Reading at Stocksbridge Junior School

Central to our reading curriculum is the belief that every child will achieve their potential in reading and the wider curriculum. Our vision is that all pupils become fluent, confident readers who develop a lifelong love of reading. Through the teaching of high-quality texts, children’s thinking is challenged, their knowledge of the wider world and vocabulary is broadened, and they are able to make connections and interpret meaning from texts. Our aim is that reading for pleasure will become habitual for all of our pupils. We want our pupils to utilise their reading skills to enable them to access all parts of the curriculum throughout their time in key stage 2 and beyond. Through our reading curriculum, we want pupils to develop an appreciation of literature produced by a range of authors and poets.

Intent

Our teaching of reading is ambitious and our intention is that all pupils experience a wide breadth of study and develop a long-term memory of the procedures, techniques and language used in reading. We propose to foster children’s curiosity to explore the work of authors and poets, who, throughout history, to the present day, have created literature that has shaped and challenged thinking. Our curriculum enables our pupils to develop their knowledge of these authors and literature.

Comprehension skills are taught through direct reading instruction during daily reading lessons. Further opportunities are given for pupils to apply their reading skills; during independent reading time, through the delivery of the class read and in other curriculum subjects where pupils are accessing texts. Through the practical application of reading skills, pupils experience reading a range of texts and develop their skills in both word reading and understanding texts.

At the heart of our reading curriculum is the principle that all children are able to engage with the learning for their year group. Through the pre-teaching of background knowledge and vocabulary, and the repetition and revisiting of key skills, all pupils are able to access high-quality, challenging texts. The sequence of the reading lessons enables pupils to practise their skills and make progress.

We want all of our pupils to develop the following skills:

• Excellent phonic knowledge and skills.
• Fluency and accuracy in reading across a wide range of contexts throughout the curriculum.
• Knowledge of an extensive and rich vocabulary.
• An excellent comprehension of texts.
• The motivation to read for both study and for pleasure.
• Extensive knowledge through having read a rich and varied range of texts.

Through our curriculum, we ensure that our pupils enter and leave a significant stage in their academic journey and social and emotional development fully prepared for the next phase in their lives. It is our commitment that our children are accessing a curriculum that will meet, and exceed, the requirements of the national curriculum through key concepts and ambitious end points. Every pupil, regardless of social disadvantage and SEND, is entitled to an ambitious curriculum. Where required, carefully designed support will identify and address gaps in knowledge and skills so that every child is successful. 

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Implementation

Underpinning our reading curriculum are the two key concepts:

• Word recognition
• Language comprehension

Through the teaching of word recognition, through reading and English lessons as well as phonics interventions, children become fluent, accurate readers who demonstrate stamina for reading. Pupils who have gaps in their phonics are identified quickly and targeted interventions ensure that no child is left behind in their reading journey.

Reading skills are taught daily and are practised and embedded throughout the rest of the curriculum. In order to enable all pupils to build on their reading skills, reading lessons are taught sequentially in increasing complexity. Pupils have opportunities to regularly re-visit and build on skills so that they become embedded. In terms 1a, 2a and 3a, children are taught the skills of comprehension whilst reading a range of extracts.

The five key comprehension skills through which extract half-terms are structured are:

• Activating background knowledge
• Developing new vocabulary
• ‘Read aloud, think aloud’ using skills such as inference and prediction
• Visualising
• Comprehension

In terms 1b, 2b and 3b, pupils apply the comprehension skills they have been taught in the previous half-terms as they undertake novel studies. Alternating between reading extracts and novel study enables pupils to experience a breadth of authors and text types, and to delve deeper into longer texts during their novel study. Texts are sequenced from Year 3 to Year 6 by increasing complexity, allowing all pupils to be challenged as they move through school. Children build on their reading skills by regularly revisiting objectives and applying them to different contexts. Cross-curricular links are made through some texts to allow children to bring their own background knowledge to their reading experience and widen it.

Reading journals are used during reading lessons to allow our pupils the opportunity to showcase their reading skills. Interwoven throughout each lesson are assessment opportunities to monitor the learning of all our pupils, so that opportunities to offer support and challenge are fully utilised to ensure pupil progression for all. Fluency skills are modelled and practised daily to allow pupils to develop their skills in fluency, with a focus on expression and volume, smoothness, phrasing and pace.

