Stage 1: Phonemic Awareness guidance document - Resource

The All Aboard Phonics Plus Manual outlines a comprehensive Stage 1: Phonemic Awareness programme designed for young learners. The aim is to develop a keen understanding of phonemic sounds corresponding to the stage of the main Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme the child is currently at. Teachers are provided with a set of detailed lesson plans that encourage precise pronunciation of phonemes, avoiding any extraneous "uh" sounds after consonants. Each session is intended to last around 10 minutes and is optimally conducted once daily. Activities include 'Word Breaker', where words are segmented and reconstructed, 'Sound Switcher' to practice phoneme identification, and 'Sound Suitcase', an engaging game to enhance memory and phonemic recognition.

The manual includes a variety of interactive and engaging activities to reinforce sound recognition, such as 'Sound Talk' for following phonetically broken down instructions, 'Sound Jump' for physical engagement with sound identification, and 'Pictophone Flashcard Race' for rapid sound recognition. As part of the resources, pictophone cards are used extensively; these are visual aids representing sounds to assist children in connecting phonemes with their corresponding graphemes. The programme also features 'Rhyme Time' and 'All Aboard I-Spy' to develop rhyming and onset sound identification. To complete Stage 1, children must demonstrate the ability to break down simple Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) words into their individual sounds with accuracy and confidence, paving the way for progression into Stage 2.