Letters And Sounds Document

[Tigger]

In Suffolk we have been told 5 copies will be automatically sent to schools initially and that the advisory teachers will distribute to pre schools when the current print run is over.

S

[catma]

Beckyann you may have this already but if you look on the Primary frameworks coordinators DVD all the CLLD materials including assessment/tracking documents are iincluded in the section about the Rose Report. They are also on the Primary website under Foundation Stage /early reading

 

Peggy, in the 32 DFES supported LAs who are funded to roll out these material initially a consultant post was created to work with primarily maintained settings but linking with their feeder PVI settings. This also included linking with our EYATS in our case and doing joint training sessions. I have to say our EYATs are also very pleased with the phase 1 materials as they now are. The idea is to support development across all the sectors ultimately.

 

SmileyPR, our schools also have large EAL groups and skills are low on entry in most of the settings, but the pratitioners have still found this a very successful approach and our termly assessment returns to the DfES show that in all the projectc schools children are making very good progress and many are already at ELG level. Of course they adjust their teaching plan over time depending on development and the other week we were discussing how one teacher wanted to spend a few weeks just on segmenting and not teach any new phonemes as she felt that that was the weakest aspect for the majority and would give hera chance to consolidate the phonemes they knew up to now. Some children know all the phonemes, some don't but as I say it is the focus on using and applying what they do know that the practitioners have agreed is making the biggest difference to confidence.

 

The other crucial factor is that they have to plan for this within the context of a rich literacy environment and that has been part of the project - not just to "teach" phonics but to look at how the rest of the practice in the setting supports early literacy develoment. There is an audit designed for schools and for other settings which has also proved very useful. They can be found here

[Guest tinkerbell]

Catma

Whilst I admire your enthusiasm for the 'new phonics' we have to teach .I still stick to my guns with the 'common sense' approach .

In the TES yesterday page 14 'There's a question as to whether foundation stage teachers should be wholeheartedly adopting any particular scheme' 'imposing one form of learning on children who may have different learning styles and maturity really does run against the Government's supposed enthusiasm for personalised learning' (headteacher Sue Vermes)

It has taken me a few years to change from a formal style of teaching in Reception to the play based 6 areas of learning ALL being of equal importance (I realise speaking and listening and reading, writing cross over..as do lots of things) and I am still getting there! If i have to do 15 mins discrete phonics a day and 2 guided reading a week that the LEA recommend, and i do this in groups to match abilities! how then can i get the balance of teacher led/child initiated, bearing in mind the other subjects that need me to imput eg maths ,science etc etc.And I have to make 60% of my observations /assessments on child initiated activities.....I don't have time to stand back .Not all schools have support in their classrooms...I am lucky.

I am not getting at you Catma I am just saying there is too much to do properly ,and in my school with above ability children it would be soooo easy to whip them along the reading path and not focus on the 'whole' child.

Tinkerbellx

[catma]

I don't really think of this as "New" phonics, it's still the same old stuff we've been teaching for ever - what I think has been reappraised is the role of phonics in the teaching of reading and writing. Noone is saying you have to use "letters and sounds", you can do what you like really and I'ld always defend that but you do have to show that you are getting children to be able to read and write confidentlywith whatever method you use and I've seen the impact these materials make not just in one setting but in many with different cohorts, which is all I'm saying really.

In relation to learning styles the point is that you are expected to be delivering your phonics with a multi sensory approach which uses different learning styles, within a rich, broad balanced Early years curriculum - don't know where it says that that isn't the case to be honest. Yes there needs to be a daily taught phonics session but haven't we been doing that all along?

 

What I am enthusiastic about is that the expectation on a practitioner to actually show children how to make sense of letters and sounds to read and write right from the start has been reinforced and this is what I don't think was the focus before Rose.

