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 books are chosen using the 'Books For Topics: 50 Recommended Reads' and our LAT curriculum recommended reads. 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
Your child's reading journey at school begins on the first day that they start, this could be in Nursery at the age of two or three or when they start Foundation. Throughout Early Years Foundation Stage ( EYFS) children are immersed in stories and rhyme. At Woodfield, we know that reading is fundamental to all other areas of the curriculum. We teach all children to read using Read Write Inc., a systematic synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching RWInc. in Nursery (in the summer term) with our pre-school children and teach it daily in Foundation, Years 1 and 2, and, for a few children, in Year 3 and above. For more information about your child’s reading journey through RWInc. and how to support your child’s reading at home, please click here.
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 range of reading strands and reading aloud strategies, such as echo reading, choral reading and partner reading to support fluency. To support the children's comprehension, texts are carefully chosen and often 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 better access and understand the content and further develop new vocabulary. Children who find reading more challenging are supported through small group interventions, using Fred's Reading.
At this stage, the children's home reading books will come from a selection of carefully chosen, age-appropriate '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, matched to their reading age. 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.
For further information, see our reading rationale below.
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. In February, we had the extremely talented pairing of the author, Clare Helen Welsh, and the illustrator, Fiona Lumbers, visit KS1 and share their incredible new book, 'The Space Between', even signing copies of the book for the children.
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. In addition, we have recently been successful in bidding for a grant from Foyle's Library Scheme, which will significantly improve our existing library space with new furniture, audiobook equipment and £500 worth of books.
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 Woodfield Reading for Pleasure Newsletter by clicking on the link below. Here you will find information about all the exciting events coming up at our school and beyond, ideas for reading at home and book reviews:
Reading for Pleasure Spring Term
Please, also see the link below for ways to incorporate reading for pleasure at home.
The magic of sharing stories at home (youtube.com)