In addition to the reading teaching sequence, pupils experience and enjoy a range of inspiring texts through their daily class reader, taken from our reading spine, which is read by the teacher.

Our reading spine has been chosen from ‘The 5 Plagues of Reading’ in order to ensure that all pupils can experience a range of challenging text types. Class readers are categorised under the following headings:

• Archaic text
• Complexity of the plot
• Complexity of the narrator
• Non-linear time sequence
• Resistant text

These carefully selected texts enable pupils to become familiar with a range of high-quality literature and help pupils to expand their vocabulary and imagination as well as their love for reading.

‘Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success’. (OECD, 2002)

We understand the wide range of benefits which come from pupils reading for pleasure. Independent reading time provides opportunities for children to explore their class reading corners, enjoy reading books of their choice and blether about their books with their peers and teachers. Children who continue their positive reading habits at home are able to earn postcards which take them on different journeys across the world. In addition, children use Accelerated Reader to take reading quizzes on their books and myON to access a range of e-books, both at home and at school. Pupils enjoy taking their reading journey further by visiting our very own Reading Bus to discover and read books beyond their classroom library.

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Impact

At Stocksbridge Junior School, our pupils develop and extend their learning in reading throughout the whole key stage. As skills are revisited and extended, there are many opportunities for previously learned information to be retrieved, aiding their long-term learning of the concepts, skills and procedures taught in the reading curriculum.  Children’s progress in reading is closely monitored, enabling the correct support to be put in place for our pupils.

Half-termly assessments are used to measure the impact that teaching has had on pupils’ reading progress.

• At the end of Term 1a, 2a and 3a, pupils are assessed using Star Reading assessments. This assessment provides pupils with an up-to-date ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) which supports them in selecting reading books independently and also provides teachers with information around their gaps and targets. 
• At the end of each term, (1b, 2b and 3b) pupils are assessed using the NTS Reading Assessments. This enables teachers to closely monitor pupils’ progress across the reading domains and to plan accordingly based on these assessments.
• Pupils accessing direct phonics teaching are assessed regularly using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised assessment.

On-going formative assessment is used by teachers in various ways, by:

• Hearing pupils read.
• Teaching reading lessons.
• Monitoring pupils’ use of Accelerated Reader and their quiz results.
• Pupils taking part in reading for pleasure time.
• Questioning pupils during reading sessions.
• Talking to pupils about their reading and books in common.

 

Through our reading curriculum, our pupils develop the ability to discuss and compare different texts, identify key themes and make links between different plots and characters. We encourage our pupils to actively engage in their learning journey in reading through high-quality discussions of texts. Children develop the confidence to explain their ideas and express an opinion about books that they have read. As they complete the end of the key stage at Stocksbridge Junior School, through skilful teaching, insightful assessment and carefully designed support, all of our pupils will have acquired the essential knowledge and skills that are the firm foundations upon which to build upon and continue their learning journey as readers.

The reading lead regularly talks to pupils as part of regular monitoring in order find out what they have learnt and what has been remembered. The purpose of this is to also gain an idea of pupils’ enjoyment of reading, so that any improvements or changes can be made to the reading curriculum.

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Stocksbridge Junior School Curriculum for Reading

 

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Reading Information Leaflets for Parents:

 

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Phonics at Stocksbridge Junior School

Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. Pupils are taught how to:

• recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;
• identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make – such as /sh/ or /oo/;
• blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.

Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read. Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills they need to tackle new words. They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment.

Intent

Having a secure knowledge of phonics is vital to enable our pupils to read and write independently. If children enter KS2 with gaps in their phonics learning, we take swift action to ensure that they are accurately assessed and interventions are put in place to address the identified gaps.

 “Pupils who are still struggling to decode need to be taught to do this urgently through a rigorous and systematic phonics programme so that they catch up rapidly with their peers. If they cannot decode independently and fluently, they will find it increasingly difficult to understand what they read and to write down what they want to say.” (National Curriculum 2014)

This is why we teach phonics through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. This approach ensures that children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

Parents and carers can find further information and videos about how to support children with their phonics on the Little Wandle website.

