Example of literacy planning and resourcing 9

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet

Related Early Learning Goals

• Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing simple songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns and match movements to music (CD)

Possible contexts

• Use children's name cards, for example for self-registration, copying to write onto own pictures and copying for sending notes and messages.
• Use signs and labels purposefully.
• Share and make alphabet books.
• Sing songs and play games that reinforce letter sounds, for example 'I spy'.
• Use wooden or magnetic letters for play in the environment, for example on boards, in water - they float and can be fished out - or buried in sand to find.

Example of adult-led activities

Context: Identifying letter sounds

Introduce a set of objects on a tray that have the same initial sound. Look at the objects with the children and talk about what they are. Ask the children if they notice they have something in common, providing clues by exaggerating the initial sound of the object in naming.

Identify that they sound the same at the beginning, or that they start with the same letter. Encourage children to identify the initial sound by stretching it out, for example 'sssock', 'ssspoon'.

Gradually add more letter sounds on trays in the same way, encouraging children to bring in things that could go on the same tray. Put trays of objects away and then bring them out again, remembering their initial sound.

Mix up some objects from different trays and give them to the children. Ask them what their object is and how it sounds at the beginning, encouraging them to stretch the sound. Play a game of saying a sound and asking the children to hold up their object if it begins with that sound.

As children show confidence in recognising the sound, ask them if they recognise the letter that makes that sound; provide letters on screen or magnetic or wooden letters to select from - not too many at first. Reinforce that the letter sounds like 'sssss' and is called 's'.

Adult role

• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

• Talk to children about the letters that represent the sounds they hear at the beginning of their own names and other familiar words. Incorporate these in games.
• Ensure that there are purposeful uses of signs and labels around. Encourage children to be involved in making them but also use adult written labels as models. Point them out to children and encourage them to identify the initial sound, for example a 'stop' or 'go' sign.
• Have name cards of the children readily available to, for example, identify for self-registration, copy for identifying a painting as theirs, copying each others for sending cards and messages.
• Share and make alphabet books. Sing songs and play games that reinforce letter sounds, for example 'I spy' (very hard for young children but you could limit it to spying only things in a box), 'What's in my bag? I'll give you a clue: it's an animal and it begins with a ssss'.
• Find familiar letters in print; initial letters of their name or families' and friends' names. Provide wooden or magnetic letters for play in the environment, for example on boards, in water - they float and can be fished out - or buried in sand to find.

Adult role

• Make a language and literacy rich environment. For an audit see Early Reading Audit.
• Plan an environment that reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books.
• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Look, listen and note

• How do children use initial sounds at the beginning, short vowel sounds within words and endings of words? For example: Ranjit notices the letters in his name whenever he sees them, such as 'j' at the beginning of jam.
• Observe how they link sounds to letters and begin to use this knowledge to write words. For example: Leanne has written a request to her Dad: 'Pz cn I hv a d' (Please can I have a drink).

Assessment opportunities

• Are children able to recognise their own name, for example for self-registration?
• Are children able to recognise letters of their own name in other contexts? For example: points out letters in labels and posters and makes a comment.
• Are children able to identify initial sounds of words, for example in playing games of 'All things that begin with...'?
• Are children able to say the alphabet when reciting in a group or individually?
• Observe children's increasing ability to recognise letters and identify their sounds in words, for example reading labels in the environment?

Related Profile scale points

LSL 4

Example of literacy planning and resourcing 12

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

• Use their phonic knowledge to read simple regular words and make plausible attempts at longer or more complex words
• Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently

Related Early Learning Goals

• Move with control and coordination (PD)
• Recognise numerals 1 to 9 (MD)

Possible contexts

• Use books, rhymes, music, songs and poetry.
• Provide collections of favourite stories/rhymes for regular rereading and getting to know.
• Provide a variety of texts in the environment inside and outside.
• Play games involving word recognition, for example matching words to pictures.
• Make books and displays.
• Use children's name cards, for example for self-registration, copying to write onto own pictures, copying for sending notes and messages.
• Use signs and labels purposefully.
• Use word banks and collections of words.
• Use wooden or magnetic letters for play in the environment, for example on boards, in water - they float and can be fished out - or buried in sand to find.

Example of adult-led activities

Context: Games, making a challenge trail

Invite the children to make a challenge trail for everyone to enjoy outdoors. Ask them to gather up the chalk they will need to mark off spaces, metre rulers to help with the lines, and cards and pens to write large signs for the challenges.

Ask the children all the different ways they can move: crawl, hop, run, skip, jog, jump, etc. As they say the words, write them in a list so that they can be remembered, and model segmenting the sounds. Ask some children to write the words on the cards for signs.

Chalk out spaces for the challenge trail outdoors. Number each challenge and link them with arrows. Put up the signs so that children know what the challenge is in that area and three numbers for options of what challenge they would like to go for. Add a sound mat to make the challenges more fun or more challenging.

Support the children in having a go at reading the signs and numbers (the numbers could be written in words as well as numerals). Mix them up regularly so the challenge trail changes and they need to keep reading. Add in new signs and numbers and encourage the children to do this too.

