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Phases 4-6 Phonics

How is Phonics Taught?

Phonics is taught in phases, starting in the preschool setting and continuing until year 2.

  • Phase 1 is usually covered in the preschool setting as well as in Reception and is all about speaking and listening.
  • Following on from this, Phase 2 begins to introduce children to single letter sounds, such as followed by simple digraph phonemes, such as ck.
  • Phase 3 looks at trickier digraphs, such as ai and oa and trigraphs such as igh.
  • Phase 4 is a consolidation of all phonemes learned so far, especially within CCVC (consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant) words such as slip, and CVCC words such as tent. Furthermore, children will be taught to segment and blend polysyllabic words.
  • Phase 5 is about broadening their knowledge of graphemes and phonemes for use in reading and spelling. They will learn new graphemes and alternative pronunciations for these and graphemes they already know.
  • Phase 6 is about reading words and teaching spelling; introducing and teaching the past tense; suffixes; longer words and the application of this spelling within writing. This is covered in year 1 and 2. 

This blog post looks at all things relating to Phases 4-6.

A Parents’ Guide to Phonics

If you haven’t already done so, watch our webinar, ‘A Parents’ Guide to Phonics’. It is free and will give you a great introduction to phonics and how it all works.

A Parents Guide to Phonics

Phase 4 Phonics

During Phase 4, children consolidate their knowledge of previous phonemes (individual sounds) and graphemes (the written representation of a sound), and they also learn to blend and segment longer words and sentences. Phase 4 often involves learning about adjacent consonants (consonant clusters) and practicing reading and spelling words with these combinations.

It’s worth noting that the specific content and methods used in Phase 4 may vary depending on the phonics program or curriculum being followed. Teachers and educators often adapt their instruction to the needs and progress of their students.

Overall, the aim of Phase 4 phonics is to further develop a child’s decoding skills so they can read and write more complex words and sentences with confidence.

Phase 4 Tricky Words

Alongside the other aspects of Phase 4 phonics, your children will also learn tricky words. Many tricky words cannot be sounded out so children just have to learn them by sight. The phase 4 tricky words are: 

said

have

like

so

do

some

come

little

one

were

out

what

when 

there

 

Phase 5 Phonics

In Phase 5, children continue to build on the foundation established in earlier phases. Here are some key aspects of Phase 5 phonics:

  • Alternative Spellings: Children learn that the same sound can be represented by different letter combinations or graphemes. For example, the sound /ai/ can be represented by ai in rain or ay in play.
  • New Graphemes: Children are introduced to new graphemes, including different ways to represent familiar sounds, as well as new sounds.
  • Tricky Words: Alongside learning new graphemes, children continue to develop their recognition of common irregular words (tricky words) that do not follow regular phonetic patterns.
  • Reading and Spelling Longer and More Complex Words: Children practice blending and segmenting to read and spell longer and more complex words. They also work on understanding the meaning of words in context.
  • Fluency and Automaticity: Phase 5 aims to help children become more fluent and automatic in their reading and spelling. This involves quicker recognition and application of phonetic knowledge.
  • Reading Comprehension: Alongside decoding skills, there is an increasing focus on comprehension, understanding the meaning of texts, and developing vocabulary.

    Phase 5 Phonics

    In Phase 5, children will likely learn the following sounds:

    ay, ou, ie, ea

    oy, ir, ue, aw

    wh, ph, ew, oe, au, ey

    a-e, e-e, i-e, o-e, u-e

      Phase 5 Tricky Words

      Alongside the other aspects of Phase 5 phonics, including the new sounds, your children will also learn tricky words. Many tricky words cannot be sounded out so children just have to learn them by sight. The phase 5 tricky words are: 

      oh

      Mrs

      people

      their

      called

      Mr

      looked

      asked

      could

       

      Phase 6 Phonics

      Phase 6 focuses on further developing a child’s spelling and reading abilities. Here are some key aspects of Phase 6 phonics:

      • Word Endings and Suffixes: Children learn about common word endings and suffixes (e.g., -ed, -ing, -ly) and how they affect the meaning and grammar of a word.
      • Plurals and Verb Endings: This phase includes learning rules for making nouns plural (e.g., adding -s or -es) and understanding verb endings for different tenses (e.g., adding -ed for past tense).
      • Understanding Syllables: Children practice identifying and dividing words into syllables, which helps with both reading and spelling longer words.
      • Homophones: Children learn about words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings (e.g., there, their, and they’re).
      • Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development: Phase 6 continues to build on comprehension skills, focusing on understanding texts and expanding vocabulary.
      • Spelling Rules and Patterns: Children explore more complex spelling rules and patterns, including those that don’t follow regular phonetic rules.
      • Applying Phonics Knowledge: Phase 6 emphasises the application of phonics knowledge in both reading and spelling across a wide range of words.

          Bright Light Phonics Books!

          Watching your child learn to read and write can be a wonderfully exciting time! As mothers ourselves, we have seen first-hand the joy children get from being able to recognise their first sounds, words and sentences. Structured in a weekly format, we hope our workbooks will provide a straightforward and enjoyable way in which to guide your child on their phonics journey!

          Our books are ideal in supporting and reinforcing phonics for Reception children in England. Reception children are those entering the first year of primary school (4-5 year olds). Children now follow a structured phonics-based programme. Whilst schools can choose their own programme, it is often taught in six phases which starts in nursery and ends in Year 2 and our books do the same, so they will fit well with your child’s own school teaching of phonics.

          For some children, they may be ready to start their phonics journey from preschool age (3 years old) and some nursery settings teach the Phase 2 sounds in the year before children begin school. Bright Light Phonics Book 1 can help to support these children.

          For those children not in a school environment in England but who speak English, the books are suitable for children as they start learning to read and write, typically 4-6 year olds.

          Our books are also perfect for non-English speaking children of all ages who are learning to read and write English.

          Bright Light Phonics
          Bright Light Phonics Book 1
          Bright Light Phonics Book 2 Practice Book

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