Reading
Learning to read is one of the most important things a child will learn at school. Everything else depends on it, so we put as much energy as we possibly can into making sure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible.
Phonics
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds
Reception and Year 1 are taught phonics daily for 30 minutes each day. At the start of Reception, this might start with 10 minutes per day gradually building up to 30 minutes. Each Friday, children are taught a review the week session. This is a vital lesson where children are able to review the learning from the week. We know that retrieval of information taught is key to new information being stored in the long term memory. This is why the review the week sessions are so important. By reviewing past learning, children are more likely to remember it. The teaching of sounds is done following a progression chart by Little Wandle Letters and Sounds. In Reception, children are taught Phase 2 and 3 sounds and taught Phase 4 blends with fluency and accuracy. In Year 1, children begin by reviewing the content from Reception and then are taught Phase 5 sounds. Children are taught both reading and spelling within phonic lessons. To develop fluency through blending for reading and segmenting for spelling.
Typical Phonic Lesson
Revisit and Review - Children review sounds already taught and practice reading words that contain sounds already taught with fluency and automaticity.
Teach and Practise - Children are introduced to the new sound or blend for that lesson. Children then practice reading these words, using sound buttons to begin with.
Practise and Apply - Children then read a sentence containing the sounds taught in that lesson. Children will then practise spelling words with that sound.
Daily Keep up Sessions
Any child who needs additional practice has daily Keep-up support, taught by a fully trained adult. Keep-up lessons match the structure of class teaching, and use the same procedures, resources and mantras, but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.
Any child from Year 2 onwards who have not passed the Phonics Screening Check or have been identified as needing extra fluency support will continue to receive daily phonics support.
Reading Sessions
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have three reading sessions a week. The books read are matched to the groups knowledge of sounds and their ability to blend. Each session has a specific focus:
Session 1: Fluency - The first session focuses on the children's ability to read words. We encourage children to blend in their head and read the word. Before this session, children are exposed to words from the book that can be decoded, tricky words found in the book and topic words. Topic words are words that are read and discussed so that children understand their meaning.
Session 2: Prosody - The second session focuses on prosody. This is where children are taught to read the book with expression. By doing this children get a better understanding of meaning of the sentence and equips them for comprehension is session 3.
Session 3: Comprehension - The third session focuses on comprehension. This is where the trained adult will focus on one strand of comprehension for the book.
Home Reading.
Children will bring home the book they are reading in class. The purpose of this is to give them extra time to practice becoming more fluent with the text they are reading that week. Children will have already read their book in school before it being sent home. Children should not find it difficult to read their book at home. Please share the success of your child's reading as you experience their fluency grow. As well as a reading book, children will also be given a share book. This is a real story book that is meant to be shared with an adult. This is not a book for the children to read but for you to read to your child to promote a love of reading in the family home.
Support for Parents
Please click the link below to view helpful videos in supporting your child as they learn to read.