YEAR 2

LITERACY PROGRAMME

PARENTAL PACK

Maria Regina College

St. Paul’s Bay Primary School

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INDEX

Introductory Note Page 3

Attainment Targets Page 4

Year 1: An Overview Page 5

Year 2: An Overview Page 7

Suggestions Page 8

Further Reading Page 9

Appendix Page 10

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Introductory Note

Language Acquisition Programme (LAP)

The Literacy/Language Acquisition Programme (LAP) is a programme first

introduced by the Foundation for Educational Services (FES) and it aims to help

children in the early years to master the skills required in order to become

proficient readers and writers, while at the same time empowering them to

become independent learners. The programme aims to support all students,

irrespective of their learning abilities and needs. In order to achieve this goal, the

programme adopts a multi-sensory approach to learning which means that the

students are encouraged to use as many senses as possible in the learning

process. An important part of this multi-sensory methodology revolves around

synthetic phonic instruction, which is critical to reading success. Synthetic phonics

is a way of learning the sounds of the alphabet and phonemes in order to decode

the English language. Its main feature is the use of stories and actions to teach

sounds in order to make learning more enjoyable and long-lasting. The teaching of

blending and decoding skills, together with the ability to recognise sight words,

ensure that literacy skills are attained by all students.

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Suggested Attainment Targets in

L.A.P. Programme

For Years 1 and 2

1st Term 2nd Term 3rd Term

Year 1 Mid November –

nearly all children

recognize Maltese

Alphabet.

End of First Term –

Reading in

Maltese: words and

short text; Auditory

+ Decoding

training; write given

words in Maltese

English Programme:

1st Week – 1st block

2nd Week – 2nd

block

3rd Week – 3rd

block

4th Week –

Consolidate

5th Week –

Remaining sounds

6th Week - Start

phonemes [oo, ee,

ar, sh, all, ch, a-e, i-

e, o-e]

CO

NSO

LIDA

TE

15 to 30 Tricky Words

Year 2 Consolidation of

Letter Sounds.

Introducing Letter

Names.

Auditory +

Decoding

1st, 2nd and 3rd

Block; Revise

phonemes [oo, ee,

ar, sh, all, ch, a-e, i-

e, o-e]; read and

write words and

short sentences

Consolidation of

Letter Sounds and

Letter Names.

Continuation of

phonemes [u-e, oi,

ai, oa, ou, ea,

igh(t), wh, th]

CO

NSO

LIDA

TE

1 to 60 Tricky Words

These are suggested targets. The programme should always be adapted according to the learners’

ability.

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YEAR 1: An Overview

Learning Maltese

During the first term of Year 1, the students learn the sounds of the Maltese

alphabet. To facilitate learning, teachers use a multisensory approach. Each

letter is introduced together with a story and an action (see Appendix). The

teacher also teaches the sounds of the alphabet in Maltese using the ‘rainbow

alphabet’.

Transition from Maltese to English

When the students learn all the sounds of the Maltese alphabet, they are ready to

start learning English. There are only 7 new sounds that students need to learn. The

other English letters have the same sound as the corresponding Maltese alphabet

letters. This will make it easier for students to learn how to read and write in English.

It is important to remember that, at this stage, the SOUND of the letter is being

taught and not the NAME.

1. Letters and sounds

As mentioned above, there are only 7 letters in the English alphabet which have a

different sound. Look at the letters below. The shaded letters have a different

sound.

a b c D e F g h I j k l m

n o p Q r S t u V w x y z

The new sounds are:

‘a’ as in cat, fan, mat, lap, apple, ...

‘c’ as in cat, cake, cart, car, cot ...

‘j’ as in jelly, jet, jug, jumper, ...

‘q’ (qu) as in queen, quick, quilt, ...

‘u’ as in up, under, lung, jungle, ...

‘x’ as in x-ray, ox, flex, exit, ...

‘y’ as in you, yes, yellow, ...

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2. The English letter sounds are introduced in blocks.

Step 1

s a t i p n

+ 2

tricky

words

The first block of letters is introduced. At this

stage, the students would have already learnt

the sounds of the letters ‘s, t, i, p, n’. The

teacher introduces the sound of the letter ‘a’

and two tricky words. The children are now

able to read and write approximately 30

words formed using the above 6 letters.

Step 2

c k h e r m d

+2

tricky

words

The second block of letters is intoduced. At

this stage, the students would have already

learnt the sounds of the letters ‘k, h, r, m, d’.

The teacher introduces the sound of the letter

‘c’ and another two tricky words.

Step 3

g o u l f b

+2

tricky

words

The third block of letters is introduced. At this

stage, the students would have already learnt

the sounds of the letters ‘g, o, l, f, b’. The

teacher introduces the sound of the letter ‘u’

and another two tricky words.

Step 4

Consolidation

+ 2

tricky

words

The teacher revises the sounds in the first 3

blocks and gives the students the opportunity

to practise what they have learnt. Another

two tricky words are introduced.