 

Cx

[Marion]

Having looked at Letters and Sounds I agree with Catma it doesn't seem much different to the way we have taught phonics previously but I do see Tinkerbell's point. It isn't so much the phonics input because we have always done it but if we are to do 2 guided writing and 2 guided reading sessions per week we may get bogged down solely teaching these and other areas may suffer as a consequence.

[Guest tinkerbell]

Thanks Catma and Marion

You are more succinct than I Marion, that is exactly my point.

Tinkerbellx

[Marion]

I have asked my head if we can have a meeting to discuss exactly how we plan to cover things as I do not want to lose the variety of experiences we currently are able to offer. We have a new link inspector who is pushing for literacy hour type teaching arghhhhhhh!

[Guest]

hi catma

yes i have been using the training materials from the subject leaders dvd - lots of info. We have also done the audit, and as we currently track reading and writing in ta target ladder format the phonics will be easy to do as well.

I am doing phonics with our junior staff as well as they have some children who need phonics even in upper KS2, so hopefully we can track through.

It all makes sense and looking at the cd rom for subject leaders - I feel some staff may not have the basic phonic knowldege - which is why we have bought in Ann Foster to do some training later in the term - will let you know how it goes

Many thanks

[Marion]

We have been using our version of the Phonics tracking sheet since September

Phonic_Progress_Tracking_Sheet__2006.doc

[Marion]

I got my hard copy of the document today so thats my weekend reading.

[Guest]

Hi Catma - the link you put in for audit of early literacy development is not working, could you let me know where it came from

 

Catma and Beckyann - you both mention a CD Rom for subject leaders, can you tell me more about it and where to order it from.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Louise.

[Guest]

Hi

Iwork in Durham LEA and the CD Rom was handed out at Literacy Co-ordinator meetings

I think a lot of the material is available on Primary Framework site

[surfer]

Not sure if it's just my computer but I have been on the site for Letters and sounds and tried to watch some of the video clips. They play okay but none of them have any sound!! That's not right is it?

 

Anyone got any ideas??

Sue

My speakers are turned on by the way and I can play music and other things with sounds so it's not my speakers!

[catma]

It is a cd rom that was given to lit/num coords in the autumn/spring term - can't find the info on the PNS site but all the Rose stuff is on the renewed frameworks website and i think in the new CLLD site, www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/clld i think.

Cx

[Magenta]

Sue, I get the sounds ok, have no suggestions, sorry.

[apple]

Hi guys i'm lucky enough to have had an advanced copy (friends in low places!)

I've spent the weekend going through it. I love the DVD... some great ideas.. some old, some new ( I love the big ears on the sound walk... I'm sure they will be a big hit with everyone.) We have been doing phonics in progression and Jolly P and I am sure that we will continue to build upon these which is exactly what Letters and sounds does. It's not throwing the bath water out with the baby thank goodness!

 

Yes the daily 20minutes (and it is 20 in the dcoument not 15) will be a challenge but what's not nowadays. If systematic, pacey phonics teaching is what is needed to raise standards then I'm for it. Too many children are slipping through the net because they are not taught more reliable ways to decode and encode, to segment and blend, to identify rhyme etc. Those of us who have cried out because of children's 'difficulty' achieiving the scale point in the profile concerned with rhyme and alliteration, should find the program very helpful too.

The phases should be taught as and when the children are ready and not necessarily at a particular age although there is the obvious advantage of the sooner the better. I know that it will inform and enhace our nursery practice and provision:-)

 

It will be very interesting to see the results in a few years time!

 

I phoned up to order our own Nursery copies (only 5 are going into schools and seeing as we have 6 classes in the infants alone) I knew that Nursery wouldnt get a look in! They are due to be released on Tuesday 12th June so should be with us all after that. Though judging by how long it took to get teh EYFS after its release daye, it will be anyones guess!!

[Guest]

I have spent my weekend looking at the document and am now really looking forward to using it. We received our 5 copies to school last Wed and I recieved my personal copy which I had ordered on Fri - very impressed how quickly it came actually!