Phonics
There is a discreet programme of phonics delivered at the academy which supports the Literacy of all children identified as requiring additional support, based on frequent and robust testing delivered in-house.
Lexia is an online platform of Literacy learning which initially works on cementing phonics knowledge (Core 5), followed up by an additional programme of study which supports students to apply their phonics knowledge as part of their comprehension within reading (Power Up).
Intervention sessions accessed by targeted students, including early EAL, also benefit from staff qualified in delivering the 'SoundsWrite' phonics programme of study.
For access to digital books at home and audiobooks you can try these websites:
- Oxford Owl - expert advice, educational resources and free eBooks to support children's learning at home, from Oxford University Press.
- Audible.com - Free trial of audible books for all ages. There are a range of categories to choose from and the texts on offer cover a range of ages. Audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular and are predicted to overtake the sales of ebooks in 2020 (National Literacy Trust). The research review found that audiobooks can improve children’s reading skills and enjoyment of reading, support children’s emotional and mental wellbeing, improve children’s reading comprehension and widen access to books.
- Project Gutenberg - The Project Gutenberg website offers over 60, 000 free eBooks. Your daughter can choose to download this as a Kindle book or read online. This website is completely free to use and does not require any registration.
- Literacy Trust: The Book of Hopes. Completely free for all children and families, the extraordinary collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures has contributions from more than 110 children’s writers and illustrators, including Lauren Child, Anthony Horowitz, Greg James and Chris Smith, Michael Morpurgo, Liz Pichon, Axel Scheffler, Francesca Simon and Jacqueline Wilson.
- www.poetrystation.org.uk. This website focuses on providing recordings of poetry to help students engage in the auditory nature of poems and language.
- The National Literacy Trust's Family Zone is a comprehensive web portal for parents and guardians. There are activities for all age groups which will engage children at home, whilst also benefiting their reading, writing and language development. Currently the Family Zone only provides resources for students up to the age of 12, however secondary school students as well.
- www.booktrust.org.uk - The Book Trust website offers a range of resources linked to children’s literature, as well as a resource for recommending books that your daughter might be interested in reading moving forward.
- www.goodreads.com - The Good Reads website is free to join. On this website, your daughter can write reviews of books she has read, search through book lists and recommendations and take part in quizzes on novels.