Gruffalo Class
About Us
Gruffalo Class is a class of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children.
The classroom is a classroom located in the main building. It has toilet facilities very close to the classroom and its own cloakroom space. Our class benefits from our own outdoor area which we use every day. throughout the year, no matter the weather. Our outdoor area comprises of an art area, mud kitchen, garden, water area, construction area, cosy cottage and an area for bikes and scooters.
Class Teacher
Mrs Jo Best
Teaching Assistants
Mrs Tracy Paul and Mrs Jo Lock
Learning Overview
Ways to Help Your Child
Here are some ideas for how you can help your child to make the most of the opportunities they encounter in school.
Do not fill all their weekends with lots of activities, sometimes just let them be! Most importantly have fun and enjoy!
Home Learning
Your child will receive a reading book for them to share at home with you. We expect children to read at least 3 times a week at home. Some children will also receive key words or phonic sounds that they may need help to consolidate at home.
Reading and Phonics
Read Write Inc. Phonics is a literacy programme developed by Ruth Miskin and published by Oxford University Press. It is taught in over 5000 schools in the United Kingdom, making it the country’s most popular way for children to learn to read using phonics.
In the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, children learn sounds and the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters. Then, they read books written using only the letters they have learnt (and a small number of separately taught ‘tricky words’). This gives children plenty of early success and builds up their reading confidence.
Phase | Phonic Knowledge and Skills |
---|---|
Learning Set 1 Speed | These are the Set 1 Speed Sounds written with one letter:
m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h r j v y w z x These are the sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’): sh th ch qu ng nk ck |
Learning to blend with Set 1 Speed Sounds | Your child is learning to read words containing Set 1 Speed Sounds by sound blending. For example:
m-a-t mat c-a-t cat g-o-t got f-i-sh fish s-p-o-t spot b-e-s-t best s-p-l-a-sh splash |
Learning Set 2 Speed Sounds | These are the Set 2 Speed Sounds:
ay ee igh ow (as in blow) oo (as in zoo) oo(as in look) ar or air ir ou (as in out) oy |
Learning Set 3 Speed Sounds | These are Set 3 Speed Sounds:
ea (as in tea) oi (as in spoil) a–e (as in cake) i–e (as in smile) o–e (as in home) u–e (as in huge) aw (as in yawn) are (as in care) ur (as in nurse) er (as in letter) ow (as in brown) ai (as in snail) oa (as in goat) ew (as in chew) ire (as in fire) ear (as in hear) ure (as in pure) |
What is Fred Talk? | If your child’s school is using Read Write Inc. Phonics, teachers will introduce your child to a toy frog called Fred once he or she is ready to start reading words.
Fred can only say the sounds in a word and needs your child to help him read the word. Fred will say the sounds and children will work out the word. For example, Fred will say the sounds c–a–t, and children will say the word cat. This is Fred Talk: sounding out the word. |
Children at the end of year 1 complete a phonics screening assessment. The Year 1 phonics screening check is not a formal test, but a way for teachers to ensure that children are making sufficient progress with their phonics skills to read words and that they are on track to become fluent readers who can enjoy reading for pleasure and for learning. Year 1 children usually take the phonics screening check in early June.
All of our reading books are phonetically decodable and children receive books based on where they are working within their phonics session. Children should be able to read fluently at least 90% of the book that they share with you at home.
During our guided reading sessions which happen at least once a week children will tackle a more challenging book and this is where we will work on comprehension and developing their fluency skills.
We also access online reading books through Collins Ebooks and each child has their own login details to enable them to access this at home.