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Read Write Inc. – A guide for parents

 

Welcome to the Read Write Inc. page on Oxford Owl for Home.

Read Write Inc. is a popular phonics scheme. Like all phonics schemes, it teaches children the sounds in English, the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters when writing. Read Write Inc. Phonics includes reading books written using only the letters they have learnt at each level (and a small number of separately taught tricky words). The children will quickly feel confident and successful.

Here you can find lots of free resources to support your child’s learning.

Free eBooks | Videos | Set 1 resources | Set 2 resources | Set 3 resourcesKits and flashcards to use at home

Read Write Inc. Phonics

We have lots of free Read Write Inc. Phonics resources to help your child, including eBooks, practice sheets and parent films. We suggest you start by watching this film for parents: What is Read Write Inc. Phonics?

Speed sounds and Read Write Inc. Stages

If your child is learning to read at school with Read Write Inc. Phonics, they will be at one of the following stages:

Learning Set 1 Speed Sounds

These are the Set 1 Speed Sounds written with one letter:

m  a  s  d  t  i  n  p  g  o  c  k  u  b  f  e  l  h  r  j  v  y  w  z  x

These are the sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’):

sh  th  ch  qu  ng  nk  ck

Check if your child can read these sounds. Make sure they say sounds like ‘mmm’, not letter names like ‘em’. Watch the Sound Pronunciation Guide video to help you.

If your child is learning Set 1 Speed Sounds, help them to:

Learning to blend with Set 1 Speed Sounds

Your child is learning to read words containing Set 1 Speed Sounds by sound blending. For example:

m-a-t mat

c-a-t cat

g-o-t got

f-i-sh fish
s-p-o-t spot

b-e-s-t best

s-p-l-a-sh splash.

If your child is learning to sound blend, help them to:

    Learning Set 2 Speed Sounds

    These are the Set 2 Speed Sounds:

    ay  ee  igh  ow (as in blow)  oo (as in zoo)

    oo (as in look) ar  or  air  ir  ou (as in out)  oy

    Check if your child can read these sounds.

    If your child is learning the Set 2 Speed Sounds, help them to:

    • Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Speed Sounds they have learnt.
    • Read the eBooks at Red Ditty level, then Green level and then Purple level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.

    Learning Set 3 Speed Sounds

    These are Set 3 Speed Sounds:

    ea (as in tea)

    oi (as in spoil)

    a–e (as in cake)

    i–e (as in smile)

    o–e (as in home)

    u–e (as in huge) 

    aw (as in yawn)

    are (as in care)

    ur (as in nurse)

    er  (as in letter)

    ow (as in brown)

    ai  (as in snail)

    oa (as in goat)

    ew (as in chew)

    ire (as in fire)

    ear (as in hear)

    ure (as in pure)

    Check if your child can read these sounds.

    If your child is learning Set 3 Speed Sounds, help them to:

    • Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Speed Sounds they have learnt.
    • Read the eBooks at Pink level, then Orange level and then Yellow level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.

    Reading books with Set 1, 2, and 3 Speed Sounds

    If your child has learnt all three sets of Speed Sounds, they need to practise them and read books with words made up of those sounds. They could:

    • Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Set 3 Speed Sounds.
    • Read the eBooks at the Blue level and then the Grey level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.

    You will find a useful phonics audio guide to all these sounds in our Sound Pronunciation Guide video. It is really important to say the sounds clearly to help your child learn them. We say ‘mmmm not ‘muh’ and ‘lllll not ‘luh’ when teaching the sounds. This really helps children when they learn to blend sounds together to read words.

    What is Fred Talk?

    If your child’s school is using Read Write Inc. Phonics, teachers will introduce your child to a toy frog called Fred once he or she is ready to start reading words.

    Fred can only say the sounds in a word and needs your child to help him read the word. Fred will say the sounds and children will work out the word. For example, Fred will say the sounds c–a–t, and children will say the word cat. This is Fred Talk: sounding out the word.

    Videos

    Watch our parent tutorials to learn all about how to support your child as they learn with Read Write Inc. Phonics, with detailed ideas and advice on pronouncing pure sounds, blending, and digraphs.

    Video title reading why read to your child

    Why read to your child?

    Find out why it’s important to read to your child.

    video title reading 10 things to think about when you read to your child

    10 things to think about

    Tips to make the most of reading to your child.

    video title reading understanding phonics

    Understanding phonics

    Find out what phonics is and how it’s used.

    video title reading what is read write inc. phonics?

    What is Read Write Inc.?

    Find out how Read Write Inc. Phonics helps your child.

    video title reading how to say the sounds

    How to say the sounds

    Learn how to pronounce the Read Write Inc. sounds.

    video title reading sound-blending

    What is Sound-blending?

    Ruth Miskin’s way of teaching children to blend sounds.