Early years phonics
is a method of teaching children to read and write by focusing on the sounds and letters that make up words.
What do children learn through phonics?
Using the video opposite from Oxford Owl, get a definition of phonics and understand the key aspects of learning to read using phonics. Learn more about key terms such as 'phonemes', 'blending' 'segmenting' and 'tricky words' using the videos below. What is Oxford Owl? Oxford Owl for Home has been created especially for parents by Oxford University Press to give you free expert advice, ideas and activities to support your child's learning at home: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/ |
 Phase 2-5 phoneme flashcards (PDF, 127 KB)(opens new window) | How is phonics taught in early years?
When is phonics taught in early years?
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 | What are HFW?High frequency words are quite simply those words which occur most frequently in written material, for example, "and", "the", "as" and "it". They are often words that have little meaning on their own, but they do contribute a great deal to the meaning of a sentence. Some of the high frequency words can be sounded out using basic phonic rules, e.g. "it" is an easy word to read using phonics. However, many of the high frequency words are not phonically regular and are therefore hard to read in the early stages. These words are sometimes called tricky words, sight words or camera words. Why learn the HFW?Researchers think that learning just 13 of the most frequently used words will enable children to read 25% of any text. Learning 100 high frequency words gives a beginner reader access to 50% of virtually any text, whether a children's book or a newspaper report. When you couple immediate recognition of the high frequency sight words with a good knowledge of basic phonics, that's when a child's reading can really take off. |
What are some phonics programs?
- Letters and Sounds, Little Wandle, Jolly Phonics are government recommended program for teaching phonics in nurseries. To find a full list of approved schemes click here to be taken to the government website
- Your school or setting will use a specific phonics programme from this list. It is important to know which one has been selected by your child's school or setting as the order the sounds are taught, and the stories told alongside the sounds to help the children remember will vary depending on the scheme used.
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