Early Reading and Phonics
'Working together to be the best we can be'
Phonics
At Farnley Tyas First School we recognise the importance of phonics in teaching children to read and write confidently. We use Monster Phonics, a DfE validated phonics scheme.
Monster Phonics is a whole-class 'Systematic Synthetic Phonics Scheme' with decodable books for children in Reception and Key Stage 1. It is also used as an intervention in Key Stages 1 and 2.
Monster Phonics teaches children to read by enabling them to identify the individual graphemes (letter combinations) and blend the sounds (phonemes) together to read the word. It is a fun way to teach phonics, since it is multi-sensory. Sounds are categorised into ten colour groups, and each colour has a corresponding monster character. Monster Phonics is a highly advanced multisensory scheme. This creates interest and engagement from the children.
All our early reading books are phonetically decodable and follow the Monster Phonics scheme. Once children have progressed through the scheme they then access our fabulous selection of free reading books.
Reading For Pleasure
Here at Farnley Tyas, reading is one of our passions. We strongly believe that every child is a reader. We all see reading a fundamental skill for life but it is also the key to opening many doors; it can take you beyond your wildest imagination. Reading develops the mind allowing us to discover new things and share ideas, as well as developing our imagination and creativity. Books develop and nourish children’s imaginations, expanding their worlds and we want our children to experience the power and importance of reading. We aim for our children to have a thirst for knowledge from books and we want for them to be actively engaged in reading for pleasure.
Developing a love of literature and language and also seeing its importance as a tool to master, is integral in our curriculum. Books are celebrated and used effectively across the school as our whole curriculum is built around books. Our teachers talk passionately about books and reading experiences with our children and they are being exposed to a wide range of texts. Books are accessible in each classroom and an attractive, purposeful reading area and library space is well used in our school hall.
We aim for all our children to read with a confidence, fluency and understanding that ensures a lifetime of enjoyment through reading. All readers are seen as unique and individual and receive support where necessary to access reading material at an age appropriate level, regardless of their individual needs. Our vision is for every child to be able to use their wide range of reading skills to ensure their understanding and learning across the curriculum and beyond. We want children to enjoy reading a wide range of different books – fiction and non-fiction – and talk enthusiastically about books and authors. Farnley Tyas readers choose to read for pleasure.
We have recently updated our class book shelves and below you will see our 'reading ambassadors' showcasing these.
Reading Buddies
Library
Our newly revamped Library is now a big part of our school life. During each session our children are learning skills; how a library works, comprehension skills, looking in depth at non-fiction book features and instilling the love of reading! Each child has a library session every two weeks and they all really look forward to their time spent here. They each choose a book to take home and share with their family.
