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Reading at John Perryn
Intent
At John Perryn Primary School, we believe that reading is integral to a child’s understanding and appreciation of the world around them, an essential life skill to develop their learning across the wider curriculum and a platform that allows our children to see beyond what they know. The staff and teachers utilise thought provoking texts, which encourages children’s imagination and understanding. With determination and drive, we aim to foster a love of reading, enriching children’s learning and set high expectations of all children so that they are encouraged to challenge themselves, persevere and pursue success. By providing a language-rich environment, our children are exposed to, and actively engage with, high quality language in varying forms in a meaningful, deliberate and engaging way. Our goal and intention is to ensure that by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education. We intend to encourage and recommend a range of texts to be read by the pupils such as fiction, non-fiction and poetry: this allows the pupils to establish appreciation and love of reading. We cultivate the behaviours that they will need to be discerning readers as they read frequently and widely using self-regulation strategies and discuss what they read. The curriculum objectives are achieved by delivering synthetic phonics (Read Write Inc scheme), a linked approach to whole class guided reading, home reading, reading across the curriculum, regular opportunities for independent reading and hearing quality texts read aloud daily, which is embedded in our class novel times.
Implementation
“Teach a child to read and keep that child reading and we will change everything. And I mean everything.” Jean Winterson. This quote epitomises the intent of the Read Write Inc. programme, which we use to teach phonics at John Perryn. The Read, Write Inc. programme is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme that explicitly teaches children to read fluently and accurately. All of the staff at John Perryn have been trained to deliver the Read, Write Inc phonics programme regardless of key stage or role in the school. We believe that Read, Write, Inc (RWI) phonics provides the foundations of learning to make the development into fluent reading and writing easier. Children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Through Read, Write, Inc phonics, children learn a simple alphabetic code followed by a more complex code. All reading books progress cumulatively, matched to the sound’s children are learning and already know. The systematic teaching of phonics has a high priority throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1. Phonics is taught daily to all children in EYFS, Year 1 and those in Year 2 who have not passed the phonics screening in Year 1 or completed the Read, Write, Inc (RWI) phonics programme.
Children are taught to:
- Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple prompts
- Learn to read words using sound blending (Fred talk)
- Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out
- Show that they comprehend the stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It'
In Key Stage 1 and 2, whole class guided reading lessons are taught focusing on teaching the reading domains set out below.
KS1 Reading Domains
1a Draw on knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts
1b Identify / explain key aspects of fiction and non-fiction texts, such as characters, events, titles and information
1c Identify and explain the sequence of events in texts
1d Make inferences from the text
1e Predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
KS2 Reading Domains
2a Give / explain the meaning of words in context
2b Retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction
2c Summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph
2d Make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text
2e Predict what might happen from details stated and implied
2f Identify / explain how information / narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole
2g Identify / explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases
2h Make comparisons within the text
Whole Class Teaching of Reading
Pupils participate in whole-class reading lessons, where a range of reading skills are taught. Year groups generally focus on one quality text each half term, although there will be opportunities for pupils to read poetry, non-fiction texts and self-selected texts. Pupils are also taught skills associated with using a library effectively and making choices to expand their breadth and depth of reading selections when visiting the school library. The children complete comprehensions based on the class novels twice a week focusing on the reading domains. In addition, three days a week focuses on linked texts based around a theme. These are shorter quality reads, which focus on comprehension skills using a range of reading genres including poetry. We use Reading VIPERS during the themed weeks to teach reading skills through 6 key areas: Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Sequence or Summarise.
An example structure for the whole class teaching of reading is set out below:
Quick start – after reading the text as a class or in a group, children will be asked quick retrieval questions about the text.
Vocabulary check – children will be introduced to unfamiliar vocabulary and will be looking at the meaning of the words in context. We recognise the importance of developing a rich and extensive bank of vocabulary; therefore, we discreetly teach vocabulary directly linked to the text during every guided reading session.
Partnered talk – children are encouraged to discuss the ideas about the text and share their ideas with a partner. Later on, they share their ideas as a class.
Individual thinking and solo work – these questions are completed individually where the teacher gives individual feedback to children as they are completed. Answers are discussed as a class afterwards to build up on each other’s ideas.
Reading for pleasure
Children are given the opportunity to read independently every day. Children are encouraged to choose various books from the Hounslow Library Service and their class book corners. Children are given the opportunity to share what they have read and recommend the text to their peers by completing a book review. As teachers choose books based on the subjects they are teaching, within the wider curriculum, children are given the opportunity to use a range of books to support their learning.
Reading at home
Reading at home is encouraged and promoted through class incentives and parental engagement sessions. Children working on the Read Write Inc. programme take home a ‘book bag book’ matched directly to their current phonics level; they are also encouraged to choose an additional book to share with their family at home.
In KS2, children are encouraged to take a library book and one book matched to their ability home each week. Once reading their chosen book, they are given the opportunity to complete a part of their reading record book, which allows them to explain what they thought about the book.
Assessment in Reading
To find out more about the reading curriculum, please contact either the school office, speak to your child's class teacher or to the reading subject coordinator Mrs. Murray.
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