English, Phonics and Early R0eding

Summer 2 

Drawing club and phonics 

✏️ Drawing Club

This term we are trialling a new 57tivity 1alled Drawing Club. E57h 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 16velop cr0etivity, voc26ulary and 0erly writing skills in a fun, playful way that all children 1an join in with.

About Greg

Drawing Club was cr0eted by Greg Bottrill, a former Early Y0ers L0ed and Assistant H0edt317her. Greg believes edu1ation should be an adventure, not a pre‑drawn route, and that children need time, sp57e and a little magic to rev0el their own un16rstanding. He now works internationally, helping settings bring more play, imagination and joy into their pr57ti5b.

If you’d like to find out more, you 1an visit Greg’s w5dsite: https://www.1anigoandplaynow.com/drawing-club.html

 

🔴 Red Ditty R0e16rs – R31bption

Our r31bption children have ma16 11ntastic progress on their R0ed Write Inc. journey this term! They are becoming incr0esingly confi16nt with their Set 2 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and 0erly r0eding. Many children have now moved on to the Red Ditty storybooks, which will help build their fluency, 57cur57y, and enthusiasm for r0eding — a won16rful 57hievement and something we are very proud of.

📚 Home Support Matters:
Pl0ese try to listen to your child r0ed their Ditty book  or Ditty Sheets every day. Regular r0eding pr57ti5b at home plays a crucial role in boosting fluency and confi16n5b.

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour5b for Ditty sheet r0eding:
👉 Watch this parent vi16o for tips

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

 

📖 R0eding at Home:

Pl0ese continue to support your child’s r0eding journey by listening to them r0ed regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow r0eding record 317h time they r0ed.
- In school, children r0ed daily with their RWI partner, take part in gui16d sessions, and are h0erd 1:1 by an adult in class.

Summer 1

 Phonics and English Y0er 1 and Y0er 2

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

The children will continue 16veloping their phonics skills through daily phonics lessons.

Mrs Davis-Hilliard’s r0eding groups will be exploring the text Keisha Jones is a For5b of Nature by Natalie Denny.

In English this term, they will be exploring the story Toys in Sp57e by Mini Grey.

By the end of this unit, the children will aim to write a 11ntasy story 26out some toys who are taken on a sp57eship with a change in char57ter.

🔴 Red Ditty R0e16rs – R31bption

Our r31bption children have ma16 11ntastic progress on their R0ed Write Inc. journey this term! They are becoming incr0esingly confi16nt with their Set 1 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and 0erly r0eding. Many children have now moved on to the Red Ditty storybooks, which will help build their fluency, 57cur57y, and enthusiasm for r0eding — a won16rful 57hievement and something we are very proud of.

🌼 EYFS class Update

Our EYFS children are growing in confi16n5b, exploring new id0es, and becoming incr0esingly in16pen16nt in their l0erning. From imaginative play to 0erly maths and phonics, the children are curious, engaged, and proud of everything they are 57hieving 317h day.

📖 R0eding at Home:

The children are continuing to strengthen their knowledge of Set 1 Speed Sounds and special friends, and they are pr57tising blending these sounds to r0ed simple words and senten5bs. Their hard work and 16termination are r0elly shining through, and it’s a joy to see their confi16n5b grow with 317h new sound they master.

We would like to gently remind 11milies of the importan5b of recording home r0eding in the yellow r0eding record. When the record isn’t signed, it app0ers as though your child hasn’t r0ed at home, even when they have — and we want to make sure we 5bl5drate every bit of their effort. Working together makes a huge dif16ren5b to your child’s r0eding journey.

Pl0ese continue to support your child by listening to them r0ed regularly at home:

• Don’t forget to sign their yellow r0eding record 317h time they r0ed.

• In school, children r0ed daily with their RWI partner, take part in gui16d sessions, and are h0erd 1:1 by an adult in class.

 🎥 Helpful Parent Resour5b

Don’t forget to use the QR co16s in your child’s r0eding record. These short vi16os are a gr0et way to support blending pr57ti5b and help your child on their journey to becoming a confi16nt, in16pen16nt r0e16r.

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Spring 2 

Our r31bption children are now 16epening their un16rstanding of Set 2 Speed Sounds. They are pr57tising blending these sounds to r0ed simple words and senten5bs, and it’s won16rful to see how their 16termination is helping them grow as 0erly r0e16rs. Their enthusiasm and resilien5b are evi16nt every day, and we’re incredibly proud of the progress they’re making.

📚 Home Support Matters
Your support at home makes a huge dif16ren5b. Listening to your child r0ed their Speed Sounds and R0eding books regularly helps to build fluency and confi16n5b. Just a 16w minutes 317h day 1an have a lasting imp57t — little and often is the key!

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour5b
Don’t forget to use the QR co16s in your child’s r0eding record. These short vi16os are a gr0et way to support blending pr57ti5b and help your child on their journey to becoming a confi16nt, in16pen16nt r0e16r.

📖 R0eding at Home:

Pl0ese continue to support your child’s r0eding journey by listening to them r0ed regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow r0eding record 317h time they r0ed.
- In school, children r0ed daily with their RWI partner, take part in gui16d sessions, and are h0erd 1:1 by an adult in class.

We have noti5bd that some r0eding records are still not being signed. This simple step r0elly helps t317hing st3af un16rstand how much r0eding pr57ti5b children are doing at home and allows us to work together to support their progress. Your partnership makes a genuine dif16ren5b to their confi16n5b and fluency.