Step 5

j v w x y z

+ 2

tricky

words

At this stage, the students would have already

learnt the sounds of the letters ‘v, w, z’. The

teacher introduces the sounds of the letters ‘j’,

‘x’ and ‘y’ and another two tricky words.

Step 6

Consolidation

+ 2

tricky

words

The teacher revises the sounds of the letters in

the 4 blocks and gives the students the

opportunity to practise what they have learnt.

Step 7

Phonemes

The teacher introduces the phonemes (oo, ee,

ar, sh, all, ch, a-e, i-e, o-e) together with the

rest of the tricky words.

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YEAR 2: An Overview

During the first term, time is devoted to the consolidation of the work covered in

Year 1. The Maltese and English letter sounds are revised, together with the set of

phonemes and tricky words covered in Year 1. Attention is also devoted to

blending and decoding techniques. During the first term, the students will be

introduced to letter names. This introduction is facilitated through the use of

songs, videos and interactive games.

During the second term, 9 new phonemes are introduced and by the end of Year

2, the students should be able to read up to 60 tricky words. Contextualised

reading is an important stage in Year 2. Emphasis should be put on reading with

understanding and on enhancing the children’s writing skills.

Consolidation of phonemes

covered in Year 1

Introduction of new phonemes

oo

ee

ar

sh

all

ch

a-e

i-e

o-e

u-e

oi

ai

oa

ou

ea

igh(t)

wh

th

Consolidation of Tricky

Words covered in Year 1

New Tricky Words

introduced in Year 2

I are go only any could

the all no old many should

he you so little more would

she your my down before right

me come one what other two

we some by when were four

be said like why because goes

was here have where want does

to there live who saw made

do they give which put their

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Suggestions

Blending

‘Blending’ trains the children to join separate sounds together to form a word.

E.g. c – a – t → cat; sh – o – p → shop; ch – i – n → chin

Decoding

When children learn to blend sounds properly, they can be introduced to

decoding exercises. ‘Decoding’ trains the children to listen to a spoken word and

then list the separate sounds that form that particular word. The child may use his

or her fingers to count the sounds in that particular word. Note that phonemes

have one sound.

E.g. pin (show 3 fingers) → p – i – n; ship ( 3 fingers ) sh – i – p

Alphabet Games

Ready-made plastic or cardboard letters can be used in a variety of games:

Pick the sound: Place the letters randomly on a table and ask the child to pick

up the letter which has the sound of the letter ‘f’. The same game can be

repeated for different letters.

Pick and blend: Say a word and ask the child to pick up the sounds which form

that word and to blend them together.

Fishing game: Attach a small magnet to each letter. Put all letters into a shoe

box. Use a lollipop stick and tie a piece of string and a paperclip to it. The child

can fish out different letters while sounding them out. Letters that are sounded

correctly can be set aside till all the letters in the box are sounded.

I can think: The child picks up a letter. The parent and child take it in turns to

come up with many words that start with that particular sound. The same

game can also be played by finding words which have a particular middle or

end sound.

E.g. Words starting with the letter ‘a’ – apple, ant, and etc.

Words with the letter ‘a’ as a middle sound – cat, pan, fan etc.

Words ending in the letter ‘t’ – pit, fat, meet etc.

Free Writing

Free writing is different from controlled writing. Controlled writing is done on paper

and a child is expected to write within the lines, whereas free writing can be used

at an earlier stage. The child can be asked to use his or her finger to write a letter

in the sand, on a window pane or mirror, on the palm of their hand etc. Praise and

encouragement are very important at this stage. Emphasis should not be put on

accuracy or neat handwriting.

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Further Reading

starfall.com

Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall.com is also useful for pre-

kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. Starfall is perfect for

Home Schooling.

readinga-z.com

Offers thousands of printable teacher materials to teach guided

reading, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, reading

fluency, alphabet, and vocabulary. The teaching resources include

professionally developed downloadable levelled books, lesson plans,

worksheets, and reading assessments.

syntheticphonics.com

Free resources and decodable books.

enchantedlearning.com

Lists children's educational web sites which are designed to capture

their imagination while enhancing creativity, learning, and enjoyment.

literacytrust.org.uk

The National Literacy Trust website is aimed at practitioners,

researchers and others within the literacy community, as well as other

professionals interested in supporting the improvement of literacy skills.

learningpage.com

Provides a huge collection of professionally produced instructional

material which can be downloaded and printed. Lesson plans, books,

worksheets, and much more can be found here. Sign up to get all this

for free.

edhelper.com

Provides a large amount of illustrated worksheets for most school

subjects.

magickeys.com Provides a series of illustrated children's stories for children of all ages.

sitesforteachers.com

Hundreds of Educational Web Sites Rated by Popularity.

firstschoolyear.com Free Worksheets, Flashcards and Resources for the Early Years.

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APPENDIX

Stejjer u Mossi għall-Ħsejjes tal-Alfabett Malti

The Maltese Alphabet Sounds (Note for English-Speaking

Parents)

Phonemes (Year 1)

Phonemes (Year 2)

Tricky Words (Year 1)

Tricky Words (Year 2)

English Alphabet Sound Card Templates

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Stejjer u Mossi għall-Ħsejjes tal-Alfabett Malti

Nota: F’din is-sezzjoni ser nitkellmu dwar dawk l-ittri tal-Alfabett Malti li

għandhom ħoss differenti minn dawk tal-Ingliż.

