English, Phonics and Early Reading

Summer 2 

Drawing club and phonics 

✏️ Drawing Club

This term we are trialling a new 5btivity 37lled Drawing Club. E5bh week the children will explore a story, picture or short film and use it as inspiration for drawing, talking and imaginative thinking. Drawing Club helps develop creativity, vo37bulary and early writing skills in a fun, playful way that all children 37n join in with.

About Greg

Drawing Club was created by Greg Bottrill, a former Early Years Lead and Assistant Headte5bher. Greg believes edu37tion should be an adventure, not a pre‑drawn route, and that children need time, sp5be and a little magic to reveal their own understanding. He now works internationally, helping settings bring more play, imagination and joy into their pr5bti26.

If you’d like to find out more, you 37n visit Greg’s website: https://www.37nigoandplaynow.com/drawing-club.html

 

🔴 Red Ditty Readers – Re26ption

Our re26ption children have made fantastic progress on their Read Write Inc. journey this term! They are becoming increasingly confident with their Set 2 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and early reading. Many children have now moved on to the Red Ditty storybooks, which will help build their fluency, 5bcur5by, and enthusiasm for reading — a wonderful 5bhievement and something we are very proud of.

📚 Home Support Matters:
Please try to listen to your child read their Ditty book  or Ditty Sheets every day. Regular reading pr5bti26 at home plays a crucial role in boosting fluency and confiden26.

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour26 for Ditty sheet reading:
👉 Watch this parent video for tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJpl_7CVitA  

 

📖 Reading at Home:

Please continue to support your child’s reading journey by listening to them read regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow reading record e5bh time they read.
- In school, children read daily with their RWI partner, take part in guided sessions, and are heard 1:1 by an adult in class.

Summer 1

 Phonics and English Year 1 and Year 2

We’re excited to share that the purple phonics group has now moved up to the pink group!

The children will continue developing their phonics skills through daily phonics lessons.

Mrs Davis-Hilliard’s reading groups will be exploring the text Keisha Jones is a For26 of Nature by Natalie Denny.

In English this term, they will be exploring the story Toys in Sp5be by Mini Grey.

By the end of this unit, the children will aim to write a fantasy story about some toys who are taken on a sp5beship with a change in char5bter.

🔴 Red Ditty Readers – Re26ption

Our re26ption children have made fantastic progress on their Read Write Inc. journey this term! They are becoming increasingly confident with their Set 1 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and early reading. Many children have now moved on to the Red Ditty storybooks, which will help build their fluency, 5bcur5by, and enthusiasm for reading — a wonderful 5bhievement and something we are very proud of.

🌼 EYFS class Update

Our EYFS children are growing in confiden26, exploring new ideas, and becoming increasingly independent in their learning. From imaginative play to early maths and phonics, the children are curious, engaged, and proud of everything they are 5bhieving e5bh day.

📖 Reading at Home:

The children are continuing to strengthen their knowledge of Set 1 Speed Sounds and special friends, and they are pr5btising blending these sounds to read simple words and senten26s. Their hard work and determination are really shining through, and it’s a joy to see their confiden26 grow with e5bh new sound they master.

We would like to gently remind families of the importan26 of recording home reading in the yellow reading record. When the record isn’t signed, it appears as though your child hasn’t read at home, even when they have — and we want to make sure we 26lebrate every bit of their effort. Working together makes a huge dif5bren26 to your child’s reading journey.

Please continue to support your child by listening to them read regularly at home:

• Don’t forget to sign their yellow reading record e5bh time they read.

• In school, children read daily with their RWI partner, take part in guided sessions, and are heard 1:1 by an adult in class.

 🎥 Helpful Parent Resour26

Don’t forget to use the QR codes in your child’s reading record. These short videos are a great way to support blending pr5bti26 and help your child on their journey to becoming a confident, independent reader.

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Spring 2 

Our re26ption children are now deepening their understanding of Set 2 Speed Sounds. They are pr5btising blending these sounds to read simple words and senten26s, and it’s wonderful to see how their determination is helping them grow as early readers. Their enthusiasm and resilien26 are evident every day, and we’re incredibly proud of the progress they’re making.

📚 Home Support Matters
Your support at home makes a huge dif5bren26. Listening to your child read their Speed Sounds and Reading books regularly helps to build fluency and confiden26. Just a 5bw minutes e5bh day 37n have a lasting imp5bt — little and often is the key!

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour26
Don’t forget to use the QR codes in your child’s reading record. These short videos are a great way to support blending pr5bti26 and help your child on their journey to becoming a confident, independent reader.

📖 Reading at Home:

Please continue to support your child’s reading journey by listening to them read regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow reading record e5bh time they read.
- In school, children read daily with their RWI partner, take part in guided sessions, and are heard 1:1 by an adult in class.

