Essential Letters and Sounds

ELS is a synthetic phonics programme which some schools use to help children learn to read in Reception and Key Stage 1 (Primary 1 to 3). If you’ve heard the term ELS used by teachers at your child’s school, the chances are they are using ELS to help your little one as they learn to read

What is Synthetic Phonics?

Synthetic phonics is a way of teaching children to read. It teaches children how sounds are represented by written letters. Children are taught to read words by blending these sounds together to make words.

For example, they will be taught that the letters ‘m-a-t’ blend together to make ‘mat’. A synthetic phonics programme, such as ELS, is a structure for teaching these sounds in a certain order to build up children’s learning gradually. It is used daily during Reception and Year 1 to teach all the sounds in the English language.

How is ELS taught at Datchet St Mary's?

With ELS, there is a daily phonics lesson where the teacher teaches a new sound, or reviews sounds learned earlier in the week. This is shown to the class on the whiteboard.

Children learn the letters that represent the sounds. They are then asked to read words and sentences with the new sounds in. Children will also practise writing the letters that represent the sounds.

What order are the sounds taught in?

New sounds are taught each day, with some review days and weeks to help children practise what they’ve learned. 

Phase 2 Sounds

Phase 3 Sounds

Phase 5 Sounds

How should the sounds be pronounced?

Children learn to read letters or groups of letters by saying the sounds they represent. Pronounce the sounds as you would say them within a word. Make sure you don’t add ‘uh’ onto the end, so for ‘m’ say ‘mm’ not ‘muh’ and for ‘l’ say ‘ull’ not ‘luh’. 

How can I help at home?

Practising the sounds

• You can help your child practise the sounds they have been learning at school. Download the charts from the website (under What order are the sounds taught in?) so you can see the list of sounds in the order they’ll be taught. You can show these to your child along with the picture to help them remember.

Blending

• After children learn to read some sounds separately, they can start blending them together to form simple words. Take a look at the video on the website for ideas on how you can practise word blending with your child. 

Reading decodable books

• Your child will bring home reading books with words that use the sounds they have been learning that week. You may hear these reading books called ‘decodable books’. Use the prompts inside the front and back covers to enjoy the book together and help your child practise reading.

How to Support Phonics at Home.

Following on from our Parent Information Meeting, please find below the links on how to support your child at home.

https://youtu.be/UCI2mu7URBc   How to pronounce pure sounds 

https://youtu.be/vqvqMtSNswo  How to blend the sounds to read words