What is phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language. Understanding phonics will also help children know which letters to use when they are writing words.
There has been a huge shift in the past few year in how we teach reading in UK schools. This is having a big impact and helping many children learn to read and spell. Phonics is recommended as the first strategy that children should be taught in helping them learn to read.
Phonics is all about learning the sounds that letters can make. There are 44 sounds in the English language, which we put together to form words.
Some are represented by one letter, like 't', and some by two or more letters, like 'ck' in duck and 'air' in chair.
Children are taught the sounds first, then how to match them to letters, and finally how to use the letter sounds for reading and spelling.
Phonics at our school
At TSSMAT, we use the multisensory systematic synthetic phonics programme Monster Phonics. Monster phonics creates a love for reading!
Monster Phonics uses a colour coded grapheme system linked to monsters characters.
The resources are mapped against the Letters and Sounds phases 2-6 and the KS1 Spelling Curriculum. The colour-coded grapheme system is unique to Monster Phonics; each coloured grapheme is paired with a monster character that makes the same sound to give audio-visual prompts that help children ‘see’ each sound within a word and pronounce it correctly.
We follow the Monster Phonics programme in Reception and Key Stage 1. The children will have a daily phonics lesson, full of exciting, purposeful, multisensory phonics teaching and learning experiences. The Monster Phonics intervention programme, resources and teaching strategies are also used across Key Stage Two.
Throughout the year we will invite you to come along to Monster Phonics parents sessions and stay and plays.
Monster Phonics also have some great information and resources on their website and Facebook pages.
Year One Phonics Screening Check
At the end of Year 1 all children will take part in the DfE Phonics Screening Check which checks their phonics decoding knowledge. Monster Phonics helps to prepare the children for the screening check throughout the year.
Click on the link below to have a look at an example test. Some words are made up (Alien) and others are real.
Phonics at home
Below are the details for access to the Monster Phonics resources at home. Login using the details below and then you can create yourself an ebook account.
Monster Phonics also have a new app which you can install and use to help learn the high frequency words!
Monster Phonics Parent Information
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