How do we teach reading?
Reading is a high priority in Key Stage One and we read every day. We have discrete daily phonics sessions for year 1 and teach reading through this. We use "Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised" to teach this. For further information on phonics please refer to our phonics page here.
In addition to phonics, we also have:
Whole class guided reading. This is based on high quality books for all children to enjoy, no matter what their reading level or ability. Children share the book and the teacher reads aloud. Techniques such as echo reading allow children to recognise words and what they sound like, before they can read them. Prediction, inference and comprehension are taught both by looking at the illustrations and listening to/ reading the text.
Guided reading - decoding Adults take children in small groups, of the same reading ability, and support the children to decode (read) the appropriate text. The skill of decoding allows the children to apply the phonemes they have recently learnt in phonics lessons. Reading comprehension also takes place during these sessions where children learn to understand what is happening in a text.
Independent reading. This is where children read to themselves. At this time adults also hear children read on a 1:1 basis.
Shared reading. This is where an adult shares a book with the class or a group of children. The adult differentiates this so that children can read the words that they know. These books are chosen for their interest level and their rich vocabulary. Often we will choose books that are at a higher reading level than the children are currently at in order to expose them to texts that they cannot access themselves.
Children have banded reading books that are a mix of 'decodable' readers that match to the stage of phonics that they are at. We have books in our class library that children can freely access.
We have a beautiful outdoor reading area (our "Book Nook") and a cosy indoor reading corner as well.
We have Story Cafes once a term and will invite you to come back in and read with us for these.
Children each have reading diaries - please do fill these in every time you read with your child. Please also ensure your child brings this into school every day so that we can write in there when we have heard them read.
Children also have reading bookmarks, which are kept in school and updated by our team. Every time they read a book we will update their reading bookmark and when they have filled it up, they get to go for Hot Chocolate with Mrs Higgins!
If you would like to volunteer to come in and hear children read, please do let us know, we would love to have you.
If you have any questions about reading please do speak to me - Mrs Steer - or one of the Hawker Class Team.
Our wonderful ourdoor "Book Nook"