Reading
Reading in Key Stage One and Two
Once a child can read 100 words per minute fluently, and can understand what they have read, they exit the phonics programme and access Literacy lessons. Typically, this is during Year 2. Children are also given the opportunity to choose books from a wealth of decodable books available in school. These books are progressively banded, based upon the challenge posed. The band the children read is regularly monitored by staff. Once the children have surpassed the banded system, they are considered to be a ‘free reader’ and have no specific range of books they are to choose from. Children are encouraged to pick a book that they’ll enjoy but also one that will challenge them!
Our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure key knowledge and skills progress in a logical and sequenced way, thus enabling pupils to revisit previously taught content and to build upon it year on year. We use carefully structured progression documents to ensure that substantive and disciplinary knowledge and skills are clearly outlined and sequenced, thus enabling the children to know and remember more, as they move through school.
GUIDED READING
Children across Key Stage 1 and 2 access Guided Reading sessions daily. Guiding Reading processes at Woodlands ensures the children are taught the skills required to become a competent reader. Staff implement a weekly cycle that is systematic, progressive and consistently demonstrates high expectations of our children. This cycle varies throughout school although follows the same, general structure.
Interventions – we are a keep up, not catch up school!
Interventions at Woodlands are specific, additional activities that focus on the individual needs of our children.
While children continue to access our phonics scheme, from Reception to Yr 6, if they are identified as not making expected progress or are in danger of falling behind, they will be provided with daily, 1:1 tutoring sessions. All of our RWI tutors have been trained to provide the very best support to pupils whether they need to learn gaps in sound knowledge, learn to blend or improve fluency to enable them to read 100+ words per minute.
We offer two further, group, interventions that are based upon the triangulation of assessment outcomes. Both have been designed specifically to meet the needs of our children and to follow on from the Read Write Inc scheme. These are Speedy Reading and Understanding Reading.
Accessing these interventions ensures the children receive the high quality, targeted support that they require to decode more quickly, further developing fluency. It also ensures that children are able to explore a text in greater depth and further develop their comprehension skills. All interventions are closely monitored by the Reading and English Leader and our SENCO.
‘I like reading! My intervention helps me to read other books. I discover brand new words that I don’t know.’ Hayden, Y3
‘It’s quite fun – you get to read a new book each week. We are timed and get faster each time!’ Alexis, Y3
Reading Squad
We have our very own Reading Squad at Woodlands. They are a team of year 6 pupils that work with 12 of our year 2 children to help them to know and remember sounds that they are struggling to retain. We use online RWI resources for this. The Reading Squad work with the younger children 3 times every week.
Reading at home
Once children have successfully completed the RWI phonics programme, they are given the opportunity to choose books from a wealth of decodable books available in school. These books are progressively banded, based upon the challenge posed. The band the children read is regularly monitored by staff. Once the children have surpassed the banded system, they are considered to be a ‘free reader’ and have no specific range of books they are to choose from. Children are encouraged to pick a book that they’ll enjoy but also one that will challenge them!
It is important that a love of reading is fostered at home as well as at Woodlands. Reading is not something that children should only do in school; we believe that it should be an everyday part of our pupils’ lives and something they choose to do for pleasure.
Every child, from Reception to Year 6, is provided with a school reading book and diary. Parents are encouraged to use question examples (found in the back of each reading diary) to assist and support reading at home. Class teachers also provide parents with a modelled response/comment at the start of the year, using some of the questions provided. For example:
Our children are encouraged to read as often as possible at home. Our pupils receive a reading raffle ticket for every adult comment/signature they receive in their reading diary on a weekly basis. A raffle draw takes place every half-term, resulting in one winner per class. This child is rewarded with either a book voucher or a book of their choice. The impact of this strategy is an increase in the frequency of children reading at home.
Promoting a Love of Reading at Woodlands
At Woodlands, reading underpins everything that we do and supports our children to develop a love of reading that will last a lifetime.
In order to support and enhance pupils’ understanding and engagement of our termly themes, a range of stories and non-fiction texts are identified for teachers to complement and enhance their curriculum offer.
WOODIES’ READERS IS OUR TERMLY UPDATE ON EVERYTHING READING!
Includes: news, author interviews, recommendations, reviews and learning guides to support reading at home!
