Trying to help DD reception RWI phonics !

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I'm just trying to help my DD and trying to get to grips with the RWI phonics system.

Can someone advise ?

They were assessed before half term and are now in groups.

DD can sound out words and then say them- so

She'll go M A T - MAT. What she can't yet do is do the M A T bit in her head and just say the word in its own. She knows all the sounds they're supposed to know at this stage. In her reading log book, the teachers wrote she was ' reading words ' by the second or third week. Now she needs to learn to sound them out in her head, rather than out loud. How long does that stage take and how can I help her ? Is she on track or behind ?

How can I help her get on track if she's behind ? Thank you.

Former Reception teacher here. It doesn't sound like she is behind, there will be many who aren't at the sounding out / blending stage yet. Keep on doing what you're doing at home - reading regularly, make it fun, read to her as well as listening to her read. It's all very important.

There are quite a few RWI videos online, so it might be worth looking at those.

If you're ever concerned or just want to check in with the teacher, just grab them for a quick chat at the end of the day or arrnage to have a meeting / call. We're keen to answer any questions and support parents at home!

I think it's fine to sound out everything out loud. In fact, I think it's encouraged. She sounds perfectly on track to me.

I’m a reception teacher and have used RWI. Your DD sounds like she’s doing really well, and not behind at all! I have many children in my class who are not yet able to blend and several that don’t recognise more than a handful of sounds.

When teaching children to sound out in their heads (or ‘Fred in their head’ as RWI call it) I usually explain how to do it, and then model it to them by mouthing the sounds individually without making any noise in a very exaggerated way, so that they can ‘see’ me sounding out in my head, if that makes sense? It can take a while for them to be able to do it themselves, but she will get there, don’t worry.

But to me she is at the sounding out and blending stage ? She just can't do it in her heard yet.

Or am I misunderstanding what the sounding out and blending stage is ? Clearly I must be !

She can look at a word, sound out the sounds and blend them and then ' read ' the entire word correctly. She can't yet just do the sounding out in her head.

Yes indeed, I've been told about the fred in your head thing.

I meant that your daughter IS at the sounding out / blending stage and that there will many others in the class who can't yet do that.

I understood what you meant in your OP, I was trying to explain that it sounds like she isn't behind at all.

I usually explain how to do it, and then model it to them by mouthing the sounds individually without making any noise in a very exaggerated way, so that they can ‘see’ me sounding out in my head, if that makes sense?

This is really helpful thank you. I'll try modelling it with her that way. It must be such a change because at the beginning they're told to sound out each letter over and over again and now suddenly they need to do it in their head!

Like when they're learning to blend.. M A T M A T MAT...

She's doing very well, she would be in the top group at my school 🙂 You are right, she's sounding out and blending (Fred Talk, say the word). Next step is 'sounding out' but in her head (Fred in Your Head). No rush to get this, plenty start Year 1 still Fred Talking out loud and actually they need to do this for the phonics screening check. It's quite a specific RWI thing, most phonics programme aren't as focused on "sounding out' in their heads at this stage, but it does help to build fluency.

@SussexLass87 thank you sorry I misunderstood. I'm confused about this whole thing and really trying to get my head around it so I can help.

Which books would the top group get ? I've been trying to work that out too. No idea if she's in the top group or not. I've invested quite a bit of time in helping her at weekends ( only when she wants to ).

It's funny how teaching varies.
My youngest learned to sight read by Christmas of reception, books like room on the broom etc. And her teacher wanted her to go back a step and sound the words out, which made no sense to me?

Why does it matter which group she's in? I can guarantee that the current top phonics group in reception won't be the same kids that end up with firsts at Russell Group unis.

Sounds like she's doing great and you're helping her fine, so it's not too relevant how the rest of the class is doing.

My son sounds out here and there and is in year 2! Please please relax.

I once worked in a school that didn't even teach the sounds at all until after Xmas. So in January they were learning S. It was an outstanding school and by the end of the year those kids were miles ahead of the ones who had phonics drilled into them from day 1. Food for thought.

No worries - your daughter sounds like she is doing fine. RWI is quite a specific teaching method, I'm surprised the school haven't reached out with training for parents or an information meeting. It really helped when it was used in my son's class.

Your daughter sounds like she's doing really well.

@SussexLass87 they've given us information here and there, perhaps I haven't looked properly where it explains the entire thing from start to finish and different stages / assessments.

I feel like it's more of an overview, rather than very specific.

Mother of reception child here with a school that uses RWI. Our school go VERY slowly! Children aren't grouped until just before christmas - some start getting books home around then, others much later. . Neither of my older ones have been blending in their head before end of year 1/beginning of year 2. Eldest is probably one of the stronger readers of his peers now. You don't need to worry.

I have a dd in reception doing RWI, and she is just in the sounding out/blending stage now. She had the first of the little sound blending books home before half term. Her teachers seem to be super happy with her progress, and she's about where her older brother was at the same point in time, he's now in year 2 and reading fairly fluently.

So I'd say your dd is doing great.

My daughter is in year one she's just started reading in her head and it happened super fast i.e she was sounding out words to reading in a much more fluid way from one week to the next - honestly at 4&5 I'd just be encouraging her to read sounds like she's doing brilliantly.

What's the book like ? Does it have sentences or just words ?

The sound belnding book has no sentences, just short words, like Mat, Dad, Pop, Dot, etc. She also has a book with a picture story in without any words, where you're supposed to look through it and talk about what's happening in the story, what sounds you might hear, what the characters might be saying etc.

In fact these are the books she is bringing home at the moment.

Read Write Inc. Phonics: Sound Blending Book Bag Books Mixed Pack of 10 (Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books) amzn.eu/d/5qytLlq

Remembering from DS's experience they will work through the little sound blending books, then they go onto the colour scheme books which go in order, green, purple, pink, orange, yellow, blue, grey, getting more challenging and adding more sounds and groups of sounds as they go.

For context as I mentioned DS is in year 2, reading fairly fluently, passed his phonics assessment with no trouble at the end of year 1, and he is currently working through the blue set.

Ok thanks ! She also has the one you have with just one word, dad, pop, dot.

We don't have the ones with just pics no words yet.

Sorry meant to quote @Bushmillsbabe
It's because she needs to know the sounds to be able to sound out unknown words and for spelling. If you learn words by sight what happens when you come to a word that you haven't seen before? Or how do you spell a word you've only heard and not seen? I think all teachers would want her to be able to sound out the words.

Sounds like your dd is doing really well OP, mine wasn't blending until just after Christmas but once he got it he loved reading and always had his head in a book. Actually he's still the same now he's 18!

If she's confident making the sounds it really doesn't matter where anyone is in the process. Phonics bloom has a great online game if she needs practice making the different sounds.