Early Reading 

At St Bernard’s we use the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their literacy. RWI is a method of learning centred round 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 child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn.

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.

 We start by teaching phonics to the children in the Reception class. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well. We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters. Ask them to show you what these are.

The children also practise reading (and spelling) what we call ‘tricky words’, such as ‘once,’ ‘have,’ ‘said’ and ‘where’.

The children practise their reading with books that match the phonics and the ‘tricky words’ they know. They start thinking that they can read and this does wonders for their confidence.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• learn to read words using Fred Talk
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.

When using RWI to write the children will:

• learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds.
• learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• write simple sentences
• compose stories based on picture strips
• compose a range of stories based on writing frames.

Below is a link to the RWInc website that explains in more detail the resources used to deliver the programme and many video clips to demonstrate how RWInc is taught from Reception through to KS2.

Also, by navigating the website you will find useful activities to support your child at home.

http://www.ruthmiskintraining.com/teacher-support/tag-36/index.html

Once children have completed the RWI programme, they are taught reading skills through the Pathways to Read programme (overview at the bottom of the page).

Pathways to Read follows a mastery approach to learning with three categories of skills developed each half term:

• • Ongoing skills – linked to text choices and achieved through selection of teaching activities
  • Core skills – prediction, vocabulary development and retrieval
  • Mastery skills – 2-3 objectives are focused on for pupils to master over the course of the half-term

Children in T3-6 are also enrolled on the Accelerated Reader programme. 

More information about the programme is available here: https://www.renaissance.com/2016/09/09/parents-guide-renaissance-accelerated-reader-360/