Hassocks Infant School
The Teaching and Learning
of Phonics
Song of Sounds
Aims
•To explain what phonics is and how it is taught at
Hassocks Infant School
•To explore some useful phonics terms
•To outline the different stages of Song of Sounds and
what is covered in each
•To show examples of activities and resources we use
to teach phonics
•To share ideas of how you can help at home
What is phonics?
•Phonics is part of a set of skills we use to teach children to become
readers and writers.
•It teaches children to be able to;
listen carefully and identify the sounds that make up each
word
recognise the sounds that each letter makes p
identify the sounds that combinations of letters make sh ee
blend these sounds together from left to right to read a word
sheep
•This helps children to learn to read words and to spell words for writing.
•It is a Government initiative
•Being able to read the words is only one part of being a reader
(decoding)
What is Song Of Sounds?
Song of Sounds is a multi-component, multi-sensory phonics
programme; that provides hands-on, interactive games and activities
that reinforce learning.
It has a daily phonics session that has music and movement at its core
to embed knowledge and understanding, and to ensure children enjoy
the phonics learning process.
The programme ensures fluency by the end of Year 1 by immediately
and quickly beginning to teach the 42 basic phonemes. By the end of
Reception, these should be secure and then in Year 1 the same
process is used for complex sounds and alternative spellings.
The programme
is all taught
through the
power of a song!
Stage 1, 2, and 3
Stage 1 – taught in Reception – The Stage 1 song begins with the 26
letters of the alphabet. It is useful to begin with these as it helps children to
remember to order of the alphabet later on. The song then moves on to
digraphs. Similar digraphs have been placed in the song together e.g. /sh/,
/ch/, /th/ and the first set of long vowels /ay/, /ee/, /igh/, /ow/, and /oo/. This is
so children can make links between these sets of graphemes.
Stage 2- taught in Year 1 - The Stage 2 song groups graphemes that make
the same sound together e.g. /ai/ ay/ a-Again, this helps children to make the
link between these graphemes which is another strategy for helping to
remember them. The stage 2 song is sung every day e/. and all the way
through. This means that as we are teaching each new sound and grapheme
in an individual and systematic way, we are still giving the children access to
all of the sounds in this stage. This helps to avoid a monotonous approach and
broadens the children’s phonics experience.
Stage 3- taught in Year 2 – The Stage 3 song continues to focus on
representing phonemes with different graphemes, recognising alternative
sounds for graphemes, reading and spelling common suffixes, contracted
words and homophones. Stage 3 comprises a 20 week instruction to allow
for the need to include a higher ratio of grammar, spelling and punctuation
Daily Phonics
•The children are taught phonics
daily for approx. 15 minutes. The
scheme encourages teachers to
plan time to use and apply the
skills taught across the week in a
workshop style way.
•They work in their classrooms where
teachers can regularly assess all of
the children they teach and therefore
meet all the needs of the children.
•Practising phonic skills ‘little and
often’ helps children to build upon
their knowledge and understanding.
Structure of a phonics session
Sessions are practical, structured, fast paced, and fun!!
Introduce- Share and talk about the learning for the session and how it will
help us.
Revisit- Recap on previous lesson/prior learning. Link to new learning.
Teach- e.g. Teach a new sound such as ai ( Link to ay a-e )
Practise- practise saying, reading, writing and blending the new sound
following the teacher’s lead.
Apply – Play a game/activity to help children apply their new skill.
ACROSS THE WEEK – time is planned in to give children the opportunity to
consolidate and apply their phonics skills – usually consists of a ‘special
visitor’ then followed up by small group activities that are tailored to the
needs of the children.
Differentiation
• Here at Hassocks Infant School, we appreciate that not all children will
acquire phonic skills at the same rate and some children will need more
support than others; and some children will require extra challenges to
keep them learning at a rate that is right for them.
Practical activities are carefully differentiated – with support and challenge
options being provided. The children are also constantly monitored to
ensure they are working at the correct level.
• Peer-to-peer interaction is encouraged so the children can support each
other, learn from each other and continue to develop their skills.
Also, the teaching assistant provides invaluable support during the
sessions; guiding children who require more support in a small group or
extending children who need more of a challenge. Song of Sounds provides
activities for all learning needs, so we are well prepared!
The differentiation is subtle enough that children are unaware of any ability
grouping.
Phonics Terms your child
will learn in school
Phoneme: The smallest unit of sound that are found within
a word
Grapheme: The spelling of the sound e.g. th - how we
write it down
Digraph: Two letters that make one sound when read ch i
p sh i p
Trigraphs: Three letters that make one sound n igh t
Split digraphs: Two vowels split by a consonant.
Cake, bike, note, these, June - they create a long vowel
sound
CVC: Stands for consonant, vowel, consonant. hat
Segmenting: Breaking up a word into its sounds.
Blending: Putting sounds together to read a word.
Exception Words/Tricky Words: Words that cannot
easily be decoded. the said was
Sound Buttons
c a t
f i sh
We call the dots ‘beans’ and the lines ‘sausages’!
We use these a lot in our daily sessions, as it really helps
the children to see how a word is broken down.
Common Exception Words
Exception Words are words that can’t be sounded out. They are words that
the children just need to learn.
Song of Sounds refers to them as RED and
SPIKY – red because like a traffic light, you
have to stop and think and spiky because
they are a little bit tricky to
get around.
Red words are taught explicitly, in which the
teacher identifies the regular and irregular parts
of the words and helps children to tackle them.
The words are displayed in class to allow
constant reference.
Reception
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
•In the summer term of year 1 the children will take part in
the phonics screening check (A Government Assessment )
• The children will read 20 real words and 20 pseudo-words
(nonsense words!)
•They will sit with a teacher they know well,
and will be very familiar with the process.
If your child doesn’t pass the phonics
screening check in year 1, they will take it
again at the end of year 2.
Useful Websites
http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
https://www.ictgames.com/phonicsPop/index.html
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/welcome/home/reading-owl/fun-ideas
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/the-alphablocks-guide-to-
phonics
There is also a song of sounds Facebook page which has been set
up by the creators—a head and deputy at Aldingbourne Primary
School in West Sussex. It shows creative games in practice and lots
of photos of ideas of things you could try at home if you’d like!
And finally....
•Phonics is one method of teaching children how to
read.
*It is really important that children read for enjoyment*
•Please continue to share lovely books with your child. It will help
them to develop a love of reading, whilst building upon the key skills.
Questions???
