Read Write Inc.
‘Read Write Inc.' at The Firs Lower School
The Firs is a Read, Write Inc. school and as such, we are all passionate about enabling our children to become fluent and successful readers.
Read, Write Inc. (RWI) is a phonics programme written by Ruth Miskin. The RWI programme is designed carefully to help children of all abilities to make rapid progress, as well as allowing us to support you, in fostering a love of reading in your child that will last a lifetime!
At the core of the programme is the lively and vigorous teaching of synthetic phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words for reading (decoding) at the same time as developing writing skills and spelling (encoding).
As their confidence in decoding develops they are taught to comprehend and compose ideas for their own writing. The children have the pleasure of reading exciting storybooks perfectly matched to their level – so that they have early success in reading!
The programme begins in the Foundation Stage (Year R) and is expected to extend into KS1. The children follow a structured programme of reading and writing activities every day and are regularly assessed (every 6-8 weeks) to ensure they are in the right group to meet their needs. All staff at The Firs have been fully trained in the delivery of this programme.
The programme begins in the Foundation Stage (Year R) and is expected to extend into KS1. The children follow a structured programme of reading and writing activities every day and are regularly assessed (every 6-8 weeks) to ensure they are in the right group to meet their needs. All staff at The Firs have been fully trained in the delivery of this programme.
RWI. has 5 underlying principles – the five Ps:
- PACE – no time is wasted during teaching sessions! Children are active and involved in a fun and creative way. Children are reminded to give their teacher their ‘magnet eyes’ and ‘listening ears’!
- PRAISE – teachers praise the children constantly throughout the teaching sessions. Children learn more quickly when they are praised for what they do well, rather than nagged for what they do wrong. The children are encouraged to praise each other and as a school we have developed several ‘Praise Phrases’ and ‘Praise actions’! Ask your child to demonstrate!
- PURPOSE – each activity has a very clear purpose. The teacher will set this purpose at the beginning of the lesson, so that the children know exactly what they will be learning.
- PARTICIPATION – all children take part in all parts of the lesson. Full participation is gained through partner work and choral response.
- PASSION – as a staff we are passionate about our teaching and the benefits of the Read, Write Inc. programme! We love teaching the sessions and this enthusiasm rubs off onto the children.
Please click on Freddie the Frog to find out more on the Ruth Miskin website:
Read Write Inc. has a suggested reading list for every year group, from Nursery to Year 6.
Ruth Miskin suggests that children gain a great deal from knowing a short list of stories very well. This can help them to understand story structure and genres. We have listed the suggested books (below). Click on your year group to see the suggested list:
Suggested list for Nursery / Reception (Foundation Stage)
For more information about RWI, click this link to visit the Ruth Miskin website.