Year 1 Phonics Information

Your Childs reading journey - Year 1

Your child is on their journey to becoming a skilled reader. In Reception, they learned all of the single letter sounds, the consonant digraphs and some vowel digraphs (digraph: two letters, one sound) and trigraphs (three letters, one sound).

In Year 1, children will learn the remaining graphemes in the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. These are alternative spellings for the sounds that they already know. The children will become more fluent readers and will read increasingly challenging texts.

All for the love of reading

• Teaching children the skills of reading will increase their will to read.
• Children who love reading, choose to read.
• Reading develops children’s vocabulary, understanding of the world and empathy.
• A love of reading is the biggest indicator of future academic success! To develop a love of reading, children must have the skills to read, which is why we teach them using phonics.

What is my child taught at school

• In Year 1, children are taught a 30-minute phonics lesson every day.
• They will also have an opportunity to apply their phonic knowledge to reading a book (matched to their level), at least three times a week.
• Your child may need daily additional practice to help secure their learning.

WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT MY CHILD AT HOME?

• Listen to your child practise reading their phonics book to develop their fluency.
• Read to your child daily – choose books that you can enjoy together. The love of reading books we send home are a great place to start.
• Ask your child’s teacher if you need extra help with supporting your child – that’s what we’re here for!

What if my child comes across a word that they can’t read straight away?

• If your child is unsure of a word, ask them to sound it out and then blend.
• Ask them if they can spot any digraphs (two letters, one sound) or trigraphs (three letters, one sound) before decoding the word.
• Never ask your child to guess words using the pictures or initial sounds as clues. If they are really struggling just read the word to them.

My child is reading the books fluently at home, do they need a more challenging book?

• No! We want children to be able to read fluently and not find reading a chore.
• Once they can read fluently, they can focus on adding expression when reading aloud and showing their understanding of the book. Use the prompts on the back page of the books to check your child’s understanding.

Find further resources and information for parents and carers at: www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents