READING SCHEMES
Note: in addition to this webpage about our Reading Schemes, please also check out our webpages for our overall English curriculum webpage and our Phonics Approach webpage.
READING SCHEMES:
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE AND KEY STAGE ONE
At Clavering, we teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These:
- are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of approximately six-ten children;
- use books matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments and book matching grids on pages 11–20 of ‘Application of phonics to reading’;
- are monitored by the class teacher, who rotates and works with each group on a regular basis.
Each reading practice session has a clear focus, so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:
- decoding
- prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression, as well as an awareness of punctuation
- comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.
In Reception, these sessions start in Week 4. Children who are not yet decoding have daily additional blending practice in small groups, so that they quickly learn to blend and can begin to read books.
In Year 2, we continue to teach reading in this way for any children who still need to practise reading with decodable books.
Home reading
The decodable reading practice book is taken home once per week to ensure success is shared with the family.
- Reading for pleasure books also go home for parents to share and read to children. This may happen more frequently, i.e. one-three times per week
- We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised parents’ resources to engage our families and share information about phonics and the benefits of sharing books.
- We also share relevant updates on our online forum, Class Dojo.
READING PROGRAMME:
KEY STAGE TWO
In Key Stage Two, Clavering Primary School follows the online Accelerated Reader program. Within the first two weeks of the autumn term, all Key Stage 2 children will take a Star Reader test online. This informs teachers of a child’s current reading age, as well as indicating how they are performing against other children of the same chronological age. The test also gives every child a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which states at what level a child should be reading, e.g. from 3.4 – 4.6. It is recommended that a child begins to read at the lowest point of their ZPD in order to accelerate progress and build confidence quickly.
Books in the Key Stage Two library have been labelled and organised clearly so that pupils know where to access the correct level. This also promotes independence in their learning.
When a child has read a book at the correct level, they will then take an online comprehension quiz (within 24 hours of completing the book) to assess how well they have read and understood the book. When this is complete, they can show their teacher or teaching assistant their score, discuss their progress and decide which book to read next.
Once children have completed their book and taken their quiz, they then need to change their book independently.
READING AT HOME
As part of our aim to get every child to read every day, every Key Stage 2 pupil needs to have their book in school every day and they also need to take it home every day. The book should be taken to and from school in the child’s school folder.