Letters and Sounds

[Guest]

I'm a long term supply teacher and work for a day a week in a Reception class. In the 3rd week of the new term we started on Phase 2 of Letters and Sounds, one sound each day and have continued this over the following weeks. Is this typical practice?

 

The children are split into ability groups but all work at Phase 2, some at a slightly slower rate. However, I feel that some of the children would benefit from Phase 1 activities.

 

What do other teachers do? Thanks in advance.

[lulubelle]

We start with phase 1 for everyone. After on entry, c.3 weeks we start phase 2 but some children remain in phase 1 too. Especially orally blending and segmenting, rhyming and alliteration. They continue with the phase 1 activities along side phase 2. We also place phase 1 games in the enhanced provision to target certain children.

[Susan]

Phase 1 activities should be continuous.

[Froglet]

I start with phase 1 and do that exclusively for 5-6 weeks. Then I start phase 2 but continue the phase 1 stuff (especially oral segmenting and blending) alongside.

[jocrow]

We have 60 children, in the first few weeks we did Phase 1 activities. From that we have split them into 4 groups, 2 groups doing Phase 1, 1 that's just started Phase 2 and 1 that's coming towards the end of Phase 2 (both of these revisit Phase 1 activities, particularly Aspects 4, 5 and 7 ).

[Guest]

Thanks very much for your replies. Jocrow, it's interesting that you have a group of children finishing Phase 2, Are they secure with the letter sounds, tricky words and HFW?

 

For those of you on Phase 2, do you introduce the letter sounds each week as stated in the document? I really struggle with this as we seem to be racing ahead and the children seem to be getting more and more confused.

[Moorside]

Katkat stick with the pace of letters and sounds it is the constant review at the start of each lesson which embeds the learning. It does work. (I do remember thinking it was too fast when we first started it). If you have never done it before if you have an opportunity to see it an another school where it is established this will probably help.

[Guest]

We do Phase 2 after a couple of weeks of Phase 1, with Phase 1 activities continuing, particularly for those who need them most. We are coming to the end of Phase 2 (will finish end of next week I think) and I will then use my knowledge of chn and their progress to move most on to Phase 3 after half term, with some consolidating Phase 2. I have an able group largely this year, many of whom can already read 3-letter words and are beginning to do captions, etc.

 

Pace - I find Phase 2 pace fine. When it comes to Phase 3, sometimes we do 4 sounds a week, sometimes we do 2 a week. I often find doing 4 a week is too confusing and 2 a week across Phase 3 (once we get on to the digraphs) takes the same amount of time as 4 a week and then several weeks of going over/consolidating. Different groups cope with different paces though - my most able often thrive in 4 a week and are able to use well quite quickly. Less advanced children, I find, often need a slightly slower pace.

[jocrow]

KitKat,

Yes the children that are coming to the end of Phase 2 are confident with the phonemes, tricky words and HFW. They are continuing to work on letter names. Have you looked at the Phonicsplay website? It has some great ideas/planning that you can tweak to meet your needs. When we come to do Phase 3 we spend longer on it than stated, the writing does need reinforcing.

[Guest]

Thanks for all your replies, they're really helpful. I'm off to look at the website you recommended jocrow!

[jocrow]

Sorry Katkat just noticed I called you Kitkat...that's me chocolate on my mind! Hope you found the website useful.

[Guest]

I can identify with chocolate on the brain! Yes, website very useful, I'll be introducing some of the games, thanks very much.