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We understand that for every child in your school to read successfully they need to have a strong phonic knowledge – recognising each of the graphemes, decoding and blending effortlessly and reading with fluency and expression. Our range of phonics resources will help your students embed these phonic skills and develop a love of reading.
All resources are backed by a research-based approach to teaching reading.
A wide range of resources is available for all of your phonics needs.
Each series contains loveable characters that help make learning fun.
What is phonics and why is it important?
The English written language is an alphabetic code. Letters (graphemes) are symbols that represent the individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. Phonics is understanding the relationship between the sounds and the letter/s that represent them.
There are a number of different approaches to teaching phonics, all with varying levels of effectiveness. The evidence is clear, however, that systematic, synthetic phonics is the most effective approach.
Watch the video below to learn more about the teaching of phonics.
A synthetic phonics approach teaches beginner readers:
grapheme–phoneme (letter–sound) correspondences (the alphabetic principle) in a clearly defined, incremental sequence
to apply the highly important skill of blending (synthesising) phonemes in order, to read a word
to apply the skills of segmenting words into their constituent phonemes to spell
that blending and segmenting are reversible processes.
Such explicit instruction is particularly important for children who come from disadvantaged homes and communities, where oral language exposure in the pre-school years is significantly diminished when compared to children from more advantaged backgrounds (Buckingham, 2016).
Phonics alone is not sufficient, however. No serious reading scientist has ever claimed that it was.
Oxford Levels
Oxford-levelled books have helped millions of students all over the world learn to read and to love reading.
At Oxford, we use an expertly developed and well-established system for levelling our books, which has been used to develop many of our popular and well-loved series including Project X and Oxford Reading Tree.
We’ve finely graded our books so you can accurately match children to the right book. With the help of expert authors our levelled books hook children of different ages into reading, capture their imaginations, and make them think.
Oxford's phonics resources (excluding Read Write Inc.) are aligned with the Letters and Sounds phonics sequence. This supportive phonics framework ensures that each series is accessible to all students.
What is the Phonics Screening Check?
The Phonics Screening Check is a simple, brief (5—7 minute) reading check for Year 1 students. Its purpose is to check which and how many children have mastered phonic decoding – an essential early reading skill. In order to decode, one must:
recognise individual letters and groups of letters
know which letters represent which sounds
blend individual sounds together to read words.
The screen will provide early identification of students who are struggling with this essential foundational reading skill and thus require appropriate intervention.
The check will also provide feedback for teachers and schools about their instructional approaches and supply the impetus to make improvements.
What does the Phonics Screening Check mean for my school?
Simply using the Phonics Screening Check to measure phonic knowledge alone won’t improve reading in your school. It’s what you do with the information that matters. The following questions should start to be considered in your school:
Are you teaching phonics effectively?
Do you teach phonics systematically?
How often do you teach phonics?
Are you using decodable texts that match the students’ phonic knowledge?
How do you assess phonics?
Do teachers have the required level of knowledge and understanding to teach phonics effectively?
Do you adopt a whole school approach?
What do teachers say about Oxford's phonics resources?
“This program has had the greatest impact on student learning I have ever seen. If any program can deliver on its promise to move students along in their learning this is it! The positive reinforcement ideas built into the program changed the way I celebrated student success. As I introduced the ideas to students (and staff) a positive energy could be instantly seen and felt. This program makes sense.”
- Assistant Principal, Mernda Primary School (VIC) on Read Write Inc.
“It works. Read Write Inc. is a program that takes a ‘success for all’ approach. RWI addresses differentiation and additional needs between students, keeping them engaged through the Tutoring program. Be prepared to see fast improvements in students’ reading, writing, spelling and comprehension…”
- Principal, Toowong State School (QLD)
“Our whole school has benefited from the implementation of systematic synthetic phonics. All students have made terrific gains because they are learning how words work and are utilizing their phonemic skills more. Every student in our school made at or above the expected growth in Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading (PAT-R) over the last 12 months.”
- Principal, Dundee Beach School (NT)
NEW DECODABLE SERIES FOR F–2 Oxford Reading for Comprehension Decodables
ORFC Decodables is a unique, fully decodable, guided reading series that supports strong early vocabulary acquisition. It is underpinned by a proven, finely sequenced phonics framework aligned to Letters and Sounds and a research-based Comprehension Skills Framework.
NEW FULLY DECODABLE eBOOKS eBook Library for Letters and Sounds
Engage your students with this brand new eBook library, containing 100 eBooks aligned to Letters and Sounds Sets and Phases, accessed through Oxford Owl.
