‘Reading is a passport to thousands of adventures’ – Mary Pope Osborne

At Glascote Academy, we believe Reading is so important. Whether it be reading a recipe book to bake a cake or researching a favourite topic, reading opens children’s opportunities and experiences. Our reading lessons are ambitious, motivating and engaging to ensure children become enthusiastic and confident readers. In additional to reading lessons, teachers read a class book daily to explore books beyond a child’s own reading age and to open the eyes of our learners to the vast array of book types, authors and genres that will tempt them to become lifelong readers. This is one of the favourite times of the day for children at Glascote Academy! 

 

Reception and Year 1 - Success For All. 

The children in Reception and Year 1 are taught using FFT Success For All scheme. Shared Reader texts are used in all lessons. Children sit in pairs and share a physical copy of the text.  Reading lessons comprise of a four part structure. These lessons include a combination of the following elements:

• Explore
• Remember
• Review
• Word time
• Partner reading
• Echo and choral reading
• Discussion Time
• Partner question time
• Writing time
• Reflection time

Green and Red words are recalled and discussed each lessons. These words are then evident within the Shared Reader.

Year 2 follow FFT Routes to Reading

Routes to Reading is a second-generation Year 2 reading programme that enable children to continue their reading journey from Year 1 by developing reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, via a wide range of specially written, engaging texts. Reading lessons happen daily where the class share an engaging and interesting book. Children have Reading exercise books where they complete comprehension activities as a class and independently.

Key Stage Two

Key Stage Two reading lessons are based on texts that are chosen from Glascote Academy’s Reading Spine. The Reading Spine is based on Doug Lemov’s research into ‘The Five Plagues of the Developing Reader’. According to Lemov, there are five types of text that children should have access to in order to successfully navigate reading with confidence. In addition to the Five Plagues of Reading, a diversity section has been added, to reflect the diversity within our school and the world.  Reading lessons take place four times a week and children focus on one text across two weeks. Reading lessons comprise of the following elements:

• Vocabulary is discussed discretely to build children’s vocabulary bank. These words are added to a Working Wall so the words can be used in other lessons e.g. writing.
• shared reading of a text (via Echo and Choral Reading) during lessons encourages all learners to read out loud with appropriate fluency and expression as modelled simultaneously by the class teacher.
• comprehension skills teaching also takes place in order to promote learners understanding of the text read in both an oral and written form; This takes the form of an ‘I do, We do, You do’ model.
• reading skills, based on the reading domains which are planned and taught using the VIPERS approach.

Assessment: 

Progress in reading is assessed during their on-going daily teaching and through more summative forms of assessment: termly assessment points using the Fierté Reading Expectations and through the use of a standardised reading assessment test called PiRA – Progress in Reading Assessment. For both assessments, learners are provided with a standardised scaled score. Teachers convert the scaled scores into a reading age to allocate a book banded reading levelled text. In addition, ongoing teacher assessment during guided reading ensures that planning and books are specific and precisely matched to learners’ needs and next steps.

 

Reception Home Reading: 

A Big Cat Collins colour- banded book will be sent home each night. This book will match your child’s reading ability. These books will be changed once a week. The Big Cat Collins books have a picture of a lion and a coloured band on the back and front of the book.

Sound Cards will be sent home each night. These will link with the phonics sounds the children are learning in the classroom. New sounds will be added as the children learn them.

A Shared Reader text will also be sent home each week. This is a text that will be read at school during reading lessons and the children can read this to you at home. A Shared Reader text will have the word ‘Shared Reader’ across the top and the specific phonics sounds the children will focus on when reading that text.

Expectations:

• Choose between the Big Cat Collins banded book and the Shared reader text and read at least four times a week.
• Reading diary to be signed by an adult every time your child reads.
• The Sound Cards, Big Cat Collins books, Shared Readers and reading diaries need to be brought into school every day.

Reading Challenge

A Reading Challenge has been set up in the classroom so children can move along each time they read at home. Reward/Prizes will be given to those who reach the end of the Reading Challenge.

Library Books

Your child will select a library book weekly which they will bring home to enjoy. Reception’s library slot is a Friday, so library books need to be in school that day so children can change them. Although we appreciate care will be taken to look after these books, there will be a small charge of £3 to replace any lost books.

 

Year 1 Home Reading: 

A Big Cat Collins colour- banded book will be sent home each night. This book will match your child’s reading ability. These books will be changed once a week. The Big Cat Collins books have a picture of a lion and a coloured band on the back and front of the book.

A Shared Reader text will also be sent home each week. This is a text that will be read at school during reading lessons and the children can read this to you at home. A Shared Reader text will have the word ‘Shared Reader’ across the top and the specific phonics sounds the children will focus on when reading that text.

Expectations:

• Choose between the Big Cat Collins banded book and the Shared reader text and read at least four times a week.
• Reading diary to be signed by an adult every time your child reads.
• The Sound Cards, Big Cat Collins books, Shared Readers and reading diaries need to be brought into school every day.

Reading Challenge

A Reading Challenge has been set up in the classroom so children can move along each time they read at home. Reward/Prizes will be given to those who reach the end of the Reading Challenge.

Library Books

Your child will select a library book weekly which they will bring home to enjoy. The library slot for Year 1 is Wednesday, so library books need to be in school that day so children can change them. Although we appreciate care will be taken to look after these books, there will be a small charge of £3 to replace any lost books.

 

Year 2 Home Reading: 

A Big Cat Collins colour- banded book will be sent home each night. This book will match your child’s reading ability. These books will be changed once a week. The Big Cat Collins books have a picture of a lion and a coloured band on the back and front of the book.

A Shared Reader text will also be sent home over two weeks. This is a text that will be read at school during reading lessons and the children can read this to you at home. A Shared Reader text will have the word ‘Shared Reader’ across the top and the specific phonics sounds the children will focus on when reading that text.

Expectations:

• Choose between the Big Cat Collins banded book and the Shared reader text and read at least four times a week.
• Reading diary to be signed by an adult every time your child reads.
• The Sound Cards, Big Cat Collins books, Shared Readers and reading diaries need to be brought into school every day.

Reading Challenge

A Reading Challenge has been set up in the classroom so children can move along each time they read at home. Reward/Prizes will be given to those who reach the end of the Reading Challenge.

Library Books

Your child will select a library book weekly which they will bring home to enjoy. The library slot for Year 2 is Thursday, so library books need to be in school that day so children can change them. Although we appreciate care will be taken to look after these books, there will be a small charge of

£3 to replace any lost books.

 

KS2 Home Reading (Year3,4,5&6) 

A colour-banded book will be sent home each night. This book will match your child’s reading ability. Books will be changed once your child has finished it and can discuss what they enjoyed/did not enjoy about the book to an adult in school.

Expectations:

• To read this book at least four times a week.
• Reading diary to be signed by an adult every time your child reads.
• Big Cat Collins banded book and reading diaries need to be brought into school every day.

Reading Raffle!

When children read four times a week, their name will be entered once into a raffle. Books and prizes can be won each week during Spotlight Assembly! For every extra night’s read, a bonus raffle ticket will be awarded! There will be one winner for Lower Key Stage 1 (Years 3 & 4), and one winner for Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6) GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Library Book

Your child will select a library book weekly which they will bring

home to enjoy. KS2 Library slots are as follows:

• Year 3: Thursday
• Year 4: Wednesday
• Year 5: Friday
• Year 6: Monday

Library books need to be in school that day so children can change them. Although we appreciate care will be taken to look after these books, there will be a small charge of £3 to replace any lost books.