Home Learning
Purple Mash
Your child has access to Purple Mash, a whole world of fun and exciting learning opportunities in one safe online space.
What is Purple Mash?
Purple Mash is a comprehensive suite of online learning tools and content, designed for children aged 3 to 11 in the classroom and at home. Purple Mash supports learning through its resources, games and creative tools, tailored to the school curriculum; everything from core subjects such as maths, reading, writing and phonics, to all the other topics learnt in school.
How you can support your child:
To begin with, it’s a good idea to log in to Purple Mash with your child’s login and familiarise yourself with the menu icons and key areas of the site. You can also explore our parents’ area on the 2Simple website which explains the powerful learning benefits of Purple Mash beyond the classroom all in under 3 minutes. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance. Happy Purple Mashing!
Please click on the link below to access Purple Mash:
Phonics
What is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully.
Children are taught to:
* recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;
* identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make - such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’; and blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.
Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.
Phonics involves breaking words into separate phonemes that can be blended together to read a word. It teaches children how to pronounce all 44 phonemes.It teaches children how to segment words into phonemes to spell a word, and blend phonemes together to read a word.
Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read.
They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment
Ideas for helping with phonics at home.
Talk to your child about the letter and sounds they are learning at school ( see individual class pages for the most recent information on these)
For help with pronunciation see the Kingfisher and Penguin Class pages.
Encourage your child to learn Nursery Rhymes - rhyming is an important skill for recognising spelling patterns.
Play I-Spy: once your child has guessed the word, ask them what the middle or end sounds of the word are.
Play letter bingo: this is a great way to ensure your child links the written form to the sound.
Read to and with your child.
Read whilst your child is around so that they know reading is cool.
When you are out choose a letter e.g. 'r' and find as many things as you can with your chosen letter - great for in shops too.
Check out some websites - some are listed below
www.phonicsplay.co.uk
www.literacytrust.org.uk
www.oxfordowl.co.uk
www.educationcity.com ( may be a subscription charge)
http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/