Please send in any book reviews of your favourite book or photos of you reading at home, to see if you can make it into the next edition of Woodie’s Readers.
Take a look by clicking on the documents below:
Shropshire Library Service
We use the Shropshire Library Service to ensure that classroom libraries are replenished with new books to read every term that link to and complement the year groups theme.
Book corners
At Woodlands, every class incorporates an engaging book corner for children to enjoy and interact with, in order to further promote a love of reading. Here, you will find books clearly displayed with their front cover showing to entice the children, author spotlights, book reviews and much more!
‘I enjoy going in the book corner because there’s lots of books to enjoy. We spot verbs and adjectives!’
‘There are also Atlases in the book corner – I enjoy looking at them with other children.’
‘I found a Star Wars book in the book corner – it’s really good!’
‘It’s comfy and there’s a wide range of books to discover.’
Library
Woodlands’ Library is an integral part of our school environment, providing children with a quiet and calm place to enjoy reading. We enjoy a fantastic library space, housing a diverse range of fiction & non-fiction books and resources to engage our pupils. Children are timetabled to visit the library each week during the school day.
Our library is also open every afternoon until 3.30pm. This session enables our children and their families to browse our, ever expanding, selection of books and choose one to enjoy together at home.
‘In the Library, we get to explore the books. We enjoy that!’
‘It’s very good – there’s lots of books. Some are very interesting and some are very big. I enjoy looking on the taller shelves!’
Special events throughout the school year…
World book day
Every year, ‘World Book Day’ is marked throughout the globe to celebrate books and reading. Created in 1995, UNESCO intended to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. Children are gifted with a £1 book token, which they can use to purchase one of a specific range of purpose-written books or use towards the price of an existing book.
To promote World Book Day, Woodlands enjoy participating in a range of fun-filled activities, mainly dressing up as a character of their choice or providing clues for their character which their peers then try to guess. Last year, we also hosted a ‘Masked Reader’ event, where children were asked to guess which masked teacher was reading their favourite book.
Book fairs
Scholastic believe ‘reading for pleasure is transformative for pupils’ academic success and personal wellbeing’ therefore, twice a year, we host a Book Fair that brings the very best of children’s books to Woodlands. Families are invited to browse the book fayre, before and after school for roughly a week, creating a fantastic buzz throughout the school. Every book purchased results in free books and resources for Woodlands, ultimately benefitting all children in our setting.
Bedtime stories
Bedtime Stories is a very popular event at Woodlands, which usually takes place in the winter months near to Christmas. Children are invited to stay after school, change into their pyjamas and experience a range of Christmas and winter-themed books with various adults across our setting. The children also enjoy a treat of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows so that it really feels like a cosy winter’s evening!
Storytime
To conclude the day, every class dedicates time to sharing a story. As well as providing another opportunity for them to participate in a guided reading session, this dedicated time also improves children’s understanding of the world and stimulates their imagination, thus encouraging them to know and remember more.
Often, the text chosen is linked to the year group’s topic. For example, in the autumn term, Y6 focus on ‘Fight for Freedom’ in their Literacy, which incorporates exploring how black people have fought for equality throughout history. For this reason, Y6 read ‘Journey to Jo’burg’ in story time about a poor, black family experiencing apartheid South Africa.
‘It’s really good reading our story at the end of the day. It’s Matilda by Roald Dahl.’
‘Reading at the end of the day is nice and calm. I like to listen!’
Author Visits
Not only do we have a well stocked library alongside our classroom reading areas, but we also enjoy regular visits and workshops with children’s authors.
After every visit, we add the new stories to our library for all to enjoy! In recent years, our children have worked with Phil Earle, Stephan Pass, Gemma Everson, Sarah Griffiths, Toni Sian Williams, Catherine Cooper and Eric Pullin
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Supporting Excellence in English
We are proud to be an English Hub school. English Hub schools take a leading role in supporting primary schools across the country to improve the teaching of early language, love of reading and phonics. As Specialist Leaders of Literacy, Mrs Duncombe and Miss Smallwood have supported a wide range of schools, ensuring high quality, consistent teaching of phonics.
Throughout the year, Mrs Duncombe and Miss Smallwood and Mrs Zaki work as SLEs with school leaders and staff, in primary schools across the county, to offer advice and guidance in order to improve reading and writing outcomes for their pupils.
