Reading in Year 1

Reading

At Sandbach Primary Academy, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery and ensure children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. As a result, all our children are able to tackle any age appropriate unfamiliar words as they read. We model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. Click here for more information and resources to help support your child at home.

Reading at home

Reading for pleasure

Your child will come home with a class or school library book to share together during those special times at home. We do not expect them to be able to read this book themselves. They choose books which interest and excites them from our library, for you to share or read to them. Books are chosen once per week, on a Tuesday. We hope you enjoy this special time together.

Decodable 'Big Cat' books

On a Tuesday, your child will also bring home a decodable 'Big Cat' book. These books will only include the graphemes (letters that represent sounds like 'th' or 'ch') and tricky words (words that we recognise and read on sight because they can't be blended like, is, I, the) which the children have learnt in school

When we start to learn to read, we encourage children to say each sound, then 'blend' the word together. For example "m....a....t... mat". This video explains how we teach each sound -sounds This video will explain how we teach blending - blending

Reading records

Children will bring home a reading record with their reading books. This is to help you record when your child has read to you, or you have read the ‘reading for pleasure’ book to your child so that we can celebrate this with your child at school. Please send your child's reading record in to school every day so we can also read their small group reading in school.

We hope you enjoy reading and learning with your child at home!