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Foundation Stage
Mrs O'Mara
Miss Bennett
Curriculum
Lexia is a fun computer-based program. The activities focus on developing reading skills in six areas: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The program is designed to allow the children to complete the activities independently. It will move the children on when ready, and it provides additional support when needed.
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As well as being given time to complete Lexia activities within the school week, your child will also benefit from spending at least two additional twenty minute sessions at home.
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Please login at the following link: www.lexiacore5.com
Educational Visits
Each term, every class goes on two Educational visits. These visits provide a fun and valuable learning experience which will link with teaching back at school. This was highlighted as a strong feature of our school by OFSTED on their last visit.
Have a look at some visits that we have been on in the Foundation Stage recently.
Phonics
In Reception the children start the journey into reading and spelling. We follow the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme, learning the link between the sounds in words and how these are written down. In Reception we cover phases two, three and four, preparing the children for phase five in Year One.
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The Reception Programme Overview shows the progression of the sounds and the tricky words that we teach term by term.
In school we use a Reception Grapheme Mat to support the children during writing, which you can also use to support your child at home.
​You can download a guide to how the children are taught to say the sounds in Reception Autumn 1, Reception Autumn 2 and Reception Spring 1.
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You can also visit the website to watch videos showing you how to pronounce the sounds and how we teach phonics.
Reading
In school we will read with your child three times a week, using Collins Big Cat books that exactly match the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme. We read the same book three times – first we focus on decoding the words, then we focus on reading the book with expression, and finally we focus on understanding the text.
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The children also get reading books to read at home. The children will receive reading practice books from the Oxford Reading Tree scheme, matched to their phonic stage that they can read independently. To begin with these might have no words in. Please share the book with your child and talk about what is happening in the pictures. When they are able to decode letters together they will receive a book with some with simple words in. Please encourage your child to sound out the letters and blend them together to read the words.
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Please read with your child every day. Re-reading the same book enables children to develop their fluency and understanding of the book. Please put a comment in their reading record book to indicate that you have read with your child.
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They will also bring home a sharing book for you to enjoy together. It will enable them to enjoy listening to an adult reading a book, possibly as a bedtime story. If children are to become lifelong readers, it is essential that they are encouraged to read for pleasure.
The books will be changed once a week, but please ensure that your child has their books in their bookbag everyday.
