Daily Phonics
Department for Education Lessons
The Department for Education have released daily phonics lessons on YouTube aimed at 3
different levels of reading. Most children will be appropriately challenged at the Reception
level but there is the option of both easier and more challenging lessons:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP_FbjYUP_UtldV2K_-niWw/featured
Weekly Sounds
As we have completed introducing all of the Phase 3 sounds, this week we will revisit and
practise some of the sounds we have already learnt. The sounds for this week are ai, ee, oa
and oi. Each daily session should start with a short recap of sounds learnt so far before
moving onto the main part of the session. Below is an example of what a weekly plan may look
like and suggestions of how to deliver each part of the sessions:
Monday:
● Recap all previous sounds
● Recap ai sound
● Practise reading and writing ai sound
Tuesday:
● Recap all previous tricky words
● Revisit ee sound
● Practise reading and writing ee sound
Wednesday:
● Recap all previous sounds
● Revisit oa sound
● Practise reading and writing oa sound
Thursday:
● Recap all previous high frequency words (HFW)
● Revisit oi sound
● Practise reading and writing oi sound
Friday
● Recap all previous sounds and high frequency words (HFW)
● Practise reading and writing tricky words (look at Tapestry to find the ‘word outline’
game!).
Recap Sounds - Phase 2 and Phase 3 (5 min starter)
Try to recap these at least 3 times a week at the beginning of a phonics session. We have almost
completed introducing all of the Phase 3 sounds. Use the sounds mats below to point at each sound and
see if your child knows the sound. Try the Phase 2 and 3 flashcard challenge on the phonicsplay
website: https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/Phase3Menu.htm. Perhaps you could create your
own flashcards!
Recap Tricky Words
Remember, tricky words are irregular words that are not easy to decode using phonics and
need to be learnt by sight. If children recognise all of the Phase 2 and 3 words by sight then
feel free to introduce some of the Phase 4 tricky words. Use the sound mat below which
contains all of the Phase 2, 3 and 4 tricky words. This can be printed out from the Twinkl
website.
● Try the Phase 2 and 3 tricky words challenge on the phonicsplay website:
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/Phase3Menu.htm
● Play tricky word bingo. Ask the children to write down 4-6 tricky words of their choosing
from memory. Read out some tricky words and every time you read a word that matches
what they have written down, they can cross it out. When all the words are crossed out
shout ‘bingo!’ This is best played with 2 competitors and 1 bingo quiz master! For children
who are not yet comfortable writing tricky words, they can be given the words already
written out to read themselves.
Recap High Frequency Words (HFW) (5 min starter)
HFWs are words that appear frequently in everyday life and stories. They can be decoded using the
phonic sounds we have learnt. We have completed all of the Phase 2 and 3 words listed in the table
below but children will need to consolidate these and focus on the words they do not yet recognise by
sight. You could also make your own HFW flashcards. Try the Phase 2 and 3 HFW challenge on the
phonicsplay website:
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/Phase3Menu.htm
in at as up on am
his her it of off not
got get and will for see
mum dad had can but too
with them back big that down
this look
ai (Monday)
Revisiting Sound (5 mins)
● Remind children it is a digraph (two letters together that make one sound).
● Show children the action associated with the ‘ai’ sound.
Practise reading sound (10 mins)
● Practise reading the digraph using words such as rain, train, nail, snail, again, wait, painful.
● When writing these out, it is sometimes helpful for the children if you underline the digraph so
it is easier to spot at first.
Practise writing sound (15 mins)
● Practise writing words (above) and sentences using the ‘ai’ digraph. Try using an image for
inspiration:
ee (Tuesday)
Revisiting Sound (5 mins)
● Remind children it is a digraph (two letters together that make one sound).
● Show children the action associated with the ‘ee’ sound.
Practise reading sound (10 mins)
● Practise reading the digraph using words such as queen, teeth, see, bee, seed, feed, feet, week,
meeting.
● When writing these out, it is sometimes helpful for the children if you underline the digraph so
it is easier to spot at first.
