Reading
The Love of Reading
At Woodfield, we believe that the joy of reading and hearing books read aloud is vital for a successful education. Each year group has a dedicated time during the day, where the children experience a high quality text being shared by their class teacher or teaching assistant. These texts not only develop a child's love of reading, but they also develop a wide ranging vocabulary that can be used within other subjects. We recognise that children also need the opportunity to explore the world around them through the medium of a book.
Early Reading and Phonics
We know that reading is fundamental to all other areas of the curriculum. To help develop our pupils as readers we use a systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme called Read Write Inc. We start this programme in Nursery with our pre-school children and teach it daily in Foundation, Years 1 and 2, and for some children in KS2.
The programme is designed to teach the children to say and read the speed sound for each letter/group of letters. Once children know a few speed sounds, we teach children to read simple words and then, moving through the levels, to read captions, sentences and more complex text.
As well as teaching the mechanics of reading, the programme also teaches the children to read with fluency and expression. The children are encouraged to talk about the books they read and answer questions to deepen their understanding.
We ensure that the children’s home reading books match the stage at which they are at in RWInc. This enables each child to share their reading success with their parents. Any child who is finding reading more challenging is supported in school by a reading intervention and at home through links to RWInc videos.
Reading Beyond
Once children can read, they are then exposed to guided reading, which takes the form of whole class sessions. Each session will focus on a particular strand of comprehension, such as explanation or summary. To support the children's comprehension, texts are carefully chosen to reflect the topic, current event or area of interest. Through these sessions, the children have opportunities to choral read, echo read and shared read the texts that they are studying, which enables all children to access and understand the content and further develop new vocabulary. Children who find reading more challenging are supported through small group interventions.
At this stage, the children's home reading books will come from a selection of carefully chosen 'book corner' books in each classroom that fit the interests of each class, ranging from story books to poetry anthologies. Each child can choose the book that they want to read. The children's reading ability is regularly assessed to ensure that they are reading at an appropriate level, using one-to-one reading, whole class sessions and end of term assessments.
Reading for Pleasure
Reading for pleasure is fun and important. The more children read, the more progress they will make across all the subjects in school. However, whether your child is a bonafide bookworm, a casual reader or someone who reluctantly picks up books, we will support them in their journey through literature from Nursery to Year 6. Each classroom at Woodfield has a dedicated reading area, with a fantastic selection of different materials to read, including shorter tales, graphic novels, non-fiction and First News newspapers.
Reading is something that truly opens up worlds, where children's curiosity and vocabulary grow and develop at the pace which is right for them. It really is a passion here at Woodfield and we would love you to ask for our support in choosing new books for your child or making suggestions as to how you can make the most of your one-to-one reading time. Just contact your class teacher via Class Dojo or through the school office.
During the year, we have a range of activities to help develop the love of reading from World Book Day to author talks (virtual and in-person), and Books at Bedtime.
Our library is continually developing and evolving into a child-friendly space. Each child is encouraged to select a book of their choice on a weekly basis to take home and share with parents. We are incredibly fortunate to have access to Plymouth Library Service for Schools, which enables us to cater for all children's interests.
Whether you want to swashbuckle the oceans, tame a fierce lion, visit a new planet or explore a vast jungle, there is a book waiting for you.
Have a look at the Reading for Pleasure Newsletter by clicking on the link below:
