• Home
  • About Us
    • Vision and Values
    • Staff
    • Safeguarding Team
    • Operation Encompass
    • Admissions and Prospectus
    • Curriculum
    • School Development Plan
    • Special Educational Needs
    • Shared Education
    • Health Education
    • Keeping Safe
    • Friendship & Anti-Bullying
    • Activity Based Learning
    • Caring for the environment
    • Policies
  • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Whole School Charity Events
    • The Wider Community
    • Literacy Events
    • Whole School Publications
    • Numeracy Events
    • Music And Drama Productions
    • Sports Day
    • Sports Competitions
    • Other Faiths and Cultures
    • N.I Centenary
    • Platinum Jubilee
  • Parents
    • Term Dates & Holidays
    • Letters
    • Staying Safe Online
    • Free School Meals & Uniform Grants
    • School Meals Menu
    • Healthy Break & Lunch
    • School Uniform
    • Extra Curricular Clubs
    • Music Tuition
    • Residential Visits
    • Parent Surveys
    • PTFA
    • Early Reading & Phonics At Home
    • Comprehension & Spelling At Home
    • Maths At Home
  • Class Pages
    • Reception Class & Primary 1
    • P2 & P3
    • P4 & P5
    • P6 & P7
    • School Council
    • House Captains
    • Road Safety Team
    • Buddies
    • Forest Schools
    • Beach Schools
  • Governors
    • Introduction to the Governing Board
    • Governors' Annual Report
  • Coronavirus

early reading & phonics

helping children become independent learners

To help you continue your child’s learning journey at home, we have been busy developing a number of useful video guides and links to useful websites. Over time, we are sure that this resource will grow and become a valuable tool in helping assist our children and families with pre and post learning. In the meantime, we would be delighted to receive your feedback.

phonics

Children in Foundation Stage begin learning the letter sounds (phonics) early on in their school life.  As this is the first step in developing reading skills it is important that children learn the correct sound that a letter makes.
We've had a little help from some of our slightly older children to make videos demonstrating the pure sounds of each letter, grouped in 'sets'. This will allow parents and children to practice at home if they wish to extend their learning beyond the school day. 

phonemes and pure sounds

Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound. Children are taught the individual sounds that each letter of the alphabet makes before they start to put them together to read short words e.g. c-a-t, n-a-p, t-a-p. Children will learn the 'pure sounds' of each letter rather than the letter name. This helps make it easier to blend the sounds together to read. The videos below will introduce families to the pure sounds of each letter. 

set 1- s, a, t, p, i, n

set 2- c, k, ck, e, h, r, m, d

set 3- g, o, u, l, ll, f, ff, b

set 4- j, v, w, x, y, z, zz, q / qu

consonant digraphs- ch, sh, th, ng

Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. There are consonant digraphs and the more challenging vowel digraphs.

vowel digraphs (and a trigraph)

These are groups of two letters of which at least one is a vowel. Together they make a single sound. A trigraph is a group of three letters which make a single sound. 

learning through songs

Children at Kirkistown Primary School rehearse the letter sounds in a variety of ways. You may find some of the songs below helpful when rehearsing these sounds with your child at home

set 1- s, a, t, p, i, n

The letter 's' sound
The letter 'a' sound
The letter 't' sound
The letter 'p' sound
The letter 'i' sound
The letter 'n' sound

SET 2- C, K, CK, E, H, R, M, D

The letter 'e' sound
The letter 'r' sound
The letter 'm' sound
The letter 'd' sound

SET 3- G, O, U, L, LL, F, FF, B

The letter 'g' sound
The letter 'l' sound
The letter 'f' sound
The letter 'b' sound

SET 4- J, V, W, X, Y, Z, ZZ, Q / QU

The letter 'j' sound
The letter 'z' sound
The letter 'w' sound
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Vision and Values
    • Staff
    • Safeguarding Team
    • Operation Encompass
    • Admissions and Prospectus
    • Curriculum
    • School Development Plan
    • Special Educational Needs
    • Shared Education
    • Health Education
    • Keeping Safe
    • Friendship & Anti-Bullying
    • Activity Based Learning
    • Caring for the environment
    • Policies
  • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Whole School Charity Events
    • The Wider Community
    • Literacy Events
    • Whole School Publications
    • Numeracy Events
    • Music And Drama Productions
    • Sports Day
    • Sports Competitions
    • Other Faiths and Cultures
    • N.I Centenary
    • Platinum Jubilee
  • Parents
    • Term Dates & Holidays
    • Letters
    • Staying Safe Online
    • Free School Meals & Uniform Grants
    • School Meals Menu
    • Healthy Break & Lunch
    • School Uniform
    • Extra Curricular Clubs
    • Music Tuition
    • Residential Visits
    • Parent Surveys
    • PTFA
    • Early Reading & Phonics At Home
    • Comprehension & Spelling At Home
    • Maths At Home
  • Class Pages
    • Reception Class & Primary 1
    • P2 & P3
    • P4 & P5
    • P6 & P7
    • School Council
    • House Captains
    • Road Safety Team
    • Buddies
    • Forest Schools
    • Beach Schools
  • Governors
    • Introduction to the Governing Board
    • Governors' Annual Report
  • Coronavirus