'She'll be learning with the Phase 3 Letters and Sounds group'...

[Galena]

...but who are they?

On DD's IEP (statemented for medical needs, not educational) they've put something about Phase 3 Letters and Sounds, and the SENCO told me she'd be learning with the 'Phase 3 Letters and Sounds group'. Who will they be? What sort of age group are doing Phase 3 at this time of year? Mid YR? High YR? Low Y1? Mid Y1? High Y1? Low Y2? etc.

Ta

[mrz]

Phase 1 is continuous beginning in nursery Phase 2 starts in reception and is meant to take up to 6 weeks Phase 3 up to 12 weeks and phase 4 4 to 6 weeks (there are 39 weeks in reception)

[ClayDavis]

I've never used letters and sounds so it will depend on what they teach in phase 3. I think they use 'oa' for /oa/ in phase 3 so yes 'ow' as /oa/ in snow etc would be phase 5.

[simpson]

So things like ow as in snow, grow, slow (instead of how, wow, now) is phase 5?

[Periwinkle007]

good explanation ClayDavis - thank you.

[Galena]

Well, apparently DD is secure in all except split digraphs, which she can read in words, but doesn't recognise in the form u_e.

shrug They'll get to grip with her and she with them soon...

[ClayDavis]

Phase 1 is phonological and phonemic awareness. It's aimed at nursery but children don't need to be able to do everything in it to be taught the later phases and can continue it alongside them.

Phases 2 and 3 teach one 1 representation of each of the 44+ sounds in English amd focuses on CVC words. Phase 4 teaches reading longer words with adjacent consonant. This can be taught from the beginning alongside phases 2 and 3. If you are going to teach children to blend from left to right to read 'pin' there's no reason you can't use the same skills to read 'pins' or 'spin'. Children are expected to be secure at phases 2-4 by the end of Reception.

Phase 5 is alternative spellings for sounds and alternative pronunciations for graphemes. The bulk of this will be taught after children are secure at phases 1-4 but there's no reason you couldn't introduce a few a bit earlier if needed.

[Galena]

I have to confess to not understanding Letters and Sounds and the phases. I would have assumed that, being numbered from 1-whatever they had to be done in that order and that if a child isn't secure in one phase they are better repeating to try to become secure, rather than moving on? Is that not the case?

[ClayDavis]

Why are phase 2 and 3 even separate phases anyway? Surely its just 1 phase teaching 1 representation of each of the 44+ sounds.

[mrz]

Those stupid phases! I wish teachers would actually read what L&S says about teaching them and not see them as a linear progression that 1 has to be completed before starting 2 has to be secure before 3 rubbish!

[freetrait]

Don't like all this number stuff. We were told, now let me remember... something like all nursery children had completed phase 1 (is that initial sounds or something?) and that 30% were working at phase 3 by the end of nursery. Well, DD can do all the basics and some of the th, ch etc on a good day, so I'm guessing she would be in the 30%. However I have heard absolutely nothing about what they are doing in YR re phonics. Haven't heard her read for a while as I think she is busy settling into YR- we did up to about yellow band before she started YR and I guess at some stage we'll start again, but am not in a hurry.

I know DS went systematically through all the phonics in YR and Y1. He was ahead knowing the sounds but he enjoyed doing them with the class. At some point in Y1 they split the class into groups and those who were confident at all the sounds were challenged re using the phonics for spellings. This seemed to work well and DS's spelling is pretty good (although I hope he is taught about plurals and things like i before e except after c soon...)

[stretch]

DS 1 is in YR1, he is on phase 3, the others are far ahead and we have a mixed YR1/2 class

[Periwinkle007]

ah I see. I was starting to worry what on earth they were doing there. that makes sense then. thank you. Yes week 1 was ch, week 2 sh and this week th.

This is why I am giving them until half term before I start getting antsy about my daughter complaining everything is very easy and that she is coming up with her own challenges to herself (I am inclined to believe her but realise I may be wrong to do so).

thanks ClayDavis

[ClayDavis]

No it's not a problem at all. I was just reading your last post about the spellings and it occurred to me that the follow up to JP is The Grammar Handbook 1 and it starts in year 1 with ch, sh, th etc.

[Periwinkle007]

I just looked back and in the Easter newsletter it said some children were still revising phase 2, some phase 3 and others moving on to phase 4.

[Periwinkle007]

yep just looked and they do jolly phonics. is that a problem?

[Periwinkle007]

I have no idea to be honest. my daughter could read when she started school so I didn't really take any notice. Why?

[ClayDavis]

Do they use Jolly Phonics in Reception by any chance?

[Periwinkle007]

well I was assuming they were revising them. I don't know what they are doing to be honest. DD just said they were talking about words starting and ending with them (something she could do before starting reception and which her younger sister can do already) and it ties in with the spellings they are bringing home. Her class are actually all pretty good with phonics and they were certainly taught them very well last year, then from February were put in different groups depending on if they needed to revise some of them etc so I am unsure why they are doing them this term.

but then her guided reading this week was level 3 and she is on chapter books so I am not sure I have a clue what is going on. I am giving them to half term and will then start asking questions (her teacher is apparently excellent so I am sure it will all work out somehow)

[KittiesInsane]

I have not the faintest clue who does what sounds when or why.

But Galena, that is one beautifully expressive reader you have there. She's reading well ahead of where her finger points, or she would never be able to put such drama into her sentences.

[ClayDavis]

But 'ch', 'sh' and 'th' should have been taught in Autumn of Reception. They should have had 2 terms to revise them and practice reading and writing them in words, sentences and texts. What on earth is going on with the phonics teaching in Reception if they are still needing to revise them a month into year 1?

[Periwinkle007]

Yr1 here have done ch, sh and th this term! too much time spent on revision IMO. some children might need it but if they know some don't then they should be doing something else surely.

[Galena]

To update this, it looks like she is doing phonics with a group of children from a range of year groups who are doing phase 3 phonics (although the head mentioned phase 5 at one point too).

However, the head also mentioned she is already working at NC levels in literacy and numeracy, not at eyfs stage, and would like her to do lit/num with the y1s. She is happy to keep her in YR if we'd prefer, but feels she would be very isolated because there aren't any children at her level at the moment, and feels that in y1 there will be more children at her level now.

I'm both and

[numbum]

My y2 DD has also been reading since before school, currently reading level 16 books, writing a L3. She came home today and said she's been in trouble for the first time ever for not listening. Apparently it was when the teacher was teaching them the 'th' sound!!! This thread has given me the courage to confront them tomorrow!

[Sokmonsta]

Year 1 here are now doing phase 3 according to the info sheet which came home yesterday. Although I feel that's more because they didn't do any new sounds for weeks during the last half of the summer term than because they should be doing them now. However, it works. And it's a mixed yr/y1 class so helps reinforce the earlier sounds by going through them with the r pupils.

[mrz]

are you sure they weren't doing phase 5 and looking at different ways to spell the sound /oa/?