A Storja: John qaras idu mal-kexxun u beda jgħajjat: ‘aaa, aaa’

Mossa: Iġbed idek ix-xellugija lura u agħfas subgħajk

Ċ Storja: Maria tħossha ma tiflaħx u bdiet tagħtas: ‘ċċċ, ċċċ, ċċċ’

Mossa: Għatti ħalqek b’idejk it-tnejn bħal meta tagħtas.

Ġ Storja: Il-ħaddiema ħaffru gandott b’jackhammer: ‘ġġ, ġġġġ, ġġ’

Mossa: Agħlaq idejk f’ponnijiet ħdejn xulxin qisek qiegħed taqbad

il-handles ta’ jackhammer.

GĦ/ H Bla Ħoss. Ipponta lejn għajnejk biex turi l-pożizzjoni tal-ittra għ fil-

kelma, u ipponta ‘l bogħod minnek (‘l hemm) biex tagħmel l-

istess għall-ittra h.

IE Storja: Prinċep faħħar lill-prinċipessa u qalilha “iiiiiiiiii, kemm int

sabiħa!”

Mossa: Agħmel il-mossa b’idek li turi vokali b’koss imkarkar.

J Storja: Martin ried iħallat iċ-cikkulata mal-għaġin u ommu qarrset

wiċċha u qalet: “jjjjjjjjjjjj, dak ma jiġix tajjeb!!!”

Mossa: Qarras wiċċek u xengel rasek.

Q Storja: Missier Pawlu refa’ kaxxa tqila u tqanżaħ: “qqq, qqqq”

Mossa: Poġġi jdejk qisek qiegħed terfa’ kaxxa tqila.

U Storja: Il-lupu ħareġ mill-foresta u għajjat “uuuuuuuuuuuu”

Mossa: Poġġi jdejk it-tnejn ma’ ħalqek u agħmel bħal-lupu.

X Storja: Marju kien sejjer jilgħab logħba futbol u qabel ma’ ħareġ,

sema’ x-xita nieżla: ‘xxxxxxxxx’

Mossa: B’idejk, imita lix-xita nieżla.

Ż Storja: Oħti ż-żgħira bdiet tibki għax daħlet żunżana fil-karozza. Mossa: Ċaqlaq idejk bħal żunżan u agħmel “żżżżżżżżżżżżż”

Z Storja: Nadia riedet toħroġ ma’ sħabha u għamlet ftit fwieħa

“zzzzzzz, zzzzzzzz, zzzzzzz”.

Mossa: Ċaqlaq idejk bħalli kieku qiegħed tagħmel il-fwieħa.

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The Maltese Alphabet Sounds (Note for English-Speaking Parents)

The letters of the Maltese alphabet are:

a, b, ċ, d, e, f, ġ, g, għ, h, ħ, i, ie, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, ż, z The letters in bold are the vowels.

Letter Maltese example Approximate English pronunciation

A a anġlu (angel) as in umbrella

B b ballun (ball) as in English

Ċ ċ ċavetta (key) as in church

D d dar (home) as in English

E e envelopp (envelope) as in English

F f fjura (flower) as in English

Ġ ġ ġelat (ice cream) as in giraffe

G g gallettina (biscuit) as in game

GĦ għ għasfur (bird) no sound

H h hu (he) no sound

Ħ ħ ħanut (shop) as in hut

I i ikel (food) as in English

IE ie ieqaf (stop) long ‘i’ sound

J j jum (day) as in Yard

K k kelb (dog) as in English

L l libsa (dress) as in English

M m mara (woman) as in English

N n nanna (granny) as in English

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O o ors (bear) as in English

P p paġna (page, sheet) as in English

Q q qattus (cat) This sound does not exist in English.

R r re (king) as in English

S s sliem (peace) as in English

T t tieqa (window) as in English

U u uviera (egg cup) as in put

V v vjola (violet) as in English

W w widna (ear) as in English

X x xadina (monkey) as in ship

Z z zalza (sauce) as in pizza

Ż ż żarbun (shoes) as in zebra

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Phonemes (Year 1)

oo as in moon book took

ee as in bee sleep street

ar as in arm farm spark

sh as in shut crash fish

all as in ball fall small

ch as in chips chat rich

a-e as in gate cake plane

i-e as in ride bike drive

o-e as in rope close smoke

qu as in quit quill squid

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Phonemes (Year 2)

u–e as in cube tube mule

oi as in boil point soil

ai as in rain snail train

oa as in goat coat toast

ou as in out cloud sound

ea as in meat heat beach

igh as in high might bright

wh as in when white whale

th as in then father with

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Tricky Words (Year 1)

I are go

the all no

he you so

she your my

me come one

we some by

be said like

was here have

to there live

do they give

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Tricky Words (Year 2)

only any could

old many should

little more would

down before right

what other two

when were four

why because goes

where want does

who saw made

which put their