Steps/ Weeks

Steps

Identifying sounds in the environment

Story, action, song, vocabulary

Sounding

Is there —-sounds in ……?

Where is the sound? Beginning middle ending

1

Wk (1-15)

One letter sound/week

First 18 single letter sounds

s a t i p n, ck, e h r m d, g o u l f b

Children are able listen to the sounds in the environment and relate vocabulary with the sounds.

Example: /t/ sound for tin, /l/ for lollipop

Use objects that are easily accessible along with the animal names.

Children are able to relate sounds with letters and know if the sound is there or not. They also touch their arms to tell the position of the sound. It comes later with lots of modeling and practice. Examples: sun, ant, tail, ink, pen, cat, kitten, clock hen, rat, mug, dog, gun, orange, up, lemon, bell, fan

2

Wk 16

Short vowels

a e i o u

Only short vowel sounds are focused through games, snack activities, rhymes and stories

Children are able to differentiate between all short vowel sounds, do hand actions or act/show tell for sounds. Examples:  at, edge, in, on, under

3

Wk 17,18,19

ai, j, oa, ee, or, z, w, ng, v, oo,00

Children are able to identify sounds and relate them with two letter sounds.

Picture flash cards and vocabulary baskets are used at this level to reinforce knowledge of sounds.

Examples: jam, zip, win, hanger, van, book, moon

4

Wk 20

Long vowels

ai, ee, ie, oa, ue

Children are introduced to the long vowels sounds and they are able to differentiate between both long and short vowels.

Vowel hand, vowel song, actions and games are used to reinforce these sounds. Teachers can use bumper book for this purpose. rain, tree, tie, goat, glue

5

Wk 21

y, x, ch, sh, th, th, qu, ou, oi

Children are able to understand the concept of consonant digraphs and remaining sounds.

Children are able to identify sounds and their position. Beginning, middle or end.

Examples: yellow, yo-yo, box, quilt, cloud, oil

6

Wk 22

r-controlled vowels

er, ar, or

In the beginning, teachers can model the pronunciation of /r/ with the vowels. It can be rhotic or non-rhotic.

Children are able to listen to the sounds in different positions and differentiate between them.

Examples: sister, arm, fork, horn

7

Wk 23,24

Digraphs

sh, ch, th, (ph, wh can be added too)

Children are able to understand that in digraphs two letters join hands to make one sound.

Example: chips, fish, thick, elephant

Digraph train, digraph wheel and board games can be used to reinforce digraphs.

Note: At this level, letter formation through pencil is not required as it comes later when fine motor skills are developed. However, there can be finger tracings, wet writings and other activities to identify letter shapes. Step 1 and 2 are compulsory at this level and teachers can decide if they want to continue with other letter sounds or just reinforce first 18 single sounds from Jolly Phonics groups (1-3). Research has proved that children are capable of producing sounds from an early age and an introduction of all English sounds is helpful for reading readiness in school years.

Children love stories, games, snack activities and animals around them. Teaching through real objects and a nature walk where children are able to see animals or their babies can be very helpful for the reinforcement of sounds.

Stages

Reading

Writing

Stage1

Week

1-8

8-10

Step 1

Teach letter sounds from Groups 1 – 3

–  Blend regular words that use the letter sounds e.g. in, hot, bus etc.

Teach letter sounds from Groups 1 – 3 and how to write them

Develop the ability to hear the sounds in words – holding up a finger    for each sound

Step 2

Blend regular words that:-

–  start with a consonant blend e.g. stop, clap, drip etc.

–  have two letters making the same sound e.g. hill, rabbit, duck etc.

–  are long e.g. sunset, handbag, milkman etc.

–               Make words with magnetic plastic letters – the children identify the    sounds and choose the letters

Dictate simple words – the children write on whiteboards or paper

–               Develop the ability to hear the sounds in consonant blends

Stage2

Week 10-16

Step 3

Teach letter sounds from Groups 4 – 7

Teach blending of regular  words with digraphs e.g. rain, tree, pie,    

–               Develop the understanding that the digraphs <oo> and <th> have 2 sounds e.g. foot/moon, this/thin

Teach letter sounds from groups 4 – 7 and how to write them – Demonstrate the joining of digraphs (if school has a policy of early      joined writing)

Dictate regular words that contain the new letter sounds e.g. train, jet,    boil, queen etc.

Step 4

–               Teach tricky words 1 – 10 by blending them and learning the correct    pronunciation e.g. the, he, was, to etc. 

–               Practise the tricky words until they can be read automatically 

–               Introduce capital letters and their sounds

–               Introduce letter names

–               Teach spelling of tricky words 1 – 10 

–               Check accuracy of spelling by dictating tricky words –  children to write    words or make them with plastic letters

Stage3

 Week 16-24

Step 5

– Introduce Red Level Readers. Only the children who know the first 10    tricky words, and can blend regular words that  use the 42 letter    sounds, should be expected to read these books by themselves – Understand the importance of initially using decodable books 

–               Dictate sentences that have tricky words 1 – 10 and regular words that    use the letter sounds that have been taught so far e.g. I sleep in a big    bed.

–               Encourage independent writing

Stage4

Week

8-16

Week 16-24

Step 6

–               Teach the sounds of the letter <y> when it is being a vowel e.g. my,     funny, system

–               Teach tricky words 11 – 20

–               Now the Yellow Level Jolly Readers can follow on from the Red Level   Readers

–               Teach the spelling of tricky words 11 – 20

–               Dictate sentences that use the tricky words, as well as regular words    containing letter sounds that have already been taught

–               Continue encouraging independent writing

Step 7

–               Teach the alternative magic ‘e’ long vowels and blend regular words    that contain these vowels e.g. ape, these, fine, home, tube

–               Teach tricky words 21 – 40

–               Now the Green Level Readers can follow on from the Yellow    Level Readers

–               Teach the alternative magic ‘e’ long vowels and dictate regular words      and/or sentences that contain these vowels e.g. lane, theme, ride,      hope, cube

–               Teach the spelling of tricky words 21 – 40

–               Continue with independent writing

Stage5

Week

8-24

Further Phonics

Alternatives /ea/, /igh/, /ow/ (snow), /ew/, /ir/, /ur/, /au/, /aw/, /al/, /oy/, /ow/ (cow) Now Blue Level Readers can be introduced.

–               nk is a blend but easier if children learn it as if it is a digraph; – wh is another way of writing /w/ (with some dialects it has its own sound) – ph has a /f/ sound; – ue, ew, and u-e can also be pronounced as an /oo/ sound