We Are Readers!
At Park Academy we are committed to teaching our pupils to become skilled readers who develop a comprehensive understanding of words, language and texts as they move through our school. The development of language and vocabulary is central to success and the teaching of spoken language sits hand in hand with the development of reading across the curriculum. We nurture a learner’s speaking and listening skills through a variety of approaches: exploratory play, story time, and through collaborative learning approaches.
We are incredibly proud of our Lincolnshire Reading Pledge award which recognises and celebrates our commitment and determination to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in every child!
We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing. Our phonics teaching starts in Reception and follows a very specific sequence that allows our children to build on their previous phonic knowledge and master specific phonic strategies as they move through school.
How we teach phonics and Early Reading in Early Years and KS1
Daily Little Wandle Phonics lessons
- In Reception and Year 1, children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily and there is a review session on a Friday.
- Phonics starts in Reception promptly to ensure the children make a strong start.
- By the end of Reception, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 4.
- By the end of year 1, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 5.
- Children in year 2 recap any gaps in their phonics knowledge in the autumn term.
- Reception lessons start at 15 minutes, with daily additional oral blending – increasing quickly to 30 minutes.
- Y1 lessons are 30 minutes long.
Reading practice sessions
- Children across Reception, Year 1, Year 2 (and beyond if appropriate) apply their phonics knowledge by using a full matched decodable reader in a small group reading practice session.
- These sessions happen three times a week.
- The sessions follow the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
Reading for pleasure – Early Years and KS1
Alongside daily teaching of phonics, reading for pleasure is an important part of our Early Reading offer. We ensure children develop a love of reading and are exposed to a range of interesting and relevant authors. We promote a love of reading in the following ways:
- Daily story time known as 'Book Club' in which children can talk informally about books, read and listen to high-quality texts and make book recommendations to others.
- Whole class reading sessions which include a range of books that are mapped out to ensure children have a rich reading diet, vocabulary is explicitly taught and children can learn key phrases in the book.
- Book areas within the classroom which have a careful selection of books.
Alongside children’s decodable reading book, children also take home a reading for pleasure book each week. In each year group, children will take home a range of book by authors, including some which they have read in class.
Little Wandle Fluency
Once children are confident using their phonics to decode words, we follow the Little Wandle Fluency Programme. Little Wandle Fluency teaches all aspects of reading using vibrant, diverse and engaging chapter books created by contemporary authors and illustrators. Each book has been carefully devised to support children as they progress in reading fluency through Years 2, 3 and beyond; making sure every child can become a confident, fluent and motivated reader!
How we teach Reading in KS2
We teach reading comprehension through daily reading lessons. Each half-term, children will read and explore a variety of high-quality literature, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
- An element of prosody (reading with feeling)
- A close look at key vocabulary that children may be unfamiliar with
- Unpicking the key literary concepts (role of character, role of setting, language choice, structure of text, main themes and viewpoints)
- Modelled answering of questions
- Opportunities to apply the day's reading skills independently
- Teaching fluency by model reading, echo reading, choral reading and paired reading
In addition to our reading lessons in KS2, we also provide children with:
- Daily opportunities to read for pleasure
- Daily rapid catch up for children in years 3-6 (for any child who is not a fluent reader)
- Regular story times known as 'Book Clubs'
- Regular, open ended discussions about stories and books.
- Opportunities to read and discuss a wide range of genres including poetry and non-fiction.
- Books that the children take home are carefully chosen to match the children's interests and their level of fluency
We also have a number of reading enrichment activities, including:
- Visits to Boston Library.
- Visits to the school library.
- Visits from authors and poets throughout the school year.
- Participation in local reading competitions including the library summer reading challenge.
- Book fairs.
- Celebrations for World Book Day!
Useful links
Book recommendations and excerpts to help children choose what to read next!
Kids' Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen
Author Cressida Cowell Magical Ideas & Stories
Links where you can read, watch, hear and explore children's poems
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
If you are a parent and would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow this link to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
