Reading

Reading is currently a key focus at our school, as success in reading unlocks success in all areas of the curriculum. We therefore strive to promote a love of reading across all year groups throughout the school.

The children have daily reading sessions which, as well as providing time to simply read, support the children in the acquisition of reading skills. This involves the teacher modelling a skill through use of a shared text. The children then apply this skill independently either to the same text or one matched more closely to their reading ability.

Here are some of the key reading skills taught in KS1 and KS2:

KS1:

• Read words with increasing speed using sound to grapheme correspondence

• Read accurately by blending sounds in unfamiliar words

• Read common exception words

• Become familiar with key stories and story language

• Develop pleasure in reading

• Recall main points of a story in the correct sequence

• Make predictions

• Make inferences about what is being said and done

• Retell familiar stories

• Check the text makes sense while reading and correct inaccuracies accordingly
   

KS2:

• Decoding

• Make inferences supported by relevant evidence from the text

• Considering the author’s use of language and how it effects the reader

• Making predictions based on evidence from the text

• Evaluating the effectiveness of layout features (particularly of non-fiction texts)

• Summarising and pin-pointing the main idea

• Retrieving information that can be found in the text

• Reading out loud with fluency and expression

• Make comparisons across texts

We place a great emphasis on reading for meaning and ensure that children develop a secure understanding of the contexts they encounter. After all, how can we expect children to delve deep into the emotions of characters if they have not yet had those experiences themselves?
This is achieved through plenty of talk, discussion and questioning as well as exploring new and unfamiliar vocabulary.

Reading at Home 

Encouraging children to read at home is a big focus for us at the moment. It has been proven time and time again that children who engage with books from an early age, with the support of their parents, are more likely to be successful throughout school and in their future careers. 

The children are therefore expected to be reading at least 3 times a week and recording it in their reading diary so that it can be monitored by their teacher every Monday. 

As a little incentive to read at home (because we know it can be very busy and tricky to fit everything in after school) those children who read regularly will be rewarded with raffle tickets that put them in with a chance of winning a trip to Waterstones to choose their very own book. 

To read more about our reading at home incentive, please see the link below entitled: Reading at home. 

Bug Club 

Bug Club is an online platform where children can access a wealth of books to read at home. 

They each have a personal login and teachers can select the books that are available to each child. This means that the Bug Club books your child chooses to read will be closely matched to their reading age and stage. 

Your child has a login username and password in their reading diary. 

The website can be accessed at this address: 

www.activelearnprimary.co.uk  

If you have any queries about Bug Club or experience difficulties logging in, please seek advice from your child's class teacher.