Approach to Reading

We know that for a child to be able to comprehend what they are reading, they need to be able to:

• Read fluently
• Have a broad vocabulary
• Self-monitor their reading
• Have a deep knowledge of the world

Reading is sequenced throughout each week to include lessons that focus on the teaching of fluency, vocabulary and comprehension based questions. Reading for Pleasure is built into the week ensuring that children have the opportunity to enjoy books and reading. Our taught reading lessons incorporate the the following elements:

1. Developing fluency

We have a heavy emphasis on supporting children to become confident, fluent readers. Beyond systematic phonics, children participate in daily whole-class reading sessions. These sessions ensure children improve their accuracy, automaticity and prosody - the three components of fluent reading.

2. Improving vocabulary

A wide range of challenging vocabulary is embedded across our curriculum. We also include direct vocabulary instruction during class discussions, reading opportunities and the wider curriculum.  

3. Knowledge of the world

When a child tries to comprehend what they are reading, they draw on their own background knowledge to try to make sense of the context and the language being used. Creating this mental representation of the situation being described is called a 'situation model'. With this in mind, we think it is vital that our curriculum is knowledge-rich, as this enhances children's schema-development and gives them a deeper knowledge of a wide range of people, places and concepts. 

4. Self-monitoring strategies

The ‘Improving Literacy’ guidance report recommends that we, ‘Teach specific reading comprehension strategies, modelling their use, and providing regular opportunities for pupils to practice the strategies’. We think of comprehension strategies as metacognition. Put simply, we want our pupils to have the ability to monitor, direct, and review their reading of texts. As our pupils become more familiar with the process involved in comprehension monitoring, the more we can shift from modelling this metacognitive talk to guiding and supporting pupils’ own monitoring. This gradual release of responsibility is central to metacognition guidance.

5. Text choices

In order to develop a broad knowledge of the world, we have developed our ‘Blackpool Reading Spine’ which is a school-wide cannon of ‘best books’ for our children. These books are read to all children as part of our children’s reading diet. Reading lessons include age appropriate texts as well as extracts from our 'Blackpool Reading Spine' books. 

6. Assessing fluency

We monitor pupils’ reading termly through analysing the different aspects of fluent reading. This allows us to adapt teaching, and identify specific next steps for individual pupil on their reading journey.

7. Our reading diet

Alongside our reading lessons, our reading diet for our pupils includes:

• Shared reading: typically shared reading across curriculum subjects.
• Guided reading: small group work with an adult.
• Independent reading: pupils reading on their own (reading for pleasure, matched texts or Christian library books).
• 1:1 reading: pupil reading to teacher.
• Reading aloud to children: teacher reading to all pupils including our ‘Blackpool Reading Spine’ texts

Reading for Pleasure

We are a school community where Reading for Pleasure is focused around independent reading, reading aloud, shared reading, book talk, teachers who love reading and a social reading community. Our Reading for Pleasure offer includes:

• Exposing the children to a wide range of books and texts.
• Modelling good reading habits to the children. 
• Staff sharing their love of books and recommending new texts.
• Engaging children in book talk in
• Visits to our school library to select books to take home and share.

• Books readily available in classrooms.

• Author visits to inspire the children.

• A reading buddy system to support peer-to-peer sharing of books. 

Recommended books

This is what our children say about Reading in our school...

'We have a brilliant library and I really like choosing the books that I want to read.' Year 2

'My teacher teaches me skills like retrieval, inference and prediction to help me understand the text I am reading.' Year 6

'I am getting faster at reading words and I can read with expression.' Year 5

'I get to choose books that will challenge me which is really good because they are not too easy or too hard.' Year 4

'My teacher reads a class book to us which I really enjoy listening to. It gives me a chance to hear something I would not always choose to read myself.' Year 6

'I like taking my reading book home to read my my mummy and daddy. I am really good at reading these books and my mummy and daddy are always proud of me.' Year 1