Over the last few years, we have altered how we introduce literacy in primary one.
Emerging literacy is a developmental approach to learning and it allows us to build solid foundations in the skills that are needed before children are able to read and write. In line with the more play based approach that we will be taking this year, we will be able to help build these skills through a variety of activities.
Traditionally, when a child started P1, they started to learn their Jolly Phonic sounds (s,a,t,i,p,n etc), at a very quick rate, sometimes up to 4 sounds a week. This can be overwhelming. At such a young age, it is important that we foster an enjoyment for learning so that bairns are keen to engage. If children feel overwhelmed, they will disengage from the learning process.
With emerging literacy, we will look at four different areas, as your child starts primary one:
Concepts of Print:
- Know to write from left to right
- Know what each of the letters look like
Phonological Awareness:
- Know the sounds which make up each of the words
- Hear the individual words within the sentence
- Listen to and recall the words within the sentence
Oral Language:
- Understand the meaning of the words within the sentence
- Can follow the instructions to complete the activity
Fine Motor Skills:
- Hold the pen correctly
- Form the letters correctly
Reading and writing skills mostly fall into these categories and that’s a lot of skills to put into action in one go. It would be a huge expectation to think that every pupil starting primary one in August is at the stage where they are ready to do all those things at once, especially given the fact that they have missed out on their last term in nursery.
When designing our literacy programme, we ensure that our pupils develop their pre-reading and writing skills, alongside developing an awareness of phonics and mark making. We take a developmental approach, so that your child is secure within these skills. It has been found that by doing this; we can reduce the need for additional input as they move up the school and generally create a more positive attitude to learning. We build extremely solid foundations, so that when the children do move towards more formal learning, they will generally find it easier, and can progress at a good rate. This will mean that we will not start phonics right away and when we do start, we may do it in a different way to the traditional sound book. There may not be a reading book that comes home until we are well underway in the school year. We will be looking at letters and sounds constantly, but this may be through play and active learning.
To allow this to happen, we will set up a variety of activities, that allow us to assess the different skills needed to be able to start reading and writing (these will be through play, so there will be no pressure on your child), we can identify gaps and then set up fluid groups to take part in activities that will fill those gaps. In primary one, your child will be seen as an individual and we will tailor the activities in class to suit each and every pupil, allowing them to make progress and their own pace.
There is a sheet attached to this post that summarises this for you, along with some suggested activities that you can be doing at home to support your child.