A dynamic, whole-school literacy program based around synthetic phonics
Read Write Inc. Phonics is a rigorous program for F—2 that is proven to create fluent, enthusiastic readers, confident speakers and willing writers. It incorporates effective classroom management strategies that ensure participation and fast progress for all students, and comes with comprehensive lesson plans and assessment resources.
Practise phonics with our range of fiction and non-fiction readers alongside the latest edition of our phonics teaching program
Both Floppy's Phonics Fiction and Non-fiction are fully decodable and are ideal for extra practice or reinforcement alongside any phonics teaching program.
These exciting and engaging Biff, Chip and Kipper adventures support children who are making the transition from fully decodable phonic readers to richer reading at every stage.
These enchanting stories from around the world are fully decodable with clear phonic progression. Shared for generations, these timeless tales can now be read by every child.
A new fully decodable superhero series for Years F–3
Project X Hero Academy is a new series designed to motivate young readers and turn them into reading superheroes. Hero Academy is composed of 78 fiction books that are fully decodable and matched to the Letters and Sounds phonics sequence. The fine phonic progression ensures that all children can access the series as they embed their whole-class phonic teaching.
Project X Code is a reading program that embeds systematic synthetic phonics within a highly motivational 3D adventure series. This book-by-book series will keep children reading as they revisit phonics knowledge and build key reading and comprehension skills.
Project X Alien Adventures books are 100% decodable, and small steps of progression ensure independent reading from day one. The books are also 100% fun – a new alien friend and an exciting space mission will draw children in and make them want to read on.
This webinar unpacks the approach that underpins Oxford’s decodable series Hero Academy, Alien Adventures, Floppy’s Phonics, and Traditional Tales, and explores how they support the teaching of synthetic phonics in Australian schools. Educators are guided through the features of each series and the extensive online support offered for free on Oxford Owl.
In this webinar, educators are also introduced to the eBook Library for Letters and Sounds, a new digital subscription available through Oxford Owl that offers access to 100 eBooks that are selected from well-loved and trusted Oxford series and are aligned to Letters and Sounds.
Achieve reading success with phonics
Join us in this 40-minute webinar for educators in New South Wales as we consider the latest educational research and the teaching of reading to help prepare for the Phonics Screening Check.
A Literacy Leader from South Australia shares her school's experience of the Phonics Screening Check and the implementation of a successful reading program.
This webinar also explores Oxford's phonics resources which encompass explicit systematic synthetic phonics programs and an extensive selection of decodable texts.
FROM THE BLOG Systematic synthetic phonics helps all students achieve reading growth
Learn how this systematic synthetic phonics program is making a positive difference in the lives of teachers and students in the Northern Territory.
Our Phonics Selector is here to help you decide which resources are right for your school – simply answer a few simple questions to find out which resource best suits your teaching needs.
There are no results for this criteria. Please try a different selection.
Biff, Chip and Kipper: Decode and Develop readers are 60% decodable to support the transition from phonics to richer reading. Familiar settings, real-life scenarios and humorous illustrations will hook children into reading. F–360% decodable textsParent Support Explore series in-depthLook Inside
Floppy's Phonics: Fiction and Non-fiction decodable readers are ideal for providing extra practice and reinforcement alongside any phonics teaching program. Inside cover notes for parents and teachers are included in every book. F–2100% decodable textsParent Support Explore series in depthLook Inside
Traditional Tales are 100% decodable retellings of classic tales with clear phonic progression for Years F–2. Storymaps in each book fuel children’s writing and inside cover notes will support both teachers and parents. F–2100% decodable textsTeacher Support Explore series in-depthLook Inside
Project X Hero Academy is a fully decodable fiction series designed to motivate young readers and turn them into reading superheroes. Hero Academy is composed of 78 student books that are matched to the Letters and Sounds phonics sequence. F–3100% decodable textsTeacher SupportParent Support Explore series in-depthLook Inside
Project X Code is a highly motivational intervention program that embeds systematic synthetic phonics within a 3D adventure series. Children revisit their phonics knowledge and build key reading and comprehension skills. 2–4100% | 80% decodable textsAssessmentTeacher Support Explore series in-depthLook Inside
Project X Alien Adventures are exciting, fully decodable stories that will motivate and support reluctant readers through to independence. Fine levelling throughout the series builds children’s confidence and helps them make progress. F–4100% decodable textsAssessmentTeacher SupportParent Support Explore series in-depthLook Inside
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Our Help-Me-Find tool is a quick and easy way to find the right resources to help develop your students' literacy skills, knowledge and understanding.
