The Read, Write Inc. programme is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme that explicitly teaches children to read fluently and accurately. All of the staff at Gawthorpe Community Academy are trained to deliver the Read, Write Inc phonics programme in school.
Read, Write, Inc. is a method of learning centred on letter sounds and phonics, blending them together to read and write words and using these learnt sounds in their reading and writing. Using Read, Write, Inc. 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 focus on composing what they write. The children are assessed and grouped according to their ability and they work with a teacher or teaching assistant in a small group. The Reading Leader ensures that children move through the programme at a good pace and continuously assesses the children. At the end of each half term all children are assessed and then put into new groups according to their phonic knowledge and fluency when reading.
We begin by teaching the children set 1 sounds. Children can start blending sounds into words as soon as they know a small group of letters well. Once the children have been taught the first 5 sounds (m, a, s, d, t), they are then taught assisted blending using the sounds that they know. During lessons children are taught to hear sounds and blend them together in sequence to make a word. We start with blending oral sounds, then progress to reading the letters and blending them together to read the word.
In Read Write Inc phonics the individual sounds are called ‘speed sounds’ – because we want your child to read them effortlessly. Set 1 sounds are the single letter sounds and set 1 special friend sounds. They are taught in the following order;
m, a, s, d, t, i, n, p, g, o, c, k, u, b, f, e, l, h, sh, r, j, v, y, w, th, z, ch, qu, x, ng, nk.
There are 12 Set 2 ‘speed sounds’ that are made up of two or three letters which represent just one sound, e.g. ay as in play, ee as in tree and igh as in high. These are ‘special friend’ sounds.
When children are taught Set 2 sounds they will learn:
Each sound has a list of green words linked to it, so that the children have the opportunity to sound out and blend words containing the new sound they have been taught, for example, s-p-r-ay = spray.
When learning Set 3 speed sounds the children will be taught alternative sounds/graphemes, e.g. ee as in tree and ea as in tea.
The tables below show each sound, the associated phrase and example green words for set 1 special friend sounds, set 2 and 3 sounds and additional sounds that are taught.
| Sound | Phrase | Green Words |
|---|---|---|
| sh | ship, shop | |
| th | thing, thin | |
| ch | chip, chop, champ | |
| qu | queen, quack, quest | |
| ng | Thing on a string | thing, string, ring, king |
| nk | I think I stink | stink, think, link, sink |
| Sound | Phrase | Green Words |
|---|---|---|
| ay | May I play? | day, say, play, tray, today, |
| ee | What can you see? | see, feel, need, sleep, three |
| igh | Fly high | night, fight, flight, high |
| ow | Blow the snow | show, blow, flow, snow |
| oo | Poo at the zoo | zoom, moon, food, cool |
| oo | Look at a book | look, book, good, hood |
| ar | Start the car | star, bar, car, start, cart |
| or | Shut the door | sort, short, worn, horse |
| air | That’s not fair | fair, hair, chair, stair |
| ir | Whirl and twirl | whirl, twirl, shirt, skirt |
| ou | Shout it out | mouth, found, shout, loud |
| oy | Toy for a boy | toy, boy, employ, joy |
| Sound | Phrase | Green Words |
|---|---|---|
| a-e | Make a cake | make, cake, flake, bake |
| ea | Cup of tea | neat, real, clean, please |
| i-e | Nice smile | hide, shine, white, nice |
| o-e | Phone home | phone, bone, home, spoke |
| u-e | Huge brute | tune, rude, June, perfume |
| aw | Yawn at dawn | saw, law, raw, straw |
| are | Share and care | bare, spare, scare, flare |
| ur | Nurse with a purse | burn, turn, hurl, burp, lurk |
| ow | Brown cow | howl, down, brown, frown |
| oi | Spoil the boy | join, coin, voice, choice |
| ai | Snail in the rain | paint, train, rain, pain |
| e | He, she, me, be, we | he, she, we, be, me |
| oa | Goat in a boat | foat, throat, boat, float |
| ew | Chew the stew | Flew, blew, crew, new |
| er | A better letter | over, weather, never |
| ire | Fire, fire | spire, conspire, hire, fire |
| ear | Hear with your ear | fear, dear, gear, spear |
| ure | Sure it’s pure | picture, mixture, adventure |
| Sound | Phrase | Green Words |
|---|---|---|
| ue | Come to the rescue | rescue, blue, glue, clue |
| ie | Terrible tie | ties, tried, pie, lie |
| au | Paul the astronaut | Paul, August, author, pause |
| e-e | Go Steve and Pete | even, Steve, Pete, theme |
| kn | Knock knock, who’s there? | knight, knee, knock, knit, knot |
| ck | Tick tock clock | clock, pick, black, snack |
