Abbotswood Primary School
Together We Aim High, Believe and Achieve
Reading
RATIONALE
At Abbotswood we believe that the ability to read is fundamental to pupils’ development as independent learners, during their time at school and beyond. Reading is central to our ability to understand, interpret and communicate with each other and the world around us. Success in reading has a direct effect on progress in all areas of the curriculum; therefore reading is given a high priority at Abbotswood, enabling the children to become enthusiastic, independent and reflective readers.
READING IN SCHOOL
Here at Abbotswood we use a whole-class guided reading approach that explicitly teaches the skills of reading.
Why this approach?
- Each lesson has a clear learning intention
- It expands pupils’ vocabulary and deepens their understanding of the texts they are reading.
- Children are able to access rich and challenging texts, with the opportunity to learn from each other and discuss different perspectives.
- This approach enables oral and written comprehension.
- It increases the children’s stamina for reading.
How is it taught?
Children are exposed to a range of high quality texts through a weekly sequence which links to the Reading VIPERS (created by Rob Smith at The Literacy Shed).
KS1 - Y3 Weekly Sequence
|
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |
Day 4 |
Day 5 |
|
Pre-teaching of vocabulary from the text
Book cover introduction (to tempt and excite)
Children make predictions |
Teacher reads the text aloud, models their thinking and pauses to make predictions along the way
Children use their sequencing skills to recall main plot points |
Children read an extract and use ‘Book Talk’ (oral comprehension) to answer questions linked to VIPERS |
Children respond to written questions and are trained on ‘how’ to answer these
|
Follow up Friday [selected objective]
1:1 reading |
KS2 Weekly Sequence
|
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |
Day 4 |
Day 5 |
|
Pre-teaching of vocabulary
Children are introduced to the extract |
Reread extract
Summarise plot/character development etc.
Answer a range of Retrieval type questions |
Reread extract
Answer a focused VIPERS question both orally, then written |
Reread extract
Children answer SATs style VIPERS
|
Follow up activity
|
Whole-class guided reading takes place from Year 1 (when ready) to Year 6. Children in Year 1 initially focus on their phonics and are gradually exposed to this approach.
What are the VIPERS?
The VIPERS are linked to the 6 reading domains which children need to know and understand in order to improve their comprehension of texts.
LEARNING TO READ
At Abbotswood we teach children how to read through a range of strategies. To help children learn the phonetic code (sounds in words) we use the Read Write Inc. phonics programme in Reception and Year 1. Please see the ‘Phonics’ page for further details.
READING AT HOME
Children will take home a banded reading book until they become a ‘free reader’. We use Oxford Reading Tree and Project X books as our main source of material. Children also have access to books in their classrooms and from the school library.
To encourage reading at home we use a ‘Reading Karate’ reward system which starts in Reception and finishes when they leave Year 6.
Please see the following attachment (Reading Karate Info) to see how this works.
We are very lucky to have a small, but AMAZING reading army who come in on a weekly basis to hear 1:1 readers. Mr Allen is just one of these key people who is 70(!) and has been giving up 3 mornings a week for the last six years to support with reading in Key Stage 1. We are always looking for new recruits so please do contact the Reading Lead if you have any spare time you can offer.
READING FOR PLEASURE
Classes have their own ‘class book’ which they read for pleasure outside of English/Guided Reading time. Teachers try and choose books that are current and reflect a range of up-coming authors which they read during ‘drop everything and read’ time.
Each year we celebrate World Book Day and run events such as story night to promote and celebrate the love of books!
We also try to make links with authors to help us to promote the LOVE of reading. 
ASSESSMENT
Here at Abbotswood we assess the children termly using Rising Stars tests and the school's 'Age Related Expectations' (AREs - see attachements). From this, we can see any gaps in progress and we can prioritise support for individuals for the following term. Children are assessed at the end of Years 2 and 6 for the end of Key Stafe Statutory Assessments (SATs).
If you have any further questions, please speak to the Reading Leader - Mrs Winstone
Recommended Reading Lists
Reading Milestones