Capture the children's successes with photographs, and write underneath in pencil the challenge they did and the number of times they managed. Laminate these and display outside by hanging on a fence or shed.

Adult role

• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading strategies overt.
• Model reading strategies when reading.
• Use children's own writing/mark making as a basis for reading.
• Run your finger under text or point out/find words together when reading.
• Provide familiar texts with short sentences that are enjoyable and can be committed to memory.
• Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition and blending CVC words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

Use a large phoneme frame with groups of children and give them small magnetic ones of their own, so that they become more confident in using their phonic knowledge in spelling.

Demonstrate writing so that children can see spelling in action. Encourage them to apply their own knowledge of sounds to what they write.

Encourage children to recall words they see frequently, such as 'welcome', own and friends' names, 'open' and 'bus stop'.

Play word bingo to develop children's grapheme correspondence, so that they can rapidly decode words.

Make books regularly. For example, as a follow-up to the adult-led activity make zigzag books: encourage the children to write a different action on each page of their book.

Make 'I can' zigzag books, for example 'I can jog'. They can support their sentence with a photograph or drawing. They could add a numeral for the number of times they were able to carry out the action. Take home to celebrate their achievements.

Adult role

• Make a language and literacy rich environment. For an audit see Early Reading Audit.
• Plan an environment that reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books.
• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading strategies overt.
• Model reading strategies when reading.
• Use children's own writing/mark making as a basis for reading.
• Run your finger under text or point out/find words together when reading.
• Provide familiar texts with short sentences that are enjoyable and can be committed to memory.
• Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition and blending CVC words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.

Look, listen and note

• How do children use initial sounds at the beginning, short vowel sounds within words and endings of words? For example: Ranjit notices the letters in his name whenever he sees them, such as 'j' at the beginning of jam.
• Which children are confident in using segmenting and blending skills and phoneme-grapheme knowledge to read and spell regular CVC words?
• Observe the ways in which children use their phonic knowledge and the number of phonemes and graphemes children know and recognise in a variety of contexts.

Assessment opportunities

• Can children recognise their own name, for example on a name card?
• Observe children playing with and identifying sounds in words, for example noticing when a sound is the same as a sound in their name or a friend's name, playing with rhyme or alliteration.
• Observe how children increasingly recognise letters and identify their sounds in words, for example noticing familiar letters in books and identifying their sounds.
• Observe children beginning to recognise some words by sight.
• Observe children adopting the behaviour of a reader, for example holding a book, turning the pages, using the language of texts or intonation in retelling.
• Look at children using print in the environment: are they following simple written instructions with picture cues, for example in cooking?
• Observe whether children are able to attempt to read unfamiliar words and the strategies they use.
• Are children able to read short sentences?

Related Profile scale points

LSL 4

Example of literacy planning and resourcing 11

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

• Recognise common digraphs.
• Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts.

Related Early Learning Goals

• Continue to be interested, excited and motivated to learn (PSED).

Possible contexts

• Use books, rhymes, music, songs and poetry.
• Use children's name cards for, for example, self-registration, copying to write onto own pictures, copying for sending notes and messages.
• Use signs and labels purposefully.
• Use mark making and writing for a purpose.
• Make books and displays.
• Use word banks and collections of words.
• Sing songs and play games that reinforce letter sounds, for example 'I spy'.
• Use wooden or magnetic letters for play in the environment, for example on boards, in water - they float and can be fished out - or buried in sand to find.

Example of adult-led activities

Context: Storybook, Cat on the Mat by Brian Wildsmith

Read Cat on the Mat by Brian Wildsmith as a big book or scanned into an interactive whiteboard, or with small groups or individuals. Enjoy the story together, looking at the pictures and predicting what might happen.

Talk about the words that look the same on each page, read them together and notice the rhyme. Cover the words up and read the book together, playing a game of remembering the words prompted by the pictures.

Show the rhyming words on separate cards. Ask if they can find the word 'cat'. If they can't, give them clues: 'Can you hear the sound at the beginning...c, c...do you remember what that looks like?' When they find the word, reinforce that they are right and break down the sounds. For example, say 'Yes, well done, that says c-a-t' and blend together, 'c-a-t, c-at, cat. Can you find the word in the book, what does it say?' Read it in context. Repeat with the other rhyming words.

Play a game of pairs with the cards, matching word to picture each time, encouraging the children to notice the letters and blend the sounds (could be made as a game on the computer or interactive whiteboard).

Use magnetic, wooden or electronic letters to play games of muddling up and building the words in turn, blending the sounds.

Adult role

• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition and blending CVC words.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

• Use role-play to encourage writing of signs and labels, or communicating electronically, for a real purpose, for example a pet shop. Use digital photographs to give examples of print in the environment. Model writing, for example badges for pets or lists of sick animals. Use CVC words and overtly blend when reading.
• Provide tools for mark making in all areas, including clipboards and chalks and boards outside.
• Plan fun and games that help children create rhyming strings of real and imaginary words, for example Maddie, daddy, baddie, laddie.
• Talk to children about the letters that represent the sounds they hear at the beginning of their own names and other familiar words. Incorporate these in games.
• Provide story sacks and boxes for use in the setting and at home, including objects that rhyme, for example for Cat on the Mat and letters/words to match to objects.

