What is Phase 5?
Phase 5 of the Letters and Sounds phonics program is typically introduced in Year 1 (the second year of school) in the UK and builds on the skills learned in Phases 1-4. It aims to develop children’s ability to read and spell words with alternative spellings for the same sound.
Here are some of the key features and skills taught in Phase 5 of Letters and Sounds:
- Learning new graphemes for phonemes already covered in earlier phases, such as the alternative spellings for the long vowel sounds ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’.
- Learning alternative pronunciations for graphemes they already know, such as ‘ea’ in ‘bread’ and ‘heart’.
- Learning new graphemes and alternative pronunciations for the consonant sounds, such as ‘c’ pronounced as ‘s’ in ‘cent’ and ‘g’ pronounced as ‘j’ in ‘giant’.
- Learning to read and spell polysyllabic words with more than one syllable, such as ‘hotel’, ‘elephant’, and ‘fantastic’.
- Learning to read and spell a range of common suffixes and prefixes, such as ‘-ed’, ‘-ful’, ‘-less’, and ‘-ment’.
- Introducing children to new tricky words, such as ‘people’, ‘water’, and ‘where’.
- Developing children’s handwriting skills and encouraging them to write using joined-up letters.
Overall, Phase 5 of Letters and Sounds is designed to further extend children’s phonics knowledge and skills and develop their reading and writing ability. By learning to recognize and use alternative spellings for the same sound, children become more confident and proficient readers and writers, and are better equipped to tackle a wider range of words with greater accuracy and fluency.
Resources to support Phase 5 learning
Sentence Building Dominoes
The Learning Resources Sentence Building Dominoes is an educational toy designed to help children improve their sentence building and grammar skills.
The dominoes are colour-coded based on their parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, making it easier for children to identify and use them correctly. The set also includes activity cards with suggested sentence-building exercises, as well as blank cards for children to create their own sentences.
Rainbow Phonics
The Junior Learning Rainbow Phonics Magnetic Letters and Built-In Magnet Board is an educational toy designed to help children learn phonics and develop their reading skills.
Each letter is color-coded based on its phonics sound, which helps children associate the letter with its corresponding sound. The set also includes a guide with suggested activities and games to help children learn and practise phonics.
Reading Rods: Building Sight Words
The Learning Resources Reading Rods Building Sight Words is an educational toy designed to help children learn to read and build sight words. The set includes colour-coded rods, each with a letter or word on it, which can be combined to create various sight words.
The set comes with activity cards and suggested games to help children learn and practice reading skills, such as identifying high frequency words, building sight words, and creating simple sentences.
Magic e Flips Chart
“Oxford Reading Tree” is a reading program designed for young children to develop their reading skills. “Level 1+” is the first level in the program, intended for children who are just starting to learn to read.
This is a set of six paperback books in the “Floppy’s Phonics Fiction” series at the Level 1+ of the Oxford Reading Tree program. The books are designed to be used in a classroom or educational setting, as well as for parents to use with their children at home.
Phonics Card Game
The AGO Phonics Card Game is an educational card game designed to help children build reading skills, learn words, and phonics sounds, all while playing a fun game. The set includes three different levels, each with its own set of cards that increase in difficulty, making it suitable for children of different ages and reading levels.
Reading Champion Collection
The Reading Champion Collection is a set of 30 books aimed at children who are learning to read. The books are designed to help young readers develop their reading skills and confidence by providing engaging stories that are just the right level of difficulty for their age group.
The books are graded by reading level, with the easier books suitable for children who are just starting to read, and the more challenging books for those who are more confident readers.
Phonics Word Building Game
The Learning Resources Word for Word Phonics Game focuses on phonics instruction, word building, and vocabulary development. It is a valuable resource for parents and educators looking to support children in developing their phonics skills.
Word-Building Mats
The Mega-Book of Instant Word-Building Mats is an educational resource designed to help teachers and parents teach children how to build words and develop their reading skills. The book contains reproducible mats, each with different letters and word components, such as initial consonants, blends, short and long vowels, and word families.
The mats can be used in a variety of ways to teach and reinforce word-building skills. Children can use letter tiles or magnetic letters to build words on the mats, or they can write the words directly on the mats using dry erase markers.
Year One Phonics: Grapheme-Sound Cards
The Phonics Bug Club Grapheme-Sound Cards Year 1 Phase 5 Phonics Screening Pack is an educational resource designed to help teachers and parents teach children phonics skills. The pack includes a set of small-sized grapheme-sound cards, which feature different phonemes and graphemes from Year 1 Phase 5 of the UK phonics screening check.
My First Phonics Dictionary: Digraphs
Digraphs: My First Phonics Dictionary is an educational resource designed to help young children develop their phonics skills.
It is a great resource for parents and educators looking to support children in developing their phonics skills. It can be used in a classroom, homeschooling environment, or at home, and provides a comprehensive resource for teaching and practising phonics skills.
Phase 5 Phonics Flashcards
The flashcards feature words and illustrations that focus on Year 1 Phase 5 of the UK Letters and Sounds phonics program. The flashcards are designed to be used at home to support children in developing their phonics skills, and can be used in a variety of ways to reinforce phonics instruction.
The Little Wandle at Home Phonics Flashcards for Year 1: Phase 5 is a valuable resource for parents and educators looking to support children in developing their phonics skills.
Touch and Spell Flashcards
The Phonics Touch & Spell Flashcards are an educational resource designed to help young children develop their phonics skills.
The touch and spell system allows children to physically touch and move the letters to spell words, providing a hands-on approach to phonics instruction. The flashcards can be used in a variety of ways, such as in a classroom, homeschooling environment or at home.