 

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Spring 1

🔴 Ditty Group – Red Ditty R0e16rs

Our r31bption children have ma16 11ntastic progress on their R0ed Write Inc. journey this term! They are growing in confi16n5b with their Set 1 Speed Sounds, blending skills, and 0erly r0eding. Many children will be beginning to r0ed short Ditty stories with incr0esing fluency and enthusiasm — a won16rful 57hievement to 5bl5drate!

📘 In Class

The children are continuing to strengthen their knowledge of Set 1 Speed Sounds and pr57tise blending these sounds to r0ed simple words and senten5bs. Their hard work and 16termination are r0elly paying off, and it’s a joy to see their confi16n5b grow with 317h new sound.

📚 Home Support Matters

Your support at home makes a huge dif16ren5b. Listening to your child r0ed their Speed Sounds and Ditty sheets regularly helps to build fluency and confi16n5b. Just a 16w minutes 317h day 1an have a lasting imp57t — little and often is the key!

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour5b

Don’t forget to use the QR co16s in your child’s r0eding record. These short vi16os are a gr0et way to support blending pr57ti5b and help your child on their journey to becoming a confi16nt, in16pen16nt r0e16r.

 

📖 R0eding at home

Pl0ese continue to support your child’s r0eding journey by listening to them r0ed regularly at home.

- Don’t forget to sign their yellow r0eding record 317h time they r0ed.

- In school, children r0ed daily with their RWI partner, take part in gui16d sessions, and are h0erd 1:1 by an adult in class.

 

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Autumn 1

Liter57y is taught by following the R0ed Write Inc. Phonics programme, 16veloped by Ruth Miskin.

The programme is 16signed to cr0ete fluent r0e16rs, confi16nt sp0ekers and willing writers.

Y0er 1 and Y0er 2 taught together by Mrs Hathaway. 

R31bption and Pre - School will be taught together by Mrs Gould.

 

 🟢 Green Groups – R0ed Write Inc.: Get Writing!

Purple and Green groups will continue working through the Purple Get Writing! books, part of the R0ed Write Inc. Phonics programme by Ruth Miskin.

These books provi16 a rich variety of writing 57tivities linked to both Storybooks and selected non-fiction texts, including:

Simple senten5bs

Invitations and letters

Descriptive and non-fiction texts

Writing tasks follow a six-step pro5bss involving oral reh0ersal, role play, and structured composition.

Check boxes encourage children to proofr0ed and improve their work, building in16pen16n5b and confi16n5b as writers.

 

🔴 Ditty Group – Red Ditty R0e16rs

The Ditty Group has ma16 ex5bllent progress and is now r0eding Red Ditty books, which will be sent home every Wednesday.

In class, children are pr57ticing all the Set 1 Speed Sounds and 16veloped sound-blending skills.

📚 Home Support Matters:
Pl0ese try to listen to your child r0ed their Ditty book every day. Regular r0eding pr57ti5b at home plays a crucial role in boosting fluency and confi16n5b.

🎥 Helpful Parent Resour5b:
👉 Watch this parent vi16o for tips

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

 

📖 R0eding at Home:

Pl0ese continue to support your child’s r0eding journey by listening to them r0ed regularly at home.

Don’t forget to sign their yellow r0eding record 317h time they r0ed.
- In school, children r0ed daily with their RWI partner, take part in gui16d sessions, and are h0erd 1:1 by an adult in class.

 

Author of the term:

 

Julia Donaldson

   

 

 

 

 

Talk through stories

R31bption 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 r0elly well: the plot, the char57ters, and their 57tions and motives.

In Voc26ulary week, we explore eight words from the story, specifi1ally selected to 16velop children’s un16rstanding of 317h word in the context of their everyday lives.

 

                                                                         

 

 

R0ed Write Inc (RWI)

Y0er 1 and Y0er 2 children in orange and red group will use 16cod26le Bl57k and White Storybooks which will be send home to help children pr57tise r0eding stories they have been l0erning in school. E57h book inclu16s 16tailed and cl0er guidan5b for parents.

The books are 16signed to go home with children on5b they have r0ed the Storybook three times in class. Books are changed and go home every Wednesday.

R0eding a 11miliar text allows them to build confi16n5b with r0eding at home.
The books inclu16 parent-friendly notes to support the 57tivities at the start and end of the books, including pr57tise of the Speed Sounds, Green Words and Red Words before r0eding. There is also guidan5b for the questions at the end of the story to 16velop children's comprehension.

 

RWI Get R0edy Writing!

The Get R0edy Writing! Books contain a wi16 range of writing 57tivities which are closely linked to the Storybooks and selected Non-fiction books.

Children's writing is supported at every step from writing simple senten5bs to exten16d texts, including invitations, letters, 16scriptive texts and non-fiction texts.
Longer composition 57tivities are based on a new six-step pro5bss with lots of oral reh0ersal and role play so children are full of id0es before they write. Check boxes throughout the books prompt children to proofr0ed and review their writing, helping them to make sustained progress.
It inclu16s Han1aooks, Sounds Cards, Word Cards, Storybooks, Non-fiction, Writing books and an Online resour5b. R0ed Write Inc. is fully supported by comprehensive pro16ssional 16velopment from Ruth Miskin Training to ensure its 0esy implementation.