Adult role

• Make a language and literacy rich environment. For an audit see Early Reading Audit.
• Plan an environment that reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books.
• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition and blending CVC words.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Look, listen and note

• Observe how children link sounds to letters and begin to use this knowledge to write words. For example: Leanne has written a request to her Dad: 'Pz cn I hv a d' (Please can I have a drink).
• Do they use phonic skills in decoding text?
• Do they show confidence in using their developing phonic knowledge?

Assessment opportunities

• Can children recognise their own name, for example on a name card?
• Can children recognise letters of their own name in other contexts, for example referring to them in play with magnetic/wooden letters, or seeing them in print in the environment?
• Observe children playing with and identifying sounds in words, for example noticing when a sound is the same as a sound in their name or a friend's name, playing with rhyme or alliteration.
• Observe how children increasingly recognise letters and identify their sounds in words, for example noticing familiar letters in books and identifying their sounds.
• Are children beginning to blend sounds in words for reading?
• Are children beginning to break down sounds in words for writing?

Related Profile scale points

LSL 4

Example of literacy planning and resourcing 10

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur

Related Early Learning Goals

• Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group (PSED).
• Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing simple songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns and match movements to music (CD).

Possible contexts

• Use books, rhymes, music, songs and poetry.
• Use children's name cards, for example for self-registration, copying to write onto own pictures, copying for sending notes and messages.
• Use signs and labels purposefully.
• Mark making and writing for a purpose.
• Make books and displays.
• Use word banks and collections of words.
• Sing songs and play games that reinforce letter sounds, for example 'I spy'.
• Use wooden or magnetic letters for play in the environment, for example on boards, in water - they float and can be fished out - or buried in sand to find.

Example of adult-led activities

Context: Listening to sounds; feely bag

Use a feely bag for a collection of objects.

Explain to the children that they need to be good listeners for the new game. Introduce a puppet and say it will need some help.

Collect some objects, for example a mug, dog, bus and put them into a bag. Tell the children that the puppet will choose an object and tell them what it is. Make the puppet peep into the bag and sound out the name of an object like a robot: 'd-o-g'.

Ask the children to decide what the puppet is trying to say by blending the sounds together. After the children have responded make the puppet show them so that they can see if they are right. Make the puppet thank them for helping.

When the children get good at this game, they could use the puppet and sound a word 'like a robot' for each other.

Adult role

• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

Play games, for example:

Buried treasure: Prepare some 'treasure': write some words (for example dig, had, but) and some CVC letter combinations which are not words (for example fod, ig, dut) and stick them on gold medallion backgrounds. Bury them in the sand tray and tell the children that the pirates' gold coins have words printed on them but there are some fake coins with nonsense on. Children hunt for the treasure, read the coins, decide and sort them into the word treasure chest or the rubbish bin.

Use role-play to encourage writing of signs and labels, or communicating electronically, for a real purpose, for example a pet shop. Use digital photographs to give examples of print in the environment. Model writing, for example badges for pets or lists of sick animals and overtly blend when reading.

Provide tools for mark making in all areas including clipboards and chalks and boards outside. Tool belts can be added to role-play, for example construction workers, with notepads, sticky notes, pencils, pens, etc. in pockets in the belts.

Talk to children about the letters that represent the sounds they hear at the beginning of their own names and other familiar words. Incorporate these in games.

Adult role

• Make a language and literacy rich environment. For an audit see Early Reading Audit.
• Plan an environment that reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books.
• Develop children's phonological awareness through games, music, songs and rhymes.
• Pay attention to print. Make reading letter names and sounds overt. Involve the children in identifying letters by their sounds and names.
• Play games that encourage letter recognition.
• Help children break down the sounds in words.
• Help children build up the sounds in words.
• Provide opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes.
• Provide opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script.

Look, listen and note

• How do children use initial sounds at the beginning, short vowel sounds within words and endings of words? For example: Ranjit notices the letters in his name whenever he sees them, such as 'j' at the beginning of jam.
• Observe how they link sounds to letters and begin to use this knowledge to write words. For example: Leanne has written a request to her Dad: 'Pz cn I hv a d' (Please can I have a drink).

Assessment opportunities

• Can children recognise their own name, for example on a name card?
• Can children recognise letters of their own name in other contexts, for example referring to them in play with magnetic/wooden letters, or seeing them in print in the environment?
• Can children identify initial sounds of words, for example having a go at reading each other's names?
• Observe how children increasingly recognise letters and identify their sounds in words, for example noticing familiar letters in books and identifying their sounds.
• Are children beginning to blend sounds in words for reading?
• Are children beginning to break down sounds in words for writing?

Related Profile scale points

LSL 4