If that sounds like a paradox to you, think again! Far from being a daunting way to unblock language, phonics can be an engaging and empowering way to discover the road to reading. Lauren Bradshaw, curriculum designer at Edurino UK, explains how phonics learning works in the classroom.
Published
‘I’m going to say something which you may think is odd, I love phonics. It’s such a crucial building block from which a love of reading can grow. Yet it also feels like a daunting subject for many children and parents!
Children across the country will be starting school or returning to the classroom this month (or earlier if in Scotland) and phonics will be a big part of their learning in the months ahead. So it’s a great time for parents to have a phonics refresher.
Let’s break down the subject and explore why it’s important, how it’s taught via the National Curriculum and in the early years, some of the challenges children may encounter and what you can do as a parent to support children on their phonics journey.
Quite simply, teaching children to be capable in phonics builds their confidence in tackling new words, and enhances their spelling skills, which in turn broadens wider language skills.
What is phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read that helps them
understand the relationship between the sound a letter makes and its
written form. This involves breaking words down into phonemes (the
individual sounds a letter makes) and learning the corresponding
graphemes (how to write the sound).
Any parents with a child who has already completed Year 1 may be
familiar with the phonics screening checks that take place at school,
which are designed to test children’s ability to ‘decode’ certain words.
This is assessed by presenting children with 40 written words, some of
which are fake or unfamiliar, which they then have to decode/sound out
by recognising letters and the sounds that they represent.
Why is phonics so important?
Regardless of where a child is educated – school, home-educated or
flexi-schooled, phonics is fundamental in learning to read and write.
The process of learning to identify and distinguish the sounds of
letters and how they form words is a crucial step in gaining
phonological awareness, and that in turn is the foundation of being able
to read and write.
Also, being able to recognise upper and lower case letters and
understanding the distinction between the two is important in
developing early writing skills, and helps children develop an initial
understanding of how words are structured.
Quite simply, teaching children to be capable in phonics builds their
confidence in tackling new words, and enhances their spelling skills,
which in turn broadens wider language skills.
How phonics is taught
In schools, phonics is taught in two ways – systematic and / or multi-sensory, to best suit the needs of the child.
A systematic approach progresses from basic letter-sound
relationships and moves on to more complex skills such as blending and
segmenting. A multi-sensory route can be more effective, especially
for children who might find phonics tricky to begin with. Taking an
approach which incorporates different learning styles can be really
beneficial when learning the basics.
The National Curriculum splits phonics teaching into different phases:
Formal teaching of phonics usually begins at phase two because
it’s assumed phase one (which covers pre-phonic activities such as
developing listening skills and sound discriminations) has already been
achieved through everyday practice in preschool via nursery rhymes,
singing, playing games etc.
Phase two teaching begins in Reception class to ensure a solid
basis in letter sounds before advancing to the complex skills of
blending and segmenting. By building on the skills that have been
established in phase one, this successfully provides children with a
simple introduction to reading and writing.
The following phase introduces more complex topics, such as
digraphs (two letters together that make a sound, such as ch and qu),
consonant blends (eg. ng, sl and wr) and more complex and split
digraphs.
By the time a child reaches the final compulsory phase they should be confident to read and write sentences.
Individual learning
Children are all individuals and learn at different speeds. Some may
initially struggle with phonics and it’s common for some children to
remain in phase two longer than their classmates – that’s ok. In these
early stages, there’s no time limit on when children ‘should’ have
mastered the basics of phonics, but it can help to provide additional
support at home – keeping it fun and engaging for your child.
There are private tutors, but tutoring can be costly and isn’t always
feasible. Combining a learning aid, like Edurino Phonics Skills with
Mika which takes a multi-sensory approach, with games and activities
that focus on phase two sounds and the skill of segmenting, is a great
way to support children’s learning and increase confidence.
Supporting phonics at home
Try these simple tips:
Reading aloud: regularly read with children,
emphasising letter sounds, and encourage them to identify letters or
words. This is great for building phonics confidence. It doesn’t have to
be books – you could even read the back of a cereal packet or turn on
the subtitles of their favourite TV show.
Word games: engage in everyday word-based games
that involve blending and segmenting, making learning fun and
interactive. Sounding out words in a sentence for your child to blend
them together can be helpful – eg “Can you go and get your b-a-g?”
Keep it fun: phonics skills are difficult for
children to master and the English language is complex. Keep it fun so
children are enthusiastic about learning. If they begin to get
frustrated take a break and come back to it another time. Incorporating
learning games such as Edurino Phonics Skills with Mika can help keep
things fun while they learn.
Practice: establish a consistent routine for
phonics practice that supports ongoing learning. Little and often is the
most successful approach – a five-year-old’s concentration span is
about five minutes!
About the author:
Lauren Bradshaw, curriculum designer at Edurino UK, is an ex-teacher
with more than 10 years’ experience of teaching phonics in the EYFS, Key
Stage 1, and to children with SEN. She has a passion for phonics and
early reading skills.
