Letters And Sounds (aspects)

[Guest florrie]

Hi, I have been asked to deliver letters and sounds phase 1 in reception this year I havent had any training on it just working from the manual, I am presuming I just work my way through, progressing on from each aspect - is this right? or can you just dip in and use a bit of each aspect for variety, as long as you progress through phase 1? Sorry if this is a silly question - its prob really obvious but as I'm only just gearing up to work mode you'll ave to excuse me!! Thankyou!

[sunnyday]

Hi florrie and a warm welcome to the forum!

 

There have been other threads re. Letters and Sounds - try a forum search - I'm sure you will find lots of interesting info. and some great 'stuff' to download too!

 

Hope this helps

Sunnyday

 

P.S. - quick edit to say - check out next post - Cait has provided the links!!!

Edited August 18, 2009 by sunnyday

[Cait]

There are a lot of threads, as Sunnyday says,

 

Here's a few letters and sounds

 

phase 1 letters and sounds

 

assessment sheet

 

parent info

[Guest florrie]

Thanks for the quick replies! I have looked at the links, some good resources! Still cant find an explanation as to whether the aspects can be used in any order within phase 1 or follow progression.

[Cait]

We don't do them in any order in Preschool - sometimes they tie in to current interests. I've never worried about it - a lot of it at level one is things that are going on around them anyway.

[JacquieL]

Whilst Letters and Sounds is a systematic phonics teaching programme, Phase One is very much what would be happening in a good nursery or reception class as part of your general activities, as well as more focussed teacher led activities. As the Guidance says:

 

" While there is considerable overlap between these aspects, the overarching aim is for

children to experience regular, planned opportunities to listen carefully and talk extensively

about what they hear, see and do. The boundaries between each strand are flexible and

not fixed: practitioners should plan to integrate the activities according to the developing

abilities and interests of the children in the setting."

 

Once you begin Phase Two, which you will probably need to do fairly quickly in Reception, then you will follow a systematic teaching programme. Phase One then continues alongside and there is an overview of this on page 29 of the guidance. If you go to the National Strategies site you will find the guidance document and a lot of supporting material.

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/84969

[JacquieL]

Sorry I've no idea why the quote appeared like that, it didn't look like that in my post!

[nickynooblue]

there is a really good book we have used at the beginning of our reception year. It is by Helen McGreogor and Cath Birt. I believe is is called Singing Phonics, and comes with a CD and some great songs, they are just producing version 2 for phase two. I have been fortunate enough to see Cath Birt speak and she is very inspirational. Hope you enjoy it

Nicky

[Marion]

I no longer use Letters & Sounds but as Jacquie says I would consider the content of Phase 1 to be part of good everyday language provision.

[catma]

Hi - Phase 1 is really targeted at nursery, the general starting point for Reception is phase 2 but as others have said you would continue to add phase 1 activities alongside the systematic daily discrete phonics lesson. However depending on your children's prior experience I would really analyse their competence with particularly aspect 7 (oral blending) and from memory aspects 5 and 6 as these are the ones that are often less developed in our experience as a CLLD funded authority. So you might need to do some transitional work on the aspects they are, as a cohort, not so secure in before launching phase 2 but I wouldn't be advising to any of my schools that they start at the beginning of phase 1 and just go through. As Cait says good nursery/pre school provision should have been developing many of the phase 1 aspects as part of their daily work in any case, whether they follow L+S or not so children will in all likelihood have many of the concepts within the phase as they start Reception.

 

The aspects themselves are rather stand alone, and can be developed in any order and probably across different aspects over a period of time. For me it is the need to tune into the sounds before being able to remember them so that then you can talk about them which is far more a definitive progression of work within the aspect.

 

Don't forget that phase 1 can be part of quite ordinary things e.g. when you are reading a story you can be incorporating voice sounds or when lining up for dinner you can be using alliteration etc, it doesn't necessarily need to be a planned a focus activity.

 

Cx

[Guest]

I use the cards as a pick and mix.. after planning meetings with the rest of the teams dictate which activities to use..

but I consistently do what 'Catma' said "Don't forget that phase 1 can be part of quite ordinary things e.g. when you are reading a story you can be incorporating voice sounds or when lining up for dinner you can be using alliteration etc, it doesn't necessarily need to be a planned a focus activity."

e.g. "I'm looking for 'terrific tidying", "Well done Paul, 'lovely listening', 'super sitting, Alicia" etc. or when a child plays with a ball 'what a big, bouncy ball, boing boing boing' or 'snip, snip, snip' as a child uses scissors, some language just becomes part of the session.

[Guest florrie]

Thankyou all for your replies it makes more sense now, I will look for the book suggested by nicky and will also look at the links for resources and guidance. Thanks again

[Guest]

The book nickynooblue is referring to is Singing Phonics and you can buy it here

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Singing-Phonics-Ca...t/dp/1408104725

 

I agree Nicky she is inspirational!