Reading
Reading at SASM
Reading plays a vital role in a child’s cultural, social and emotional development. It allows children to both acquire and build on knowledge which is crucial in allowing them to function as future members of society. We aim to ensure children can read fluently and confidently, with a sound understanding of a range of vocabulary and the ability to decode the meaning of unfamiliar words. We aim to promote a love of reading, encouraging children to read widely for pleasure and enjoyment as well as information.
Our Reading Curriculum
How do we grow great readers?
We know that a passion for reading results in lifelong success. In our school you will see:
Class readers : our teachers read to their classes every day - every class has a book 'on-the-go' and this is displayed on each classroom door so that we can all enjoy the book
Vending machine: as pupils earn Christian Value Points, they earn tokens to spend on the book vending machine.
Author talks: we invite authors in to share their stories and skills with pupils as well taking part in events such as the Barnes Children's Literature Festival. Recently, these have included: Katie and Kevin Tsang; Cressida Cowell; Jack Meggitt-Phillips; Sam Copeland; Jenny Pearson; Banji Alexander and Pamela Butchart
Library: our school library is open at lunchtimes for pupils to share and enjoy a good read
ERIC (Everyone Reading in Class): we have timetabled dedicated time for reading,
Phonics
As a Junior school, the vast majority of pupils will join us as developing readers with an understanding of phonics. All pupils who require additional teaching in phonics join our Read, Write, Inc. programme.
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.”
Dr Seuss
By reading great books and bringing them to life, we cultivate a love of stories and promote a love of reading at SASM!
Our selection of wonderful books in each classroom allows us to help our children grow into enthusiastic readers in an exciting and engaging way. Reading is a priority at SASM.
We not only view reading as a hobby, but a lifelong skill. Books are assigned colours and it is important that your child is reading a book that is neither too easy nor too hard!
SASM's book banding system
When children join us at SASM, we assess their reading level using FFT’s reading assessment programme. Their book band is assigned based on their reading fluency level - this reflects how accurately they read the text aloud, their ability to use tone and how many words they can read in a minute.
Class teachers continually reassess children’s book bands level when listening to them read aloud. Children should be able to read their book banded book fluently; this allows them to practise their comprehension skills with an adult whilst reading a book. See the table below for further details of our colour banding system.
If a child is accessing Read, Write, Inc TTGs, they will be assigned a reading book that is matched to the sounds they are working on in school.
All children are encouraged to read a ‘reading for pleasure’ book in addition to their book banded book.
Helping your child to find a suitable book to read:
You can find www.thebooktrust.org.uk recommended 100 best books here.
The Five Finger Test
As your child reads, count the number of words your child doesn’t know or has difficulty reading on a page with your fingers.
You can use the number of fingers to help you decide if this is a good book for your child to read by themselves.
If your child struggles to read and understand more than 5 words on a page, the book is probably too challenging for them.
0 Fingers - This book is easy for your child to read, perhaps too easy.
1 Finger - This book is easy to read but there will be some new words to learn throughout the book.
2 Fingers - Perfect choice – this book is just right for your child.
3 Fingers - A little hard but could be fun for your child to try. You will need to help your child when they read this book.
4 Fingers - Difficult to read. An adult will need to read this book with your child.
5 or more Fingers - This book is probably too hard for your child to read. This book will need to be read with an adult.
Reading at home
Although we do all we can to promote reading during the school day, we encourage parents to extend their child’s love of reading and help them to progress further, by taking the time to read with them at home. On the bus back from school or just before heading to bed, time spent reading with your child is time well spent in our opinion!
This act of reading is not only crucial for younger children, but is just as important for older, more fluent readers in understanding the meaning of texts and discussing the ideas that are hidden between the lines. Asking your child questions about what they have just read is a fantastic opportunity for them to reflect on their reading and take their understanding to a deeper level. On p148 of your child’s planner there are some questions and strategies that may help you to support your child’s reading.
Reading at home is monitored through planners which are checked in class regularly. Please encourage your child to write a short summary of what they have just read as well as the page numbers.
For example:
Five Go Adventuring p3-6
I like this part of the story because the children are shipwrecked on a desert island and you don’t know whether they will survive.
Recording reading in the planner - Children are expected to read their colour-banded book at home every day. They must then record this in their planner. Your child should write in their planner themselves and should include: the name of the book, pages read and a short comment about what they have read. Children must write in the box for the day the planner will be marked in school e.g. if they read on Monday night, they should write in Tuesday's box as this is when it will be marked. All children are expected to complete 5 entries in their planner over the week.
Reading Eggspress - Children are able to access Reading Eggpress for optional additional support with reading at home. All children will complete a baseline task; this will ensure they are set home learning which is appropriate to their reading level and will move at their own pace. The platform also includes an eBook library.
Reading Challenges
Each year group has a selection of reading challenges for the children to try to complete. The children are encouraged to read a range of genres and demonstrate a number of reading skills. When your child has completed a certain number of challenges, they will be awarded certificates, which will be recorded on their school reports.
Year 3 Reading Challenge
Year 4 Reading Challenge
Year 5 Reading Challenge
Year 6 Reading Challenge
World Book Day
Each year, we celebrate World Book Day, where the children and staff dress up as their favourite characters. It is a chance to share in our love of reading as a school and to discover new characters to fall in love with!
“Everyone is a reader… some just haven’t found their favourite book yet.”
Anon.
