Sounds-Write Initial Code Reader: The song thrush

The Sounds-Write Readers can be used to teach reading, spelling and writing.

Consisting of 24 Readers, the Initial Code series provides simple, one sound/one spelling, one-syllable, CVC words only. As the programme progresses, the complexity of one-syllable words is increased to four-, five- and six-sound words of the structure CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC/CCCVCC, before introducing the most common consonant digraphs.

These decodable readers will enable children to practice the literacy skills they are learning and thereby gain fluency in reading, all while they enjoy the colourfully-illustrated stories. The Initial Code Readers are written particularly to support phonic teaching and can be used by anyone teaching reading to children.

Tim and Jess discover a newly-hatched song thrush and protect it until it is able to fly.

• Initial Code, Unit 11
• Phoneme Focus: th / ng
• Readers may need help with these words: snail, month, coming, don't, fly, want, came, were and words with -ed endings