Mereside Academy

Phonics

What is phonics?

Phonics is one method of teaching children how to read and write.
Phonics is all about sounds. There are 44 sounds 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.
Children are taught the sounds first, then how to match them to letters, and finally how to use the letter sounds for reading and spelling.
Synthetic phonics refers to ‘synthesising’, or blending, the sounds to read words. It is based on the idea that children should sound out unknown words and not rely on their context.

At Mereside C of E Primary Academy, we use Bug Club.

Bug Club is a finely-levelled reading scheme, which ensures that all children can find books at exactly the right level for them. What’s more, there are online versions for every printed title and a personalised website for each child.

How to help your child access Bug Club from home

1. First open your internet browser then at the top in the URL bar type in:  (or click the link below)
   https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?c=0
2. Click on 'Log in' and type in your child's log in details:
   Your child's log in details have been sent out by their class teacher - please ask for them if you need these details again. Their username will be something around their name and their password will be set by their teacher.
   Username:
   Password:
   School code: paxl
3. Once signed in you will see the home screen.  You are then in 'My Home' section.  Click on 'My Stuff' to find your child's allocated books.  Don't forget to click on the Bug Icons throughout the books to finish them.