18/11/2022
Understand systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading
1.1 - Explain what is meant by ‘systematic synthetic phonics’
The method of teaching young children to read and write in English is called synthetic
phonics. Through this method of teaching phonics, children will learn that all words in the
English language can be broken down into smaller units of sound called "phonemes," which
are then represented by individual letters or by clusters of letters called "graphemes."
1.2 - Identify the benefits of using systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of
reading for young children
There are a number of benefits to using systematic synthetic phonics in the EYFS. Firstly
and most importantly, synthetic phonics gives learning a logical framework. Furthermore,
because this type of phonics is taught continuously, children stay engaged and maintain
attention for longer.
Children are not left to use guesswork because phonemes and sounds are broken down into
clear chunks, and each step is made very explicit and clear.
The synthetic method extensively reinforces language codes (phonemes and graphemes) so
that children are able to learn to read without relying on images or context. This type of
phonics teaches critical reading and writing skills at the same time.
1.3 - Explain the phases of systematic synthetic phonics
There are six phases of systematic synthetic phonics.
Phase 1 of phonics is taught in preschool and nursery, developing children’s understanding
of sounds and developing listening skills. In phase one, children are taught about
environmental and instrumental sounds, body percussion like clapping and stamping,
alliteration and oral blending.
Children start to learn the sounds that letters make in Phase 2 (phonemes). During this
stage, children concentrate on mastering the 19 most common single letter sounds. Children
should be able to read and spell some vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel-
consonant (CVC) words by the end of Phase 2.
In Phase 3, the remaining, more challenging and/or uncommon phonemes are introduced to
the children. There are about 25 of these.
Additionally, children are taught to recognise additional difficult words like "me," "was," "my,"
"you," and "they." They discover the names of the letters in addition to their sounds.
Children should feel comfortable using each phoneme by Phase 4. From this point forward,
teaching phonics is all about solidifying and sharpening their comprehension. Children
should now be confidently blending to create new words. They should be able to read words
without sounding them out. Phase 4 will be finished by the vast majority of children by the
end of reception.
The majority of Year 1 is typically spent in Phase 5. Children are taught new graphemes
(different ways to spell each sound) as well as alternative pronunciations for these. For
instance, they are taught that the grapheme 'ow' produces a different sound in the words
"snow" and "cow."
Understand systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading
1.1 - Explain what is meant by ‘systematic synthetic phonics’
The method of teaching young children to read and write in English is called synthetic
phonics. Through this method of teaching phonics, children will learn that all words in the
English language can be broken down into smaller units of sound called "phonemes," which
are then represented by individual letters or by clusters of letters called "graphemes."
1.2 - Identify the benefits of using systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of
reading for young children
There are a number of benefits to using systematic synthetic phonics in the EYFS. Firstly
and most importantly, synthetic phonics gives learning a logical framework. Furthermore,
because this type of phonics is taught continuously, children stay engaged and maintain
attention for longer.
Children are not left to use guesswork because phonemes and sounds are broken down into
clear chunks, and each step is made very explicit and clear.
The synthetic method extensively reinforces language codes (phonemes and graphemes) so
that children are able to learn to read without relying on images or context. This type of
phonics teaches critical reading and writing skills at the same time.
1.3 - Explain the phases of systematic synthetic phonics
There are six phases of systematic synthetic phonics.
Phase 1 of phonics is taught in preschool and nursery, developing children’s understanding
of sounds and developing listening skills. In phase one, children are taught about
environmental and instrumental sounds, body percussion like clapping and stamping,
alliteration and oral blending.
Children start to learn the sounds that letters make in Phase 2 (phonemes). During this
stage, children concentrate on mastering the 19 most common single letter sounds. Children
should be able to read and spell some vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel-
consonant (CVC) words by the end of Phase 2.
In Phase 3, the remaining, more challenging and/or uncommon phonemes are introduced to
the children. There are about 25 of these.
Additionally, children are taught to recognise additional difficult words like "me," "was," "my,"
"you," and "they." They discover the names of the letters in addition to their sounds.
Children should feel comfortable using each phoneme by Phase 4. From this point forward,
teaching phonics is all about solidifying and sharpening their comprehension. Children
should now be confidently blending to create new words. They should be able to read words
without sounding them out. Phase 4 will be finished by the vast majority of children by the
end of reception.
The majority of Year 1 is typically spent in Phase 5. Children are taught new graphemes
(different ways to spell each sound) as well as alternative pronunciations for these. For
instance, they are taught that the grapheme 'ow' produces a different sound in the words
"snow" and "cow."
