What is Read Write Inc?
Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at St John XXIII we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.
RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found at https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/.
How will RWI be taught?
Nursery
When appropriate, children will be introduced to the initial sounds in short sessions- typically in Spring term.
Reception
In Reception all children will learn how to read the sounds, then read the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down.
Reading
The children:
Writing
The children:
Talking
The children work in pairs so that they:
Year One & Year Two
Children follow the same format as Reception but will work on complex sounds and read books appropriate to their reading level. Daily 'streamed' sessions of RWI phonics for 30 minutes with a Read Write Inc Teacher. Pupils who can confidently read and no longer require Phonics will move onto the Accelerated Reader group. More information on this can be found below.
Five key principles underpin the teaching in all Read Write Inc. sessions:
Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the children, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about
Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning
Praise – ensure children are praised for effort and learning, not ability
Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning
Passion – be passionate about teaching so children can be engaged emotionally.
Progression of Phonics reading groups
| Group A | The children may know a few single letter sounds. Lessons include teaching single letter sounds and assisting children to blend (using magnetic letters) in order to read CVC words. The children practise the formation of letters through the use of a phrase that is associated with the pictorial representation of the letter. After they have learnt the first few sounds they are taught to use ‘Fred Fingers’ to help them record simple words |
| Group B | The children know most single letter sounds and now need to learn to blend orally Lessons also focus on teaching gaps in single letter sounds. |
| Group C | The children know most single letter sounds and are able to blend orally. The gaps in single letter sounds are taught and further vocabulary containing ‘Special Friends’. |
| Ditty Group | The children know all Set 1 single letter sounds speedily and can blend sounds into words orally. They are able to Fred Talk most words. Lesson content involves continuing to teach and review Set 1 Sounds with the focus on the Special Friends sh ch th qu ng nk qu. A new ditty is taught each day. |
| Red Group | The children know all Set 1 sounds speedily. They are able to Fred Talk most words and are now able to use the same skills to read alien/nonsense words. Lessons involve reviewing Set 1 Sounds and vocabulary. They also learn to read more words containing Special Friends and words that contain 4+ sounds. The children are now reading the Red Ditty Books. They read the story three times with the focus on building intonation and fluency before it is sent home with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |
| Green Group | The children are able to Fred Talk real and alien words and also read a range of real words speedily Lessons involve reviewing Set 1 Sounds and vocabulary containing 4+ sounds. Set 2 Sounds are now taught (ay ee igh ow oo oo or ar air ir ou oy) .The Story Book lesson runs over three days. The children practise the Speed Sounds and Green Words related to the Story. They also practise reading Green and Red Words (common exception) speedily. They will answer questions about the story and practise building sentences orally. They read the story three times with the focus on building intonation and fluency before it is sent home with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |
| Purple Group | The children are able to read most words speedily. Lesson content is the same as for the Green Group, providing children who need it with further opportunities to practise and consolidate. The texts and content are slightly longer. They read the story three times with the focus on building intonation and fluency before it is sent home with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |
| Pink Group | The children are able to read ay ee igh ow oo oo speedily. They are able to Fred Talk real and alien words and also read a range of real words speedily (no Fred Talk) The Story Book Lessons follow the same three day format and reading activities as detailed for the Green Group. |
| Orange Group | The children are able to read ar or air ir ou oy speedily. They are able to Fred Talk real and alien words and also read a range of real words speedily (no Fred Talk) Lessons continue to review Set 1 and 2 sounds. Set 3 sounds (ea oi a-e i-e o-e u-e aw are ur er ow ai oa ew ire ear ure tion tious/cious) are now taught, the focus is on reading at this stage. The Story Book Lessons follow the same three day format and reading activities as detailed for the Green Group. |
| Yellow Group | The children are able to read alien words and real words containing Set 1 and 2 Sounds speedily (no Fred Talk). The Speed Sound Lesson reviews Set 1, 2 and 3 Sounds and now includes writing words containing Set 3 Sounds. The Story Book Lesson now extends to five days and pupils will take the book home after 5 days with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |
| Blue Group | The children are able to read a-e ea i-e o-e u-e oi speedily and alien words containing other Set 3 Sounds. They can read a text at 70+ words per minute. The Speed Sound Lesson reviews Set 2 and 3 Sounds The Story Book is read over five days and pupils will take the book home after 5 days with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |
| Grey Group | The children are able to read ai oa ew oi ire ear er aw ow ure are ur speedily and alien words containing these and other Set 3 Sounds They can read a text at 90 words per minute. The Story Book is read over five days and pupils will take the book home after 5 days with a corresponding 'Book Bag Book'. |