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Vocabulary & Reading

Vocabulary

‘Use a wide range of explicit and implicit approaches including planning the teaching of vocabulary, modelling and extending children’s language and thinking’

EF Research: Improving Literacy in Key Stage One, published 4th September 2021

Vocabulary is taught both discreetly and within all of our subjects. Every Literacy lesson begins with a 5-10 minute vocabulary input either to pre teach something for that lesson, teach our word of the day or to retrieve teaching that has already occurred. As well as our whole school word of the day vocabulary -which is a mixture of tier one and two words from the Vocabulary Ninja scheme- children are exposed to predetermined tier two vocabulary which progresses throughout their journey at school. Teachers have a set bank of words from which to teach and they carefully plan when to include them in their teaching sequences for maximum impact and so that they are remembered and used well. Once specific vocabulary has been taught, it will be added to our vocabulary walls and will be defined and exemplified. Children are encouraged, and rewarded, for using these words orally and within their writing

Reading

‘Both decoding (the ability to translate written words into the sounds of spoken language) and comprehension (the ability to understand the meaning of the language being read) skills are necessary for confident and competent reading, but neither is sufficient on its own.’  

EEF Research: Improving Literacy in Key Stage One, published 4th September 2021

Our curriculum has reading at its core and is driven by the need for our children to develop respect, initiative, and a healthy lifestyle as well as to understand the possibilities within their community and of the world in which they live.  
 
Each class has a selection of quality texts that are used as ‘class texts’ throughout the year.  These have been chosen for a number of reasons: to promote and celebrate diversity, for enjoyment, to introduce classic literature and to enrich children’s access to high quality vocabulary and language structures.  These texts are read to the children and they respond to them during some of their reading workshop sessions. 
 

Reading workshops happen four times per week and enable teachers across the school to deliver quality guided reading sessions- focused on supporting children to develop a rich knowledge of reading strategies.  As EEF research suggests that the best approach to teaching reading is through a variety of strategies, our children receive a whole class reading session each week.  Children will all have at least one guided reading session per week with targeted children receiving further intervention where the need is identified.   Whilst the adults deliver these small group sessions, other ‘groups’ of children complete various reading tasks (adapted to the children’s level/need) to scaffold and support their learning further.  Our teachers have regular INSET to support their own professional development and to ensure that a consistent approach is used across the school.    
 
Where children are working below the expected standard, they will receive interventions.  These children will be identified in a number of ways: through pupil progress meetings; in discussions with teachers; from analysing data and other assessment tools.  Children who are working 2 or more years below their age expected level will all receive 1:1 daily reading opportunities with skilled staff including teachers, HLTAs and TAs.  All children who are less than 2 years below but are not yet meeting their age related expectation will receive an extra guided reading session per week.  
 

Reading for Enjoyment

There is time built into each week for all children to read for enjoyment and to develop their own opinions of the books that they read.  We have developed a schedule of events that we believe will help us to instil a love of reading in our children. 

Book Corners

Our book corners have been created with the support of our PSFA and our teachers create them each year with their individual classes in mind.  We want our children to feel like their favourite books, characters, genres are reflected in their classroom environments.  
 

Our School Library

The school library is the centre of our school.  It reflects our topics that are taught throughout our wider curriculum and is a hub of both fiction and non-fiction for our whole school to enjoy and use.   It is our intention that our library becomes a place for not just our children but also their families and the wider community. 
 

 “The school library can be about many things – it can promote and support leisure-time reading, contribute to the social development of the students in the school and provide a place to study and do homework.”

National Literacy Trust- School Libraries research report.