Practise writing sound (15 mins)
● Practise writing words (above) and sentences using the ‘ee’ digraph. Try using an image for
inspiration:
oa (Wednesday)
Revisiting Sound (5 mins)
● Remind children it is a digraph (two letters together that make one sound).
● Show children the action associated with the ‘oa’ sound.
Practise reading sound (10 mins)
● Practise reading the digraph using words such as goat, coat, float, soak, coach, throat, soap.
● When writing these out, it is sometimes helpful for the children if you underline the digraph so
it is easier to spot at first.
Practise writing sound (15 mins)
● Practise writing words (above) and sentences using the ‘oa’ digraph. Try using an image for
inspiration:
oi (Thursday)
Revisiting Sound (5 mins)
● Remind children it is a digraph (two letters together that make one sound).
● Show children the action associated with the ‘oi’ sound.
Practise reading sound (10 mins)
● Practise reading the digraph using words such as coin, foil, toilet, soil, boiling, join.
● When writing these out, it is sometimes helpful for the children if you underline the digraph so
it is easier to spot at first.
Practise writing sound (15 mins)
● Practise writing words (above) and sentences using the ‘oi’ digraph. Try using an image for
inspiration:
Other Reading
As part of our living and growing topic, here are a couple of great books which contain plenty of our
sounds and tricky words as well as containing lots of useful information about how plants grow! Listen
to the adults reading these books on Tapestry during the week. Alternatively, you can listen along
using these links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da6lxY_8jmU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls6wTeT2cKA
Rising Stars Reading Planet Online has a large range of great e-books to read that are pitched at
different levels and complement the phonics work done by the children.
https://my.risingstars-uk.com/Default.aspx?cid=DL240852 Please use this link to find individual log-ins
https://hitherfieldredesign.fluencycms.co.uk/Mainfolder/MP/Week-1/Week-1-Reception-Home-learning-.pdf
Sammy Sounds
Sammy Sounds will be continuing her magical journey with the children through Phonics Land. Please
click on the link to sign up and follow her: http://eepurl.com/ge0dCH
Daily Maths Development
As well as exploring the maths that happens spontaneously in the daily environment, we would suggest
holding a daily ‘maths meeting’ that lasts no longer than 25 minutes.
This week’s focus: Odd and Evens
The children begin to understand that quantities which can be shared into 2 equal groups with no items
left over are even. Those which have one left over when they are shared into 2 equal groups are odd.
Activities
● Group a number of objects into pairs and ask the children to notice what happens. Even
quantities can be grouped into pairs and odd quantities will have one left on their own when they
are grouped into pairs.
Even
Odd
● Draw a frame with 10 squares on it. Children can notice the different structures and patterns
that occur if you group odd and even numbers of objects/coins/counters/cubes.
● Sorting - Provide pots of items containing quantities from 1-10 (extend to 20 if confident).
Ask the children to count the items in each pot and decide if there is an odd or even quantity.
How do they know? How could they check? They might also make some
odd and even sets of their own.
● House Number Walk - Take children for a walk to look at the house numbers on the street.
What do they notice?
● Numberblocks - Watch this episode about odds and evens:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08r2l4d/numberblocks-series-2-odds-and-evens
● Topmarks Game - When you are feeling confident about which numbers are odd and even up to
20, have a go at this Topmarks Coconut game: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-
count/coconut-odd-or-even
Physical Development - Fine Motor
Please continue to practise letter formation. We would suggest doing this once or twice a week for no
more than 25 minutes focusing on 3 or 4 different letters each week. Some useful tips:
.
Busy Things
As always, Busy Things has a range of great activities for children to have a go at across the
curriculum areas: https://www.busythings.co.uk/
Tapestry Online Learning Journeys
All carers have been sent a link, which allows you to access your child’s online learning journal. Please
feel free to add photos and make comments of the learning that is going on at home. Teachers will be
reviewing and commenting on some of your pictures and uploads. You will also receive ‘memos’ from the
teachers which will be a variety of messages, tasks, stories, etc. for you to look at.