Part 4: How do I start my child learning to read with phonics?

Beginner Reader: Books 4, 5, 6

In Books 4, 5 and 6 we now present a series of much loved short stories, featuring our popular character Sam, his sister, Kim, and their friends.

Each story features a series of sounds. Words with these sounds are repeated to reinforce the phonic sounds being taught.

The child is challenged to sound out some quite complex words, like cygnet and cyclamen. You can see that this stage concentrates on building up the child’s vocabulary.

By this stage your child is starting to read well. In Book 4, we introduce complex sounds like:

• soft c (c is always soft when followed by ce, ci, cy)

• soft g (g is always soft when followed by ge, gi, gy)

• more about ea

• ow like snow

Vocabulary lists are included to practise words out of context.

Do not progress to Book 5, until your child is familiar with all the words taught in Book 4.

Book 5 includes stories featuring the following sounds:

• ou as in cloud

• ow as in towel

• au as in Paul

• aw as in paw

Do not progress to the longer stories in Book 6, until your child is familiar with the sounds taught in Book 5.

Book 6 introduces:

• ue as in clue

• ew as in screw

We also introduce in Book 5 and 6 more complex sounds like the silent o in cousin (My famous cousin from the country).

Here are some more examples:

• learn ough, as in ‘Are you rough and tough enough to learn ought words?’

• learn beginning sounds like wa (wasp) and war (warm)

• learn endings like gue (catalogue), que (antique), ine (magazine), tion (station), ture (capture)

• learn spelling rules, as in ‘i before e except after c, but only when the sound is ee.’

• learn silent letters, like ghost and crumb

Some tips are included on how to sound out words which contain double consonants, like spinning, or dropping the ‘e’, like riding.

By this stage, your child will be enjoying the stories. Read and re-read them several times. Make sure your child learns all the vocabulary, as he progresses through the books.

There are comprehension packs available to accompany Books 4,5 and 6. Use these to test whether your child understands the concept behind the words their reading.

By the end of Book 6, your child will be able to choose their own first solo reading books.

Have fun reading!

Shop the Learn To Read With Phonics Reading Scheme here …