At St Ann’s Well Academy, Reading is an integral part of the school curriculum. We aim to install a love of reading in all children. Our aim is to equip all children with the necessary skills needed to become to fluent and confident readers. We understand the fundamental importance that reading has on a child’s ability to access the wider curriculum, make progress and ultimately succeed in life.
Year groups 2 to 6 have five Whole Class Reading (WCR) lessons per week. Four WCR sessions are based on a class text and one is based on a supplementary text / extracts. These supplementary texts either link to the class novel and/or half-termly topic in order to widen the children’s exposure to text types and broaden their background knowledge.
The core and supplementary texts are quality texts that reflect the teaching objectives and are of a higher level than the general class’ reading ability. The children join in with the reading of the text in a supported manner.
The focus of the WCR is either reading for fluency or reading comprehension. However, we acknowledge that both fluency and comprehension can and should be part of all reading sessions to a more or lesser degree.
Depending on the age and stage of the children, will determine the number of fluency focus or comprehension focus WCR sessions children access in any given week.
Reading comprehension sessions involve the discrete teaching of specific reading skill(s), such as inference, prediction, retrieval, clarification of vocabulary etc. During WCRs, children sit in reading pairs and the children read within their pairs as well as the teacher and able readers model the reading process to the whole class. Children then complete comprehension sessions. Sessions are differentiated appropriately so that all children, aside from those with additional and different needs that mean they are working on a different English curriculum, can access the learning.
During comprehension sessions children will be encouraged to answer questions about the text and use a range of skills.
Reading comprehension lessons involve the children answering comprehension-style questions, in a guided, supportive, yet increasingly independent manner. Each comprehension lesson focuses on one element of question style (vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summary/sequencing) allowing children the opportunity to apply their reading skills to comprehension questions.
We use The Totally Pawsome Gang to help the children understand the questions that are being asked and how they can answer them.
The Pawsome Gang members will be displayed in all classrooms for children and teachers to refer to.
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
Reading Fluency
Reading fluency is the bridge between decoding and comprehension and it is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression.
In reading fluency sessions, an extract from the current class Big Read text is used. Fluency sessions focus on improving accuracy, pace, prosody, vocabulary and understanding. Any one or more of the following activities will be undertaken; Punctuation Race, Chunk It, Model and Echo read, Paired Reading and Performance Read.
We believe reading for pleasure is incredibly important. All classes have a dedicated ‘Class Storytime’. During this time, staff read aloud to the children uninterrupted. The focus for these Reading for Pleasure sessions is the children’s enjoyment of reading. We want to ensure that our story times foster excitement about books with the children.
All children are encouraged to read at home at least four times a week. Every time a child reads at home they are awarded a reading token which children can save up as currency to ‘purchase’ a range of books of different values. We have a huge selection of books for all ages and interests for the children themselves to choose from and this is selection is updated regularly.
Once children have successfully completed the Essential Letters and Sounds phonics programme and have acquired enough reading skills to independently access texts we then use the Accelerated Reader Programme.
The aim of our school is for all of our pupils to be on the Accelerated Reader Programme by the end of Year 2.
To find out more about the Accelerated Reader Programme please click on the link below.
Each class has a reading corner where a small selection of carefully chosen books by year group specific authors, which are available for the children to browse and choose from.
Children identified as needing extra support with word reading (decoding) undertake extra reading practice and/or additional support with phonics as early as possible. Each class teacher has a priority reader list (lowest 20%) as well as a list of children with a reading age below their chronological age and the aim is for these children to be heard read as often as possible. We also run a number of small group interventions for those struggling with fluency and or comprehension.
Pupils develop an understanding of how subjects and specific skills are linked to future jobs.
Here are some of the jobs you could aspire to do in the future as a Reader and Writer:
