Essential Letters and Sounds
At Laceby Acres Academy we use Essential Letters and Sounds a complete Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme (SSP). ELS is designed to get all children to read well, quickly. Phonics is taught daily from the very beginning of reception and we teach children that the sounds in our language are represented by 'code' or letters on the page.
ELS teaches children to:
- decode (to write) by segmenting each sound to write words accurately.
Every ELS lesson has been designed to ensure that the minimum cognitive load is placed on the learner. The structure of the lessons allows children to predict what is coming next, what they need to do, and how to achieve success.
ELS follows a progression that includes both weeks of teaching and periods of review to ensure that all children are confident in applying their phonic knowledge and understanding independently.
ELS is a whole-class teaching model that incorporates both an in-the-lesson intervention as well as additional support for children that may need more practice and support.
The principles of ELS are based upon:
- The delivery of whole-class, high quality first teaching with well-structured daily lesson plans
- the use of consistent terminology by teachers, children and parents
- the use of consistent resources that support effective teaching
- repetition and reinforcement of learning
- regular and manageable assessment to ensure that all children 'keep up' rather than 'catch up'
- the 'E' model training to ensure that all members of staff understand how to teach phonics and early reading with confidence.
Home Reading linked to Essential Letters and Sounds
It is important that children practice their developing phonic knowledge by reading fully decodable books. These help to consolidate their understanding and build their fluency for reading words that include the GPC's that they have been taught.
These books will not contain sounds or words you child does not yet know and can be read independently.