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The National Curriculum for English

Purpose of study

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

Aims

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding.
• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
• Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
• Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage.
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
• Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.
• Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Spoken language

The national curriculum for English reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are vital for developing their vocabulary and grammar and their understanding for reading and writing. Teachers should therefore ensure the continual development of pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills. Pupils should develop a capacity to explain their understanding of books and other reading, and to prepare their ideas before they write. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as to others, and teachers should ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions. Pupils should also be taught to understand and use the conventions for discussion and debate.

All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.

Statutory requirements which underpin all aspects of spoken language across the 6 years of primary education form part of the national curriculum. These are reflected and contextualised within the reading and writing domains which follow.

Reading

The programmes of study for reading at key stages 1 and 2 consist of 2 dimensions:

• word reading
• comprehension (both listening and reading)

It is essential that teaching focuses on developing pupils’ competence in both dimensions; different kinds of teaching are needed for each.

Skilled word reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Underpinning both is the understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words. This is why phonics should be emphasised in the early teaching of reading to beginners (ie unskilled readers) when they start school.

Good comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge (in particular of vocabulary and grammar) and on knowledge of the world. Comprehension skills develop through pupils’ experience of high-quality discussion with the teacher, as well as from reading and discussing a range of stories, poems and non-fiction. All pupils must be encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world they live in, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum. Reading widely and often increases pupils’ vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a treasure house of wonder and joy for curious young minds.

It is essential that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education.

Writing

The programmes of study for writing at key stages 1 and 2 are constructed similarly to those for reading:

• transcription (spelling and handwriting)
• composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)

It is essential that teaching develops pupils’ competence in these 2 dimensions. In addition, pupils should be taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. These aspects of writing have been incorporated into the programmes of study for composition.

Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words. Effective composition involves articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting.

Spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and glossary

The two statutory appendices – on spelling and on vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – give an overview of the specific features that should be included in teaching the programmes of study.

Opportunities for teachers to enhance pupils’ vocabulary arise naturally from their reading and writing. As vocabulary increases, teachers should show pupils how to understand the relationships between words, how to understand nuances in meaning, and how to develop their understanding of, and ability to use, figurative language. They should also teach pupils how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than 1 meaning. References to developing pupils’ vocabulary are also included in the appendices.

Pupils should be taught to control their speaking and writing consciously and to use Standard English. They should be taught to use the elements of spelling, grammar, punctuation and ‘language about language’ listed. This is not intended to constrain or restrict teachers’ creativity, but simply to provide the structure on which they can construct exciting lessons. A non-statutory glossary is provided for teachers.

Throughout the programmes of study, teachers should teach pupils the vocabulary they need to discuss their reading, writing and spoken language. It is important that pupils learn the correct grammatical terms in English and that these terms are integrated within teaching.

School curriculum

The programmes of study for English are set out year-by-year for key stage 1 and two-yearly for key stage 2. The single year blocks at key stage 1 reflect the rapid pace of development in word reading during these two years. Schools are, however, only required to teach the relevant programme of study by the end of the key stage. Within each key stage, schools therefore have the flexibility to introduce content earlier or later than set out in the programme of study. In addition, schools can introduce key stage content during an earlier key stage if appropriate. All schools are also required to set out their school curriculum for English on a year-by-year basis and make this information available online.

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Spoken language – years 1 to 6

Spoken language

Pupils should be taught to:

• Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
• Use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary.
• Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
• Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings.
• Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments.
• Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
• Speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English.
• Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates.
• Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s).
• Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others.
• Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication.

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Lower key stage 2 – years 3 and 4

By the beginning of year 3, pupils should be able to read books written at an age-appropriate interest level. They should be able to read them accurately and at a speed that is sufficient for them to focus on understanding what they read rather than on decoding individual words. They should be able to decode most new words outside their spoken vocabulary, making a good approximation to the word’s pronunciation. As their decoding skills become increasingly secure, teaching should be directed more towards developing their vocabulary and the breadth and depth of their reading, making sure that they become independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely and frequently. They should be developing their understanding and enjoyment of stories, poetry, plays and non-fiction, and learning to read silently. They should also be developing their knowledge and skills in reading non-fiction about a wide range of subjects. They should be learning to justify their views about what they have read: with support at the start of year 3 and increasingly independently by the end of year 4.

