Phonics is the primary method used in schools to teach children to read, and is proving hugely successful. Phonics Bug is used in schools and works well with all school programmes, introducing the basics and preparing your child for school, then supporting them through their first year of structured learning.

It is highly likely that you are already using phonics naturally, without even realising it. Sounding out words is at the heart of phonics, and it is therefore a simple and straightforward way of teaching that you can use confidently at home. This Parent Guide explains clearly everything you need to know about phonics and how to use Phonics Bug.

You can read moreabout phonics inRhona Johnston and Joyce Watson’s book,Teaching SyntheticPhonics. LearningMatters: Exeter (2007).

Welcome to Phonics BugAs a parent you want to give your child the best start in life. Helping your child discover the joy of reading, and giving your child a great start at school, is one of the best things you can do.

Phonics Bug is a fun set of books that you can use at home to help your child take their first steps towards ‘cracking the code’ which will enable them to learn to read and spell.

You will already be introducing your child to the pleasure of books by reading to them. Now you can use Phonics Bug books alongside your usual books, to help your child to read for themselves!

Print version

Electronic version

Electronic version in context

What is phonics?Phonics is how written letters and their spoken sounds can be used together.

Teaching and learning with phonics is a very simple four-step process:

Step one Learning sounds

l There are about 44 sounds (called phonemes) in the English language, which we put together to form words. Some are represented by one letter, like ‘t’, and some by two or more, like ‘ck’ in duck and ‘air’ in chair (for some accents).

l These sounds, and the way they are written down, are taught one by one.

l The order of teaching these sounds has been specially developed so children can start reading complete words as soon as possible. This does not mean starting at ‘a’ and ending at ‘z’. In Phonics Bug ‘s’ is the first sound to be taught.

What to do after reading the bookOn the inside back cover of each Reading Book, you will find further questions for you to ask your child to check their understanding of the story or non-fiction book they have read.

How to use the Phonics Bug Reading BooksWhat to do before reading the bookOn the inside front cover of each Reading Book, you will find parent notes to help you get the most out of each book. The notes always follow the same pattern, and you can go through them in the following steps:

Example:to read the word ‘sat’ you say the sounds s-a-t, then blend the sounds to say the complete word.

Step two Learning to read

l As soon as they have learned the first four sounds, your child can start to read!

l They are taught how to blend the sounds together to make words by saying each of the sounds in the word and then blending them together to say the word.

Step three Learning to spell

l Children are encouraged to use their new-found knowledge of sounds to begin to spell, by working out the individual sounds in a word and matching these sounds to the letters.

Step four Tricky words

l Tricky words contain letters that don’t represent their normal sounds. These are taught separately.

l Children are encouraged to learn the tricky bit, then to sound out and blend the rest of the word.

The alphabetEncourage your child to learn the names of the letters of the alphabet at the same time as the sounds. They will need to know the letter names at school, so introducing them at the same time as the sounds gives your child all the basic skills they will need.

Example:‘what’ is a tricky word,as the sound of the ‘a’ is more like that of an ‘o’.

Example:hear the word: ‘tap’, say the individual sounds in the word: t-a-p, write down the letters ‘t’ ‘a’ ‘p’.

1 Say the soundsEncourage your child to point to each letter and say the sounds out loud.

2 Blend the soundsEncourage your child to read these words by blending the separate sounds together. (If your child recognises a word by sight, they do not need to sound or blend it!) The dots and dashes help you to understand which sounds are made up of a single letter (a ‘dot’) and which sounds are made up of two or more letters (a ‘dash’).

3 Tricky wordsEncourage your child to read the tricky words. They can use their phonics to help them read part of the words, but tricky parts will need to be learned by sight.

4 Understanding checkAsk your child these questions to get them thinking about what they are going to read.

Remember:a sound can sometimes be represented by more than one letter. These sounds tend to be introduced later on in the programme.

Sounds checklistIn the Phonics Bug programme, sounds are taught in a specific order to enable your child to read and spell as many words as possible, as soon as possible. The books focus on groups of sounds to make sure your child has plenty of practice and becomes confident with them. You can use the following checklist to track which books your child has read.

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Levels Book title Sounds covered in the book Fiction or Non-fiction CompletedPhonics Bug Level 1 Sid’s Nits s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d Fiction

Tim’s Din s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d FictionKit’s Kip g, o, c, k FictionDig, Sid, Dig g, o, c, k Fiction

Phonics Bug Level 2 Tut, Tut, Pup! ck, e, u, r FictionSid and Duck ck, e, u, r FictionThe Bop h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss FictionBig Fat Rat h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss Fiction

Phonics Bug Level 3 Sid is Sick j, v, w, x FictionJack Gets a Pet j, v, w, x Non-fictionThe Fox and the Ducks y, z, zz, qu FictionSid and Zak y, z, zz, qu Fiction

Phonics Bug Level 4 Chick Gets Lost ch, sh, th, ng FictionNo Lunch! ch, sh, th, ng FictionMunching Lunch ch, sh, th, ng Non-fictionThe Queen’s Plan ai, ee, igh, oa, oo (as in moon), oo (as in cook) Fiction

Phonics Bug Level 5 Brown Fox Tricks Stork ar, or, ur, ow, oi FictionEek! A Bug! ear, air, uer, er FictionPanther and Frog ear, air, uer, er FictionA Letter from Dorset ear, air, uer, er Non-fiction