At The Elms, we use Read Write Inc Phonics to support our children to learn the sounds (phonemes) made by each letter of the alphabet and the ways in which letters work together (as special friends!) to make other sounds. Listening to, recognising and saying these sounds accurately, allows children to use them to decode (read) words more and more confidently and to begin to spell words by hearing the sounds they are made up of and writing these down in order. 

‘Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become

a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging

material. A child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn.

The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.’

(RWI Parent Information Booklet)

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• learn that sounds are represented by written letters
• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• learn how to blend sounds
• learn to read words using 'Fred Talk'
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.

When using RWI to write the children will:

• learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds.
• learn to spell words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• write simple sentences

Parent Videos

By visiting the website http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/ you can also see a range of videos and tutorials with further information for parents about how Read Write Inc. works and how you can support your child at home.