We have noti26d that some reading records are still not being signed. This simple step really helps te5bhing staff understand how much reading pr5bti26 children are doing at home and allows us to work together to support their progress. Your partnership makes a genuine dif5bren26 to their confiden26 and fluency.

 

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Spring 1

🔴 Ditty Group – Red Ditty Readers

Our re26ption children have made fantastic progress on their Read Write Inc. journey this term! They are growing in confiden26 with their Set 1 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and early reading. Many children will be beginning to read short Ditty stories with increasing fluency and enthusiasm — a wonderful 5bhievement to 26lebrate!

📘 In Class

The children are continuing to strengthen their knowledge of Set 1 Speed Sounds and pr5btise blending these sounds to read simple words and senten26s. Their hard work and determination are really paying off, and it’s a joy to see their confiden26 grow with e5bh new sound.

📚 Home Support Matters

Your support at home makes a huge dif5bren26. Listening to your child read their Speed Sounds and Ditty sheets regularly helps to build fluency and confiden26. Just a 5bw minutes e5bh day 37n have a lasting imp5bt — little and often is the key!

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour26

Don’t forget to use the QR codes in your child’s reading record. These short videos are a great way to support blending pr5bti26 and help your child on their journey to becoming a confident, independent reader.

 

📖 Reading at home

Please continue to support your child’s reading journey by listening to them read regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow reading record e5bh time they read.

- In school, children read daily with their RWI partner, take part in guided sessions, and are heard 1:1 by an adult in class.

 

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Autumn 1

Liter5by is taught by following the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, developed by Ruth Miskin.

The programme is designed to create fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers.

Year 1 and Year 2 taught together by Mrs Hathaway. 

Re26ption and Pre - School will be taught together by Mrs Gould.

 

 🟢 Green Groups – Read Write Inc.: Get Writing!

Purple and Green groups will continue working through the Purple Get Writing! books, part of the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme by Ruth Miskin.

These books provide a rich variety of writing 5btivities linked to both Storybooks and selected non-fiction texts, including:

Simple senten26s

Invitations and letters

Descriptive and non-fiction texts

Writing tasks follow a six-step pro26ss involving oral rehearsal, role play, and structured composition.

Check boxes encourage children to proofread and improve their work, building independen26 and confiden26 as writers.

 

🔴 Ditty Group – Red Ditty Readers

The Ditty Group has made ex26llent progress and is now reading Red Ditty books, which will be sent home every Wednesday.

In class, children are pr5bticing all the Set 1 Speed Sounds and developed sound-blending skills.

📚 Home Support Matters:
Please try to listen to your child read their Ditty book every day. Regular reading pr5bti26 at home plays a crucial role in boosting fluency and confiden26.

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour26:
👉 Watch this parent video for tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJpl_7CVitA  

 

📖 Reading at Home:

Please continue to support your child’s reading journey by listening to them read regularly at home.

Don’t forget to sign their yellow reading record e5bh time they read.
- In school, children read daily with their RWI partner, take part in guided sessions, and are heard 1:1 by an adult in class.

 

Author of the term:

 

Julia Donaldson

   

 

 

 

 

Talk through stories

Re26ption and Pre - School have daily 'Talk Through Stories' sessions. 

How 'Talk Through Stories' works...

In Story week, we help children to get to know the story really well: the plot, the char5bters, and their 5btions and motives.

In Vo37bulary week, we explore eight words from the story, specifi37lly selected to develop children’s understanding of e5bh word in the context of their everyday lives.

 

                                                                         

 

 

Read Write Inc (RWI)

Year 1 and Year 2 children in orange and red group will use decodable Bl5bk and White Storybooks which will be send home to help children pr5btise reading stories they have been learning in school. E5bh book includes detailed and clear guidan26 for parents.

The books are designed to go home with children on26 they have read the Storybook three times in class. Books are changed and go home every Wednesday.

Reading a familiar text allows them to build confiden26 with reading at home.
The books include parent-friendly notes to support the 5btivities at the start and end of the books, including pr5btise of the Speed Sounds, Green Words and Red Words before reading. There is also guidan26 for the questions at the end of the story to develop children's comprehension.

 

RWI Get Ready Writing!

The Get Ready Writing! Books contain a wide range of writing 5btivities which are closely linked to the Storybooks and selected Non-fiction books.

Children's writing is supported at every step from writing simple senten26s to extended texts, including invitations, letters, descriptive texts and non-fiction texts.
Longer composition 5btivities are based on a new six-step pro26ss with lots of oral rehearsal and role play so children are full of ideas before they write. Check boxes throughout the books prompt children to proofread and review their writing, helping them to make sustained progress.
It includes Handbooks, Sounds Cards, Word Cards, Storybooks, Non-fiction, Writing books and an Online resour26. Read Write Inc. is fully supported by comprehensive pro5bssional development from Ruth Miskin Training to ensure its easy implementation.