The ABC’s of Reading
We at Avanti Brook celebrate reading and fully take into account the Government’s expectation that all children should leave primary school able to decode words and have a ‘love of reading’.
Phonics at Avanti
At Avanti Brook we use Letters and Sounds to teach phonics and Bug Club.
Bug Club is a scheme published by Pearson, which is special and effective in the teaching of phonics because:
- Phonics Bug meets 100% of the DfE criteria for teaching systematic synthetic phonics and helps children succeed in their screening check to boot!
- Encourages young readers with beautiful artwork, humour, loveable characters and books and topics they really want to read.
- Fast, effective phonics lessons using CBeebies videos and interactive whiteboard activities.
- Brilliantly combines an online reading world with stunning eBooks and beautiful printed books to spark enthusiasm.
Reading schemes
At Avanti Brook we use a range of reading schemes including: Oxford Reading Tree, Collins and an online library via Bug Club.
| PRIMARY PHASE READING STRATEGY | |||
| PHONICS | GUIDED READING (DIRECT TEACHING OF READING) | READING FOR PLEASURE | SUPPORTING EMERGING READERS
STRETCHING CONFIDENT READERS |
| • Letters and sounds (Reception to Year 2)
• Daily reading (Volunteers & TAs) • Daily synthetic phonics sessions from Reception to Year 2 |
• Learn to read (focus is on learning to read for meaning and develop children’s comprehension)
• Phonics Bug Reading Scheme (home readers levelled books) |
• Annual Book Week
• Annual Shakespeare Week • High quality book corners in every class room • High quality library in each school with wide selection of books, including multimedia texts • Books chosen by children and taken home weekly • Home Reading Record/parent training • Book bags for every child |
• Identified children/new starters/ EAL and SEN focused support using Reading Recovery
• Reading Support (group reading programme) • Bespoke interventions including comprehension, challenging readers clubs etc |
| ATTITUDES TO READING (PHASES REFER TO STAGES IN READING) | ||||
| PHASE 1 | PHASE 2 | PHASE 3 | PHASE 4 | PHASE 5 |
| PHONICS | GUIDED READING (DIRECT TEACHING OF READING) | READING FOR PLEASURE | SUPPORTING EMERGING READERS | READING FOR PLEASURE |
| • Curiosity about printing and mark making
• Wants to look at books • Points at text, has a go • Expresses enjoyment • Eagerly anticipates book-reading • Plays out characters in stories |
• Talks about their own reading
• Asks for favourite stories to be read • Joins in and acts out stories • Selects books to read for pleasure |
• Has a go at reading own words
• Enjoys listening to stories • Reads for a range of purposes (pleasure & information) • Responds sensitively to stories • Discusses favourite books, authors • Selects own reading material according to interest • Reconstructs information gained |
• Self-motivated to read
• Reads for range of purposes • Responds sensitively • Discusses favourite books, authors, particular genres • Makes comparisons with other texts • Confidence to read a wide selection of texts • Reads alone for prolonged periods of time |
• Avidly pursues a favourite author, books compared and recommended
• Feels strongly about reading preferences • Totally absorbed when reading & reads for long periods at home and at school • Sees books and text as a major source of information • Strongly relates to characters in fiction |
* Phases drawn from Indicators for Reading Development Continuum, First Steps
| WEEKLY READING LEARNING AND TEACHING | ||||
| TAUGHT PHONICS | GUIDED READING (DIRECT TEACHING) OF READING) | READING FOR PLEASURE | ALL TEACHING SESSIONS | SUPPORTING EMERGING & STRUGGLING READERS
STRETCHING CONFIDENT READERS |
| • ½ hour Phonics session taught in whole group session. This is using Phonics Bug scheme which is based on Governments agreed Letters and Sounds strategy. As children progress at different rates, children will be supported in catch up groups. The main teaching is as whole class however (Teachers and TAs trained in Phonics)
• Repetition & consolidation activities planned for during free-flow and independent activities. |
• Twice-weekly guided reading sessions taught by the class teacher.
• Phonics Bug Reading Scheme (home readers levelled books) • Teaching assistants will change children’s phonics reading books weekly. Children read their phonics levelled book to the TA/adult, who assesses confidence and identifies another book to support phonic learning or moves child to next level. (Led by TAs under Teacher’s supervision) |
• As well as Phonics Levelled books, books chosen by children and can be taken home every day
• Book bags for every child • Home Reading Record to record reading experience at school and at home. • Story time each day for children during which teacher and other adults share their joy of reading. High quality texts with opportunities for children to read, act out, sing and listen. |
• Will provide opportunities for children to read. Text on IWB. Children invited to read along.
• Key Vocab on display and used throughout sessions • Literacy Learning Wall identifies focused language. Referred to by adults and children. • Teaching demonstrates the excitement of stories and the importance of finding out information • Everyone is celebrated as a reader. Adults are vigilant to identify how children have been successful in their reading development. |
• Identified children/new starters/ EAL and SEN and G&T focused support
• Reading Recovery |
| ASSESSING PHONICS AND READING | ||||
| TAUGHT PHONICS | GUIDED READING (DIRECT TEACHING) OF READING) | READING FOR PLEASURE | ALL TEACHING SESSIONS | SUPPORTING EMERGING & STRUGGLING READERS |
| • Phonics Tests
• Sight Word tests • Assessment informs groupings for Phonics sessions (particularly in later phases) |
• Guided Reading assessment format completed and children tracked
• Running Record |
• Home Records show daily reading at home
• They identify children’s enjoyment of texts • Finding the ‘buzz’ in literacy sessions |
• Lesson monitoring
• Shared best practice • Learning Walls discussed by children – direct impact on children’s learning |
• Tracking children
• Reading record completed after each session to inform planning and teaching |
Reading in Key Stage 2
Pupils are given individual reading books to take home and rehearse key skills in reading linked to their learning at school. Pupils also take part in daily whole class reading sessions with a focus on inference, deduction, using evidence from the text and reinforcing reading for pleasure across genres.
Reading is taught across the curriculum and language acquisition is a focus in all subject areas.
Pupils will as a class interpret questions linked to a text such as:
- What evidence in the text is there to support…?
- How does the character feel about his XXX and what is their relationship like? Use evidence.
- What does XXX say to make you think that she is feeling confident that Cam will change his mind?
- Why do you think the author has used the word solemn to describe XXX and what is the impact on the reader?
- What is the mood of the text in the first paragraph and how is this created?
- Why is it important to listen to advice?
The lesson is heavily weighted towards discussion around a text so that pupils are able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.
List of Recommended books:
Please click on the links below to download the recommened books for reading.
Recommended Reading Books for Year 1
Recommended Reading Books for Year 2
Recommended Reading Books for Year 3
Recommended Reading Books for Year 4
Recommended Reading Books for Year 5