. (usually 9.20).
Hometime
Please wait at the gate of our outside area at 3.15. When we see you we will send your child out. Those children collected by Candystripe will stay in the classroom to be collected.
Bookbags
Children should bring their bookbag to school every day. Letters are put in the bookbags at the end of the day.
Clothes
In reception we like to go outdoors in all weathers. Please make sure that children come to school appropriately dressed and please label all your child’s clothes. Children often take their jumpers and coats off and either forget where they have left them or somebody else picks them up first. If it is not labelled it might not get back to them. Labelled clothes save a lot of time for us and anxiety for the children as we can quickly identify who they belong to.
Lunctime
Your child has a choice of packed lunch or hot dinners. Packed lunch children eat in the hall and hot dinners are served in the dining hall. Children are very well supervised and looked after. They have help to carry their tray and are encouraged to eat as much as they can. It would be very helpful if you could encourage your child to use a knife and fork before they come to school as lunchtimes can be very stressful for children who are not used to feeding themselves.
There will be more information to follow in the weekly newsletter and here on the website. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions.
We are very much looking forward to greeting you and your children during the coming week and can’t wait to get started on their learning journey at Moortown.
Staying Safe themed week 26 September
We are looking for parents / carers who have a job related to safety.
If you can spare some time, during our Staying Safe themed week (26 September), to come in to talk to the children about how safety affects your work please speak to your child’s class teacher or leave a message at the office.
Thank you.
New SEAL statement and theme
As we start the new school year, our SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) theme focuses on New Beginnings and ‘I can make someone feel welcome‘ is the statement for this week.
New Beginnings
New beginnings allows children the opportunity to discuss and reflect on how they or others may feel in a new situation or setting. This SEAL theme offers children the opportunity to see themselves as valued individuals within a community, and to contribute to shaping a welcoming, safe and fair learning community for all.
The key areas of learning throughout this theme are empathy, self-awareness, social skills and motivation.
Through discrete SEAL lessons, circle times and across the curriculum, children will explore feelings of happiness and excitement, sadness, anxiety and fearfulness, while learning (and putting into practice) shared models for calming down and problem-solving.
New beginnings supports the development of a learning community in each classroom where all members feel that they belong. Class contracts, produced at the start of the year, allow children to contribute to how they feel they can achieve a safe and fair learning community.