Parents Guide to Jolly Phonics - Little · PDF filethe Jolly Phonics story book •We look at the flashcards and use the CD for the relevant letter set e.g. s a t i p n ... Parents

Parents Guide to Jolly Phonics

What is Jolly Phonics?

Is a foundation tool for reading and writing

It teaches letter sounds in a way that is fun and multi-sensory

It encourages children it identify letter sounds, write letters and read.

There are five basic skills for reading and writing,

they are: Learning the letter sounds

Learning the letter formation

Blending

Identifying sounds in words

Spelling the tricky words In our lessons we focus on the top four

1. Learning the letter sounds

In Jolly Phonics the 42 main sounds of English are taught, not just the alphabet

Each sound has an action which helps children remember the letter

Children are taught each letter by its sound, not its name. Names follow later

The letters are not introduced alphabetically, they are in groups of 6

The first group makes up more simple three-letter words than any other six letters.

The letter groups:

s a t i p n

ck e h r m d

g o u l f b

ai j oa ie ee or

z w ng v oo oo

y x ch sh th th

qu ou oi ue er ar

2. Learning the letter formation

It is very important that a child holds their pencil in the correct way, using the tripod grip between the thumb and the first two fingers

Children need to form each letter the correct way, as show in the books.

Some letters can be more difficult to learn; b,d,p,s,e. It is important to be patient and always show children the correct way of forming letters.

3. Blending Blending is the process of saying the individual

sounds in a word and then running them together to make the word.

For instance sounding out d-o-g and making dog It is a technique every child will need to learn and

it improves with practice.

Sound out simple words to your child, sounds must be said quickly to hear the word. If necessary give the answer.

Words such as dog, cat, bus, mom, dad etc.

4. Identifying the sounds in words

Once children can hear the sounds in words, it will help with spelling.

Start by listening to the first sounds in words.

Play games such as I-Spy, rhyming games, naming songs, poems.

Then listen to the end sounds, as these are easier to hear than the middle sounds.

Try tapping out the sounds in words.

What we do We have a taught Jolly Phonic lesson once a week.

We teach 1 letter over a period of three weeks so that each child can get a full understanding of each letter before moving on.

We send homework out on week 1 and week 3 for the children to complete and return to nursery, this helps the child link their learning between nursery and home and allows parents to become

involved in their childs learning. Jolly Phonics is taught term time only

Week 1 We introduce the letter using the Jolly Phonics story book

We look at the flashcards and use the CD for the relevant letter set e.g. s a t i p n

We link the letter to names we know

We carry out a pencil control picture sheet- follow the dots. To support hand- eye coordination and pencil control

We send home a sound sheet- finding objects in the home environment linked to the letter, could be drawings, pictures, cutting out, words etc.

Week 2 We recap the letter from the previous week, using relevant CD and flashcards

Talk about objects that begin with the letter- linked to the childrens homework sheets

Look around the room and in books for the written letter

Finding objects starting with the letter and playing Kims game.

Week 3 We recap the letter from the previous week using the relevant flashcards and CD

Use the Jolly Phonics story book to see how the letter is formed

Write letter individually on the interactive whiteboard or blackboard

Forming letters creatively using multi sensory resources such as sand, play dough, pipe cleaners and foam, using flash cards as a visual aid.

Homework from Jolly Phonics workbook is sent out for relevant letter.

What you can do Talk to your child about letters that you see

Playing rhyming games and other letter games such as I-Spy and the name song

Read stories and poems together

Help them complete their homework by spending time on the activities- encouraging a positive and fun environment for them the learn in.

Provide resources for exploring mark making.

Offer lots of praise and encouragement for their efforts.

Jolly Phonic Resources Jolly Phonics Workbooks: 1 & 2

parents to purchase Jolly Phonics Flashcards Jolly Phonics CD and song book Jolly Phonics- Jolly Stories. Jolly Phonic games All of the above are available from the Early

Learning Centre and on Amazon