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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Phonics and reading in reception.

21 replies

Cupcake695 · 26/09/2017 22:01

DD is 5 and just started reception. She reads basic books, writes and spells really well too and enjoys doing so, we don't push her to do it.
She has remembered the word 'the' from sight but how do you teach words that can't be spelt out using phonics like - no, said, put, what etc.
Do these just need to be memorised by sight?

OP posts:

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wheresmycake · 26/09/2017 22:11

Dd is in year 1 doing very well with reading, writing and spelling, is interested in 'new' words even tho I never really 'got' phonics. For tricky words i got her to say each sound individually after me, then repeat the whole word back. Seems to hae worked even if i didn't do it properly...

IrrationalAnthem · 26/09/2017 22:14

In short, yes. These are generally referred to as tricky words, and will be taught as a whole sight word. As they progress, they learn more of the rules and logic and words that they thought of as tricky in reception e.g. like or saw become more understandably decodable.

So these are the words that you can happily stick up on the fridge etc to learn and memorise as a whole.

user789653241 · 26/09/2017 22:30

I can predict a storm coming...

Anotheroneishere · 27/09/2017 01:27

If your child is happy sounding words out, you can indeed encourage her to sound out a tricky word (/s/ - /a/ - /i/ - /d/) and then correct by saying telling her how it's really pronounced (/s/ - /e/ - /d/).

You can point out tricky words in books you read out loud and show your child that she can read those too. My kids loved seeing words they could read in real books. They would help with titles of books I read out loud or read a few words of an easy sentence.

Some people I know put the tricky words list on the back of the seat in the car or on the fridge.

Do whatever works and is fun for your kid. Making reading enjoyable is the most important part of reading education.

Norestformrz · 27/09/2017 05:31

"but how do you teach words that can't be spelt out using phonics like - no, said, put, what etc." Just the same way as any other word. no is two sounds /n/ /oe/ spelt n o (no go so old post etc) said is three sounds /s/ /e/ /d/ spelt s ai d. put in a northern accent is straight forward /p/ /u/ /t/ or in a southern /p/ / oo/ /t/ . what is three sounds /w / /o/ /t/ spelt wh a t ( the spelling a often represents the sound /o/ after the sound /w/ was, watch, wasp, quad, quality, quantum, swan, swap etc).

She won't have been taught some of the sound/spelling representations yet so simply tell her the unusual part ...in this word the is the sound /oe/ can you read the word? In this word the is the sound /e/ etc

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 27/09/2017 09:51

Hopefully I can bypass the inevitable storm but my experience is that the biggest thing is to get them writing spontaneously and phonetically and not worry about if it's right or not at this age - its more important that they write as much as possible and build up their stamina for writing and don't get caught up too much in accuracy. As they read more and more most children will subconsciously start to adjust their spelling and recognise words where they use different phonics eg they'll recognise that they need to write light and not lite etc with a more formal focus coming in Years 1&2.

This is how it worked for DC1 & 2. DC3 & 4 are 5 yr old twins and one has a learning delay and I doubt very much it will work in the same way for him.

I think in reception the most important thing is to encourage their independent attempts to write.

MiaowTheCat · 27/09/2017 11:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 27/09/2017 19:21

One day, irvine we'll get to the second page of a thread before 'these can only be taught by sight' gets mentioned.

Cupcake695 · 27/09/2017 19:39

Rafals - really helpful post there clearly an expert !!?

OP posts:

user789653241 · 27/09/2017 20:01

As a matter of fact, Rafa is an expert, OP.

Norestformrz · 27/09/2017 20:06

The advice inferred is don't teach words as wholes ...good advice IMHO

Feenie · 27/09/2017 20:22

Yep, I'd second that.

Cupcake695 · 27/09/2017 20:40

It was the way it was written!! As if it's funny that I didn't know. Why would it matter if we got to the second page because discussing they are taught by sight. We don't all know these things, hence the reason for this post

OP posts:

Norestformrz · 27/09/2017 20:42

I think the comment was to Irvine.

Cupcake695 · 27/09/2017 20:42

Before**

OP posts:

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 27/09/2017 20:47

Oh god, I didn't mean to start the bunfight.

Sorry, OP. My comment was aimed at irvine's response to the thread, not at your original post.

user789653241 · 27/09/2017 21:07

Sorry, OP. My post wasn't directed at you either.
I just didn't want to elaborate since I am not an expert.
But yes, Rafa, mrz, Feenie, MasieD, these are the teachers I would go to, when you have some question about phonics/reading.

Cupcake695 · 03/10/2017 21:09

Apologies, I think I took it the wrong way
Thanks all for your help!!
I am also confused by the Oxford reading tree levels and all these biff chip and kipper books. I had a look on the website and it shows rough levels but can't work out what level my daughter is at. She is currently reading Fizz Buzz fluently and is probably ready for the next level but coming home with picture book??

OP posts:

Anotheroneishere · 04/10/2017 02:43

This is a really handy resource for seeing Oxford Reading Tree Levels versus book bands.

www.stmarysrcmidd.rochdale.sch.uk/files/files/ortbookbands.pdf

Even if you're not a fan of book bands, it lets you see the varying levels of books with an ORT level.

Ask your teacher if you feel she needs to move up a level. It's also possible to get harder books within level 2 before moving up to level 3. I've had teachers I've specifically asked to move slowly going up levels, and I've had to ask teachers about moving up when my child complained about the books.

OkPedro · 04/10/2017 02:54

Where I live children start school when they are 5, we don't have reception. My ds is 6 and in his second year of school. Can I just reassure parents if their child is 4/5/6 but not reading, understanding or "decoding" then that is perfectly ok. I don't rate the uk when it comes to education, everything seems to be rushed and the children are expected to be ahead of their age. IYKWIM

Kokeshi123 · 04/10/2017 03:03

I did them in "sets."

no, go, so, (oa sound spelled "o")

push, put, pull, full (short oo sound spelled "u")

me, she, he, we, be (ee sound spelled "e").

was, what etc. (o sound spelled "a")

to, do (oo sound spelled "o")

I wrote each set in big letters on an A4 sheet and sellotape them up around the kitchen table where my kid does writing. Just explained "These words are tricky and the sounds are spelled in a tricky way."

Writing them out lots of times does help to make them stick.

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