Reception Class Meeting September 2013 Mrs T empleton

1. Reception Class MeetingSeptember 2013 Mrs Templeton

2. Pronunciation of sounds • Letter formation • Interest in reading Key Issues

3. Pronunciation of sounds • There are 44 different sounds in the English language (not just single alphabet letters). • Children need consistency in the way the sounds are pronounced. • Please reinforce what your children are saying (they will usually know how to say the sounds correctly!) • Please watch the following clip to give you a better idea of the way sounds are pronounced in phonics. DVD quick guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2Ddf_0Om8

4. Children will learn to form letters correctly from the start. • Please correct your child at home positively by reminding them how it is learnt at school (it may seem harsh correcting your child when they are trying their best, but they will only be corrected further down the line and then the habit will be much harder to break). • Don’t correct their spelling attempts at words, they may not be spelt correctly, but they may be ‘phonetically’ correct, for example ‘compyooter’ instead of ‘computer’ is fine! • Ensure your child is using the correct pencil grip, even if it means constantly reminding….they will soon break the habit. Letter formation

5. Correct pencil grip

6. Interest in reading • At first, reading will be extremely hard work, which can be very frustrating for your child. • The process of learning each sound, then learning to blend them together to make words takes time to grasp. • During this time, please try to encourage and support your child with strategies which will help them……

7. Show an interest in what they are reading, discuss the title, the pictures and what it may be about, before you start • Use the pictures to work out words. • Help your child to sound out and blend the words if they are struggling,(make sure you’ve given enough thinking time) it may be that they just need a confidence boost in order to try it themselves. • During the book, ask your child questions like ‘what just happened?’ and ‘what do you think will happen next?’ • Praise your child throughout. • Don’t over do it! If they say they’ve had enough, leave it till another time, you will have each book for a week. • Having a book for a week gives the child time to read it with support and eventually read it by themselves, which gives them pride in their achievement. Reading Strategies

8. We use lots of positive reinforcement to manage behaviour on a daily basis. • Butterfly scheme – we also use this behaviour management scheme which involves rewarding treasure for good behaviour, which then leads to treats when the treasure pot is full!! At times the treat may be 5 minutes of TV…please don’t think they watch Octonaughts all day and every day!! • Other rewards include the Head teacher’s award and the well done book during Friday’s assembly. • Thursdays – Mrs Mighall will teach the children every Thursday to allow me time to plan and prepare for the children’s learning. Other Info

9. I hope this information is helpful and will benefit you in assisting your child.Thank you!!