Reading
Edlington Victoria Academy’s Reading Strategy
Below are the minimum expectations for how reading is taught at Edlington Victoria Academy. Each strategy has been shared and unpicked throughout a sequence of CPD sessions.
How we teach children to read
- Segment then blend the sounds
- Look for smaller words in bigger words
- Cut up the word into syllables
- Read the rest of the sentence to see if the word makes sense
- See if the word looks similar to one already known
- Go back and read the word again
- Use the pictures for clues
Fluency
- Phrasing – Put the words together the way the author wrote them so that it makes sense.
- Rate – Read like the pupil talks. Slow down, stop or repeat words when it makes sense and sounds right.
- Punctuation – Pay attention to the punctuation. Create longer pauses at full stops and shorter pauses for commas, colons etc.
- Intonation – Read with expression so that it sounds interesting and exciting.
- Stress – Stress is placed on appropriate words to reflect the meaning of the text.
Frequency
- Foundation and Year 1 – guided reading sessions (at least one per child)
- Year 2 – 5 guided reading sessions and 1 shared reading session (1 hour)
- KS2 – 4 shared reading sessions (30 mins) and 1 shared reading session (1 hour)
Classroom
- Reading area – Author of the term, content domains, reading strategies (F2 and KS1).
- Reading challenge display – children must read at least 3 times a week
- Display information books related to the current topic.
Guided reading
- At least 1 read with the teacher per week
- Complete learning tasks (pre read, post read, phonics, independent reading with a focus, spelling of tricky words and common exception words)
- Range of fiction and non-fiction
Shared reading
- Challenging age appropriate text
- Range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry
- Think out louds from the teacher
- Share model answers
- Variety of question styles and number of marks
- Use evidence from the text
- Use content domains/KPIs – main focus on 2a (vocabulary), 2b (retrieval) and 2d (inference)
- Encourage short answers for questions with 1 mark
- Give children independent reading time to build reading stamina
- Model fluent reading to pupils
- Find key words from the question in the text to support with retrieving information
- Discuss unfamiliar words and discuss in a real life context for the pupils
Independent reading
- ERIC time (silently) – Timetable at least two times a week (Teacher can either listen to readers or model reading silently)
- Write comments in reading log and reading record at school
- Keep note of the levels/book bands/phases that children are on
Assessment of reading
- Reading stamina – once every half term, check how many words children can read in one minute (90+), age appropriate text
- Fluency rubric – once every half term, score children against each criteria, ability appropriate text
- Headstart materials – once a term, complete 3 papers for overall score
- Guided reading records (KS1)
- Shared/guided reading workbooks
- Peer and self-assessment – fluency and comprehension. Children rate their fluency and use appropriate terminology when doing so.