Pupils should be able to write down their ideas with a reasonable degree of accuracy and with good sentence punctuation. Teachers should therefore be consolidating pupils’ writing skills, their vocabulary, their grasp of sentence structure and their knowledge of linguistic terminology. Teaching them to develop as writers involves teaching them to enhance the effectiveness of what they write as well as increasing their competence. Teachers should make sure that pupils build on what they have learnt, particularly in terms of the range of their writing and the more varied grammar, vocabulary and narrative structures from which they can draw to express their ideas. Pupils should be beginning to understand how writing can be different from speech. Joined handwriting should be the norm; pupils should be able to use it fast enough to keep pace with what they want to say.

Pupils’ spelling of common words should be correct, including common exception words and other words that they have learnt – see English appendix 1. Pupils should spell words as accurately as possible using their phonic knowledge and other knowledge of spelling, such as morphology and etymology.

Most pupils will not need further direct teaching of word reading skills: they are able to decode unfamiliar words accurately, and need very few repeated experiences of this before the word is stored in such a way that they can read it without overt sound-blending. They should demonstrate understanding of figurative language, distinguish shades of meaning among related words and use age-appropriate, academic vocabulary.

As in key stage 1, however, pupils who are still struggling to decode need to be taught to do this urgently through a rigorous and systematic phonics programme so that they catch up rapidly with their peers. If they cannot decode independently and fluently, they will find it increasingly difficult to understand what they read and to write down what they want to say. As far as possible, however, these pupils should follow the year 3 and 4 programme of study in terms of listening to new books, hearing and learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and discussing these.

Specific requirements for pupils to discuss what they are learning and to develop their wider skills in spoken language form part of this programme of study. In years 3 and 4, pupils should become more familiar with and confident in using language in a greater variety of situations, for a variety of audiences and purposes, including through drama, formal presentations and debate.

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Upper key stage 2 – years 5 and 6

By the beginning of year 5, pupils should be able to read aloud a wider range of poetry and books written at an age-appropriate interest level with accuracy and at a reasonable speaking pace. They should be able to read most words effortlessly and to work out how to pronounce unfamiliar written words with increasing automaticity. If the pronunciation sounds unfamiliar, they should ask for help in determining both the meaning of the word and how to pronounce it correctly.

They should be able to prepare readings, with appropriate intonation to show their understanding, and should be able to summarise and present a familiar story in their own words. They should be reading widely and frequently, outside as well as in school, for pleasure and information. They should be able to read silently, with good understanding, inferring the meanings of unfamiliar words, and then discuss what they have read.

Pupils should be able to write down their ideas quickly. Their grammar and punctuation should be broadly accurate. Pupils’ spelling of most words taught so far should be accurate and they should be able to spell words that they have not yet been taught by using what they have learnt about how spelling works in English.

During years 5 and 6, teachers should continue to emphasise pupils’ enjoyment and understanding of language, especially vocabulary, to support their reading and writing. Pupils’ knowledge of language, gained from stories, plays, poetry, non-fiction and textbooks, will support their increasing fluency as readers, their facility as writers, and their comprehension. As in years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to enhance the effectiveness of their writing as well as their competence.

It is essential that pupils whose decoding skills are poor are taught through a rigorous and systematic phonics programme so that they catch up rapidly with their peers in terms of their decoding and spelling. However, as far as possible, these pupils should follow the upper key stage 2 programme of study in terms of listening to books and other writing that they have not come across before, hearing and learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and having a chance to talk about all of these.

By the end of year 6, pupils’ reading and writing should be sufficiently fluent and effortless for them to manage the general demands of the curriculum in year 7, across all subjects and not just in English, but there will continue to be a need for pupils to learn subject-specific vocabulary. They should be able to reflect their understanding of the audience for and purpose of their writing by selecting appropriate vocabulary and grammar. Teachers should prepare pupils for secondary education by ensuring that they can consciously control sentence structure in their writing and understand why sentences are constructed as they are. Pupils should understand nuances in vocabulary choice and age-appropriate, academic vocabulary. This involves consolidation, practice and discussion of language.

Specific requirements for pupils to discuss what they are learning and to develop their wider skills in spoken language form part of this programme of study. In years 5 and 6, pupils’ confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language should be extended through public speaking, performance and debate.