Sounds Together

Sounds Together is a complete, systematic, synthetic phonics programme for use in Reception and KS1. The Programme is the 'step-up' from 'Letters and Sounds'. It provides a fresh, thorough and systematic approach to teaching and learning phonics that builds on previous professional experience and understanding, without requiring teachers to 'unlearn' the positive principles and methods of 'Letters and Sounds'. Sounds Together has its roots in 'Letters and Sounds', but has been extensively developed and creatively elaborated in the light of all the feedback and learning from the thousands of schools that used 'Letters and Sounds' in the national 'Communication, Language and Literacy Development Programme' (CLLD). Sounds Together is the only fully DFE approved phonics programme to draw on this knowledge base. Sounds Together, with its strength of structure, guidance and support, makes phonics teaching and learning consistent, engaging and effective from its beginning in YR, right through to KS1. Some key features Sounds Together sets out the complete sequence of all the phonic knowledge and skills that need to be taught to meet the requirements of the new National Curriculum. It provides strong classroom support for teachers because it includes fully detailed planning for each session of the Programme in Reception and KS1. The planning has been carefully designed to ensure that previous learning is progressive and cumulative and is repeatedly revisited and reinforced. The planning is completely integrated with a full suite of on-screen resources for the interactive whiteboard (Smart Boards only). It's easy to use because the planning fully describes each step of the teaching sequence for each day's phonics session. It's engaging for children because the teaching resources for each session include vivid interactive whiteboard materials that will capture children's attention and keep it focused on what they need to learn. It minimises the amount of time needed to prepare for each phonics session, because all the IWB materials needed are immediately ready for use for every single daily phonics session. The Programme includes an electronic library of decodable captions, sentences and other short texts that can be printed out as handy-sized reading cards. The Programme includes the materials children need to practise and apply their phonic knowledge and skills. There is also a wealth of extra IWB resources that can be used for additional practice, including materials for individual or group work. All the Sounds Together materials can be used with a complete class or smaller groups. The Programme is provided on disc, with an individual school licence that allows the school to make unlimited lifetime use of the materials, provided only that none of those materials are not shared, copied or passed on to a third party.