Stage 1

Aspects of the teaching sequence at Stage 1

Recognition of lower case letters: m, s, f, a, p, t, c, i (use of pure sounds not adding (uh).

●     Correct formation of letters m, s, f, a, p, t, c, i using the language of Casey the Caterpillar.

●     Recognition of heart ❤️ words: the The my My I

●     Spelling of heart words

●     Blend to read

●     Segment to spell

●     Use of skills (blending and segmenting) to write a dictated sentence.

●     Read a text (only read a text if the children are able to segment and blend letters to read words)

Reading a Text

During Stage 1-4, children are given opportunities to practice their phonic skills through reading. Each stage is carefully sequenced to give children confidence and success.  Encourage children to decode (sound out) any unfamiliar words.

Heart ❤️ words: There are some words that children cannot decode at this stage. We call these ‘heart words’. Heart words are high-frequency words that children need to ‘learn by heart’. Speed sounds: Children point to each sound and read it. Make sure children use the pure sound, that is without an ‘uh’.

Vocabulary check: This is a list of words that may need to be discussed either before or after reading the book.

Questions to talk about: After children have read the book, it is important to talk about the questions and enjoy the story together. These questions help with comprehension and the vocabulary listed.

Talking points: These are points to discuss after reading the text.

Speed words: The word list provides practice in reading single decodable words.