Reading
At St George's, we believe that reading is a fundamental life skill and as such we place a huge amount of importance on the development of good phonological knowledge and the acquisition of early reading skills.
Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary and material. They are able to recommend books to their peers and enjoy reading a wide range of genres, including non-fiction. Children enjoy participating in book talk, including evaluating an author’s use of language and how this can affect the reader. We encourage our pupils to see themselves as discerning readers and to be confident in discussing not only whether they enjoy a text but also the extent to which they agree with it. We ensure the books we read are part of our rich reading diet and in our books corners are representative of our wider school community and reflect the diversity of our childrens’ lived experiences.
How we teach Reading (KS2)
We teach reading comprehension through daily reading lessons using Grammarsaurus Comprehension Crushers. Throughout the year, children will read and analyse fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts. Reading lessons include:
An element of prosody (reading with feeling)
A close look at key vocabulary that children may be unfamiliar with
Unpicking the key skill focus for that lesson (retrieval, inference, prediction, summarising, vocabulary, making links)
Modelled answering of questions
Opportunities to apply the day's reading skills independently
Daily reading for pleasure
Teaching fluency by model reading, echo reading, choral reading and paired reading
Children are also given 'Home Reading' books using the Collins Big Cat books. These books provide a wide range of levelled texts to support confident reading in KS2. With rich fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, the range of books encourages deeper thinking and a lasting love of reading as pupils progress through upper primary. Children are encouraged to read their books every night at home, and in addition, 1:1 reading is put in place for children that need extra practise.
In addition to our reading lessons in KS2, we also provide children with:
Opportunities to read for pleasure
Daily support for children in years 3-6 (for any child who is not a fluent reader)
Regular storytimes
Regular, open ended discussions about stories and books.
Opportunities to read and discuss a wide read of genres including poetry and non-fiction (including weekly newspapers to ensure children are aware of local, national and global issues).
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:
Regular visits to the Meadows Library where children choose books to borrow and are read to by the Children’s Librarian.
Regular visits to the school library
Participation in local reading competitions including the library summer reading challenge.
Celebrations for World Book Day with competitions, and author visit and lots of amazing costumes!
Reading Ambassadors who promote a love of reading throughout our school.
Book Swap Boxes- children can loan books from the boxes to read for pleasure at home.
Useful links
Kids' Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen
Author Cressida Cowell Magical Ideas & Stories
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
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