Curriculum
Curriculum Overview
For more detailed information on what the children will be learning each half term, see the Curriculum Overviews on their respective year group page:
Reading and Phonics - Floppy's Phonics
The government strongly recommend the use of synthetic phonics when teaching early literacy skills to children. Synthetic phonics is simply the ability to convert a letter or letter group into sounds that are then blended together into a word.
Here at St. Francis Catholic Primary School, we are using the Floppy’s Phonics programme to get children off to a flying start with their literacy. Floppy’s Phonics is a method of learning based upon letter sounds and phonics, and we use it to aid children in their reading and writing.
Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who can read more challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.
Using Floppy’s Phonics, the children learn to read effortlessly so they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so they can put all their energy into composing what they write.
The children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their ability. They will work with a trained teacher or teaching assistant. In addition to the Floppy’s Phonics, children will also be working on writing skills in their classes with their own teacher.
If you have any questions or need any guidance on the programme, please pop into the school office or give them a call and they will arrange an appointment for you.
Reading
When using Floppy’s Phonics to read the children will:
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple prompts.
- Learn to read words using sound blending.
- Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out.
- Show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.
Writing
When using Floppy’s Phonics to write the children will:
- Learn to write the letter/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds.
- Learn to write words by saying the sounds and graphemes.
- Learn to write simple then more complex sentences.
- Compose a range of texts using discussion prompts.
Talking
When using Floppy’s Phonics the children will also work in pairs and groups:
- To answer questions.
- To take turns talking and listening to each other.
- To give positive praise to each other.
Blending
Help your child learn to read words by segmenting and blending e.g. c-a-t = cat, sh-o-p = shop.
Help your child to say the pure sounds ('m' not 'muh', 's' not 'suh' etc.) as quickly as they can, and then blend the sounds together to say the whole word.
What Else?
What else can I do to help my child learn to read?
Reading a variety of books (fiction, non-fiction, rhymes etc.) Discuss the different features of the books. Talk about the books and other reading materials that you have shared. Explain the meaning of new words. See if your child could change a part of the story to make a new version. You could use puppets or soft toys to retell the story. Most importantly though, show that fun can be gained by listening to stories and reading a range of texts, eg. cereal packets, shopping lists, road signs, web pages, magazines, comics, newspapers etc.
Complete home learning challenges set by your child’s class teacher.
Finally, don't worry if your child is struggling at first with their sounds and words, they will get there in their own time. We would urge you to try and read stories to your child whenever you can. This will help develop a wider vocabulary which makes a vast difference to their quality of writing but it will also encourage them to enjoy a good story.
More Information and Resources
You can visit the Floppy’s Phonics website for more information and resources. Each class teacher will give parents a login to access further resources online.