READING

Our aim for reading at Moorpark is to increase the opportunities for all readers, in particular those who do not read at home.
Guided Reading

Entitlement
Guided Reading is to be taught at least three times per week for 30 minutes in every year group across the school.

Guided Reading Approach
Guided Reading is taught through a whole class skills-based approach at Moorpark, with the aim to allow all children access to the end of Key Stage 2 key objectives throughout the year.
These key objectives are:
• give / explain the meaning of words in context
• retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction
• summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph
• make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text
• predict what might happen from details stated and implied
• identify / explain how information / narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole
• identify / explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases
• make comparisons within the text

Each of these strands will be repeated through each year group at an age-appropriate level, meaning that by the end of Year 6, all children will have visited these key objectives four times.

During Guided Reading sessions, children will take part in a number of activities to develop and improve their knowledge and understanding of the specific skill that they are working on. This could be through games, reading texts, discussions with adults or through written work in their books. Children will be provided with work appropriate to their reading age.

Throughout the week, the class teacher will work with each group and will listen to each child read aloud a part of the text that they are working on.

As well as a skills based approach, children will also take part in cold comprehensions, which will test their understanding of an unfamiliar text at their reading level.

During Guided Reading lessons, teachers will ‘live mark’ and address errors and misconceptions as they are spotted.

Phonics
Children who require additional phonics work in Year 3 will work in a small, targeted group during Guided Reading, to allow them to make accelerated progress with their phonics knowledge.

Reading In English Lessons

Each year group at Moorpark will have a class text, often based around their current topic. During English lessons, children will be given the opportunity to read the text or listen to the teacher read the story aloud. During these sessions, children will unpick the text and identify key features which the author has used and which they would like to ‘magpie’ or imitate in their own writing.

Reading Time in School

Each child will have access to 30 minutes reading time during the school day, usually before or after dinnertime. During this time, children will have the opportunity to read their Accelerated Reader reading book and complete quizzes if needed. Children will also be listened to at least once a week by an adult in their room. For children who have English as an additional language or are on the SEN register, this will be daily. Staff will write in the children’s reading diaries when they have been listened to, which pages they have read and any strengths and/or areas for development.

Additional Support for Reading

• All children will visit a local library at least once a year and will be given a library card which they can use to take out and return books.
• Children on the SEN register for reading will have additional, adult-led interventions to help them to make accelerated progress.
• Throughout the year, children may have a visit from an author and a workshop based upon this.
• Reading interventions will be planning and carried out for those who need additional support with their reading.
• Children in Year 6 may take part in reading boosters to help them reach SATs age related standard.
• Other subjects may be taught through reading, eg: Topic, and Science.
• Cross-curricular comprehension activities will be undertaken to acquire knowledge.
• Watch Me Learns will take place with a focus on reading skills.
• Specific vocabulary lessons will be taught as part of weekly English lessons.
• Vocabulary parade days will occur at least once in the year to encourage children to learn to read and understand new and unfamiliar words.
• Children are expected to read three times at home during the week and will be supported by the school if this is not taking place.

Assessment for Reading

Assessment for reading is part of an on-going process that teachers and other support staff will undertake during every lesson.

Formal assessments will be taken termly and used to inform teacher assessment. For Year 6 this may be more regular due to end of year SATs tests. For each year group these may take the form of SATs style questions or other year group assessments and will be backed up by Accelerated Reader reports, Accelerated Reader Star Assessment tests and the work demonstrated by the children in lessons.

Video recordings of children reading aloud and discussing texts may also be taken to inform teacher assessment.

Accelerated Reader and Myon

Accelerated Reader is a computerised programme that has not only been specifically designed to improve children’s reading ability and continue to raise their reading age, but also to encourage and nurture a love of reading that will continue into adulthood.

The Accelerated Reader Program works by identifying a child’s ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) which is essentially a selection of books that will not only match their ability, but will also challenge them and develop their vocabulary. Each child in Y3-6 has sat a short online comprehension test in order to determine their ZPD. Using the outcomes of these tests, children will be directed to choose books from the school library that fall within this range and when they have finished the book, they will take a short, electronic quiz that assesses their understanding of what they have read. This enables us as teachers to have meaningful discussions about a child’s reading: what they have learnt and how we can help them to develop. It also enables us to closely monitor individual reading progress and ensure that children are selecting books that are challenging enough to meet their individual needs.

At Moorpark Junior School, we want pupils to appreciate how valuable and rewarding reading can be and dedicated time is built into our curriculum for independent reading. 

Myon is an online resource linked directly to Accelerated Reader which enables the children to choose from an even wider selection of online books linked to their ZPD, which they can then quiz on when they are back in school.