Our Literacy Specialism
"But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."
Lord Byron, Don Juan, 1819–1824
The ability to read and write is a key life skill that every child should have the right to learn. Here at Harris Garrard Academy, we ensure that every child develops this ability through the use of a programme called Read Write Inc.
You can see our age-appropriate reading lists, with recommended books for children in years 2-6, by clicking the links at the bottom of this page.
English alphabetic code
We begin teaching your children from the very first day they walk through our doors. Our children will learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds and blend these sounds into words (Set 1 and 2), then they learn to read the same sounds with alternate graphemes (Set 3).
Children in our reception class will learn Set 1 sounds to begin with before moving on to Set 2 sounds. In Key Stage 1 children will become secure in Set 2 sounds before learning Set 3 sounds.
Here is a list of Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds in the order that they are taught.
Please visit the following website for more information and videos about out Read Write Inc programme, including a guide to pronunciation: https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
Phonic books
Our children experience success from the very beginning. As soon as a child can blend the first sounds taught together, our lively phonic books (pictured) are introduced, that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words.
Your child will practice reading these books three times at school before bringing them home on a Wednesday. Your child bringing this book home is a real opportunity for them to show off how speedy and fluent they are becoming at reading.
See below for a table detailing the progression of our core story books.
Book bag books
Alongside these, your child will also bring home a engaging and closely matched ‘book bag book’ (see one example below). These books are matched to your child’s class story book, they will help reinforce the sounds they are learning in class at home.
What are red words?
You may hear your child mention learning red words at school. These are words that children need to learn to read and write by sight because they contain parts that are not decodable. For example the word ‘we’ could be decoded (Fred talked) as ‘w-eh’. The story books and ‘book bag books’ that your child takes home will also include these words. Some of the red words may only be ‘red’ until a specific sound has be learnt.
See below for a table showing at what point your children will learn to read each red word.
|
Red ditty |
Put; the; I; no; of; my; for; he |
|
Green |
Your; said; you; be; are |
|
Purple |
To; me; go; baby; paint |
|
Pink |
All; like; I’ve; want; call; we; her; she; washing; some; so |
|
Orange |
What; they; do; old; was |
|
Yellow |
Saw; watch; school; watches; small; their; were; who; tall; one; brother; I’m; there; fall; any; where; wall |
|
Blue |
Does; other; two; could; ball; would; wash; water; anyone; over; wasn’t; through; once; son; whole; people |
|
Grey |
Should; come; many; mother; above; father; here; buy; bought; great; someone; another; walk; caught; worse; everyone; talk; thought; love; wear |
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to find Mr Butcher and ask him. Also, look out for our next parent phonics session. Coffee and cakes will be provided!
Accelerated Reader
We now have over 1,600 books in our newly renovated Primary Library (pictured) and we are extremely excited to launch a programme called Accelerated Reader (AR). Click HERE to find out more about the Accelerated Reader programme.
Students will choose a new book appropriate to their reading level (not too hard and not too easy) and they will complete a quiz to test what they have understood. Students should bring their book to school each day. The expectation is that students are reading for at least 20 minutes each night at home. Children will need a space at home where they are able to read each evening.
They can read to you, another adult, or read independently. You can help by engaging with what your child is reading. Why not ask them about the characters, what happens and what other stories this one reminds them of?
Students may need to read the book a couple of times to become confident with the content and avid readers will be encouraged to take more than one book. Our aim is for each child within the school to be reading a book a week. Please make sure that books are returned to ensure that your child can choose a new story every two weeks.
There are over 36,000 quizzes on Accelerated Reader, so some of your stories at home may have tests. If your child would like to quiz on a book from home, then they are more than welcome to bring it school to quiz on! To see if your child’s book is on Accelerated Reader, please visit this website www.arbookfind.co.uk. There is also a ‘suggest quizzes’ button on the same page, so if they don’t have a test for your child’s home book on the system, you can request one!
