Reading at School
English curriculum: silver thread - every word tells a story.
At Twyning School, we value the importance of reading and place it at the heart of our curriculum. We know that reading is a vital skill that will support children’s learning across all subjects and as such, we ensure our children are taught to read with fluency, accuracy and understanding. Our aim is to encourage every child at Twyning to become an enthusiastic, independent reader who will develop a life-long love of reading. This approach demonstrates how school and home can work together to achieve this.
Our Teaching Philosophy
We strongly believe that the best readers are the best learners and the best writers - we read as writers and write as readers! Strategies for writing and speaking and listening therefore form an integral part of the reading curriculum, in our school.
Resources
We strive to provide stimulating reading environments, where reading materials are presented in an attractive and inviting way. Every class has access to the school library that is regularly updated with newly published books, including texts requested by the children. Our library provides recommendations for children based on authors that they enjoy based on their ZPD/Reading level from the Accelerated Reader scheme.
Within English lessons, we use high quality texts that engage and stimulate the children’s imaginations; these texts and planning materials are sourced from a variety of high quality providers including CLPE, Literacy Shed + and The Reader Teacher. Our teaching staff are keen readers and they are able to choose high level texts, from different sources, that will suit their pupils’ abilities.
Developing a Love of Reading
Teachers will act as role models in their enthusiasm for reading by reading daily to the children in our school for pleasure. Children have access to high quality texts from classroom book corners and also get the opportunity to visit the library on a weekly basis.
Reading Sessions: How Do We Teach Reading at Twyning School?
Children in Year 2 to 6 are taught reading sessions four times a week. In Year 2, these are taught in smaller groups and then from Year 3 these are whole class reading sessions. We also use the Reading Dogs to teach and reference key reading skills with the children (please see the poster below). There is a balance between practising reading fluency, discussion based learning and written comprehension.
In addition to this, children are regularly heard reading aloud by an adult in EYFS/KS1 and as regularly as possible in KS2.
Children in Year 2 onwards are also introduced to Accelerated Reader.
What is Accelerated Reader?
Accelerated Reader is a computer programme that helps teachers to manage and monitor childrens independent reading practice once they are fluent enough and no longer require the support of decodable books. Children pick a book at their own level and read it at their own pace and when finished, they take a short quiz on the computer - showing how much they have understood.
How Accelereater Reader is managed at Twyning.
At the beginning of the school year and at the end of each term, every child completes a star reader quiz. This quiz is made up of 34 multiple choice questions and will determine their 'reading level' or ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development). This is the range of books that the child can read at their fluency level. The comprehension quizzes enable teachers to monitor progress and areas of difficulty specifically for each child so that the teaching of reading can be adapted effectively.
