Phonics learning in Reception (and at home!)
At Moortown Primary, we follow the ‘Letters and Sounds’ programme.
At the moment, we’re focussing on Phase 1 where children learn to identify alliteration and rhyme which will pave the way for the systematic learning of phonics.
The children are taking part in lots of activities where they listen attentively to sounds around them, such as sounds in the environment and to sounds in spoken language. Singing a wide range of nursery rhymes and songs and reading books to and with the children helps to increase the number of words they know – their vocabulary – and helps them talk confidently about books.
We’re also learning to ‘sound talk’. The separate sounds (phonemes) are spoken aloud, in order, all through the word, and are then merged together into the whole word: d-o-g = dog. This merging together is called blending and 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 and is a vital skill for spelling.
All of this learning at the moment is oral (spoken). Your child won’t 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.
Ways you can support your child at home:
Play ‘What do we have in here?’ Put some toys or objects in a bag and pull one out at a time. Emphasise the first sound of the name of the toy or object by repeating it, for example, ‘c c c c – car’, ‘b b b b – box’, ‘ch ch ch ch – chip’.
When sounding out, try to avoid the ‘uh’ sound – say ‘sssss’ rather than ‘suh’, ‘mmmmm’ rather than ‘muh’. This is to keep the sound as ‘pure’ as it can be so there’s no confusion with extra, unwanted sounds when blending and segmenting words.
Say: ‘A tall tin of tomatoes!’ ‘Tommy, the ticklish teddy!’ ‘A lovely little lemon!’ This is called alliteration. Use names, for example, ‘Gurpreet gets the giggles’, ‘Milo makes music’, ‘Naheema’s nose’.
Teach them ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers’ and other tongue twisters.
Find real objects around your home that have three phonemes (sounds) and practise ‘sound talk’. First, just let them listen, then see if they will join in.
- ‘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.
Finally, note in some of the examples above that a phoneme (a sound) can be made up of two (or more) letters, so ‘ck’ (as in sock) and ‘ch’ (as in chin) make particular sounds.
Find out more about phonics in our Phonics Guide.
09 October 2015
The homework this week is talk time and is due in on Wednesday 14 October.
Is it better to holiday in your own country or a foreign country?
This homework poses a moral question about the implications of our holiday choices. Consider the environmental impact, the economic impact and the cultural experience of holidays both at home and abroad.
09 October 2015
Here are the spellings for this week.
Need half-term activities…?
The Nurtury next door has asked us to let you know about their holiday club, the Fab Fun Club:
Are you panicking at the thought of a half-term break without childcare – please don’t! The Montessori Nurtury, Moortown (right next door to Moortown Primary) is hosting a Holiday Club from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October.
We will make sure the children are challenged, inspired, respected and, importantly for them, they can have loads of fun! We offer a day of activities that match the age-range and interests of the children who are there – everything from ‘Kids Cook!’ to Art and Crafts, Drama Days, treasure hunts, orienteering, Sports and plenty of outdoor time and events.
The Club opens daily between the hours of 8am and 4.45pm. If a longer day is needed, we then offer a hot meal and children can stay until 6pm.
- Option 1: 08.00 – 16.45 £28.00 – packed lunch provided by home
- Option 2: 08.00 – 18.00 £32.00 – hot meal for tea provided by Club
Bookings are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact The Nurtury on 0113 268-6141 or e-mail: [email protected] for the necessary booking form.
09 October 2015
This week’s homework is creative and is due in on Wednesday 14 October.
I can create a promotional image of Scarborough.
Over the past two weeks, we’ve been learning about promotions and how language is used to persuade people to buy something or visit somewhere. On Friday, we finished off this English focus with an extended piece of writing. Next week, we will be improving and displaying our promotional texts so we need some images to go with these. You could create a post card, a web page or even just illustrate one of the many attractions Scarborough has to offer.
09 October 2015
This week’s spellings follow the rule drop the e for ing.
| arrive – arriving |
| believe – believing |
| breathe – breathing |
| cycle – cycling |
| complete – completing |
| decide – deciding |
| describe – describing |
| exercise – exercising |
| guide – guiding |
| imagine – imagining |
Leeds Children’s Mayor
Every year, year six pupils in primary schools are invited to enter the Leeds Children’s Mayor programme. Pupils write a short manifesto saying how they would improve Leeds if they were the Children’s Mayor. The manifesto must be based on one of the 12 wishes for a more child friendly Leeds.
Our entry this year, titled safe and independent, is by Ahmed. Here’s his manifesto. Good luck Ahmed!
If I was Children’s Mayor of Leeds, I would like to create a system which would mean certain shops have a poster on their window that shows the child walking past that it is safe in there. This means that if the child is scared about someone following them or doesn’t want to be out alone they can go in there and know that they are safe. This also follows one of the ‘12 Wishes for a more child friendly Leeds.’ This wish says that all Children and young people can make safe journeys and easily travel around the city.’ This is what would happen if I was Children’s Mayor.
To continue this manifesto, I would like to highlight that I am a strong leader and, as an observant member of year 6, I can listen and see problems. Furthermore, I can use my supportive fellow students, friends, and family to find solutions to problems. Plus, I would like to think I am a kind and caring person. Also, my older brother is part of a group for children and young people who deal with issues regarding children for the whole of England so I have learnt a lot from him and have gained experience about how to deal with problems like child poverty and unhappy children.
I would also like to put in place a special council made up completely by children and chosen by children. I think this is important because, as kids, we know what is best for us and what we really need. We should be able to make or at least have a say in the important decisions that concern us. Like my other point, this also supports the statement, ‘Children and young people express their views, feel heard and are actively involved in decisions that affect their lives’ and the fact that we will be allowed to participate and shape our lives according to decisions that we as children have made agrees with this wish. It also would mean the wish ‘Children and young people are treated fairly and respected’ is also fulfilled.
I hope I have the chance to become a candidate for Children’s Mayor for Leeds and I hope I am able to make a difference.
What’s on the menu in Brazil?
As part of the whole school Holidays topic, Year 5 and 6 have been ‘visiting’ Brazil. Following some research about popular foods in this South American country , we’ve recreated our own Brazilian dish. This was taken from a recipe book donated by the Brazilian restaurant Cabana. There is even a branch in Leeds if you’d like to try some more traditional Brazilian dishes. Our dish was a vegetarian version of moqueca (fish stew).
Take a look at our food preparation and tasting. Ask your child what skills they were using. Maybe you’ll get chance to try this at home as a few children were motivated to cook this for their family at home.
- ‘I love it and my favourite part is the courgette.’
- ‘I really like it, especially the coconut milk.’
- ‘I really like the sauce. This is new to me.’
- ‘It’s amazing – the best stew I’ve ever tasted.’
09 October 2015
This week’s spellings will be tested on Friday 16 October. They all end in ‘cious‘. Children can practise on their own using their red Learning Lists book but it is also great to practise writing the words into sentences to check that they understand the meaning.
- vicious
- precious
- conscious
- delicious
- malicious
- suspicious
- ferocious
- gracious
- spacious
- atrocious
09 October 2015
Year 5 also have a Practice Makes Perfect each week. This week you have been assigned three tasks on Mathletics to be completed by Wednesday 14 October.
- Comparing decimals
- Decimal order
- Rounding decimals
Don’t forget to press the ? if you’re struggling. We have just been learning about decimals in class so you should be able to complete this on your own.