Phonics and Reading
Phonics and Early Reading
Phonics
We believe that good reading and spelling is an essential skills that allows children to communicate their understanding in all curriculum subjects. In order for pupils to develop into effective and confident spellers, they need to develop and use a range of spelling strategies. For this to be achieved, spelling is taught actively and explicitly with the understanding that the greatest impact on spelling is achieved when children are encouraged to use new spellings, and their associated rules in their writing. Regular analysis of pupils’ spelling ensure that support is provided, tailored to the specific needs of the child or year group.
In EYFS and KS1, phonics lessons are taught daily using the Read Write Inc. phonics programme. In KS2, children experience 5 spelling lessons per week, lasting between 15-20 minutes, with spellings sent home weekly to reinforce the learning at home. No matter whether a phonics or a spelling lesson is being taught or whether pupils from Reception or Year 6 are being taught it, practice follows the same teaching sequence, in line with the Read Write Inc. structure.
The school staff will measure the impact on the children through regular summative assessment (through the use of Read Write Inc assessments, termly NFER assessments, spelling tests and application in written work). This will allow the staff to identify where your child is currently working and identify their next steps.
Reading and Phonics:
In EYFS and KS1, the children will read books from the Read Write Inc. scheme in their lessons. The children will then bring home storybooks from the class library to share at home and/or Book Bag Books matched to the Read Write Inc. level to read.
Order of progression:
| Read Write Inc. Book Level | |
| Ditty | |
| Red Ditty | |
| Green books | |
| Purple books | |
| Pink books | |
| Orange books | |
| Yellow books | |
| Blue books | |
| Grey books |
English Programme of Study
Our writing curriculum is based around high quality texts. Each sequence of learning complete aims to build on and consolidate the children's prior knowledge and cater towards their next steps. Vocabulary, language and oracy is a key driver of our curriculum. The rich and varied texts we use not only develop knowledge and understanding of the world, but also improve vocabulary. This also feeds into our reading curriculum and cross-curricular writing.
At Grove Primary School and Nursery, we are dedicated to developing each child’s abilities within an integrated programme of speaking and listening, reading and writing. Children will be given opportunities to interrelate the requirements of the English curriculum within a broad and balanced approach to the teaching of English across the curriculum, with opportunities to consolidate and practice taught literacy skills.
We strive for all children to become competent readers and writers. By the end of Key Stage Two, we aim for a child to be able to:
- Read easily, fluently and with good understanding;
- Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information;
- Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;
- Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage;
- Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences;
- Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas;
- Be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debates.
English Curriculum Year 1 - 6
National Curriculum - Years 1 - 6.pdf
Reading at The Grove
Reading at Grove is taught as a stand-alone subject and it is important that our children's reading skills are developed using a number of age-appropriate approaches.
Across Reception and Key Stage 1, children are exposed to daily phonics teaching, using Read Write Inc as the synthetics phonetical scheme. In Read Write Inc, children learn sounds and the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters. Then, they read books written using only the letters they have learnt (and a small number of separately taught 'tricky words'). This gives children early success and builds up their reading confidence. Phonics is diligently tracked to ensure children are in the appropriate groups and to allow teachers to identify where targeted/precision teaching is required. Children are also exposed to reading from an adult each day to model and share reading as a group.
In Key Stage 2, reading is taught as a daily stand-alone lesson using a variety of text sources such as whole quality texts, extracts from books, poems or short stories. Children work in their year groups, completing a mixture of Close Reading activities and comprehension. The focus for both of these activities is to provide a rich and varied curriculum, improve vocabulary and develop a knowledge and understanding of the world. Lessons are adapted to support children of all learning levels. Children are encouraged to verbalise and share their ideas for immediate feedback from the teacher or their learning partner; learning partners are a key part of learning as they encourage and facilitate discussion. Children are also exposed to reading from an adult each day to model and share reading as a group.
Writing at The Grove
Approaches to Writing
Applying a 'mastery approach' to writing, in line with the writing objectives laid out in the national curriculum, secure the developmental building blocks of writing: vocabulary, gramma, sentence structure and paragraphing. Gramma is taught within lessons to help the children build up knowledge and apply in their own writing.
Every year group will experience some form of writing daily. From Year 1 onwards, the children will have a daily writing lesson which should include the grammar the children will be focusing on for their unit of work. Children should revisit and edit their work to refine word- and sentence-level skills, and to develop coherence within and across paragraphs.
Specific skills are developed in relation to fiction and non-fiction pieces of work. It is expected that each year group will have access to a broad range of texts including non-fiction, fiction and poetry.
We will measure the impact through learning walks, book looks, formative and summative assessment (through the use of assessed pieces of writing), and pupil/parent/teacher voice. Senior Leaders will evaluate the impact and assess pupils’ learning termly.
Sequences of Learning:
Within the sequence of learning, each class use 'incidental write', which will be assessed to identify the next steps in the learning process and teachers use this assessment to select the next sequence focus to be used in their class.
Step 1: Engage deeply within the text before teaching begins. It is advised that teachers complete a writerly knowledge chart to fully understand the text they are teaching so they are clear about what the expectations will be for the final outcome.
Step 2: Find out what your class already know with an elicitation task.
Step 3: Once the elicitation task has been complete, the children will start learning about the text which will enable them to retell the story.
Step 4: Practice writing and enable the children to adapt the text. Modelled writing is a key aspect of this step and should be clearly displayed as a step on your classroom display so children can refer to it.
Step 5: Independent writing which enable the children to create their own piece of writing.
Spelling at The Grove
Phonics and Spelling
At Grove, spelling is taught actively and explicitly with the understanding that the greatest impact on spelling is achieved when children encouraged to use new spelling, and their associated rules in their writing. Regular analysis of pupils' spelling ensure that support is provided, tailored to the specific needs of the child or year group.
In Nursery, children will be introduced to hearing initial sounds and will explore making relationship between sounds and images. In Reception and KS1, phonics lessons should be taught using the Read Write Inc phonics programme. In KS2, children experience at least 3 spelling lessons per week, lasting between 15-20 minutes, with spellings sent home regularly to reinforce the learning at home.
We measure the impact through learning walks, book looks, formative and summative assessment (through the use of Read Write Inc, termly NFER assessments, informal spelling tests and application in written work), and pupil/parent/teacher voice.
Curriculum Intent
The Purpose of English
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially plays a key role in such development. Reading also enable pupils both to acquire knowledge and build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.
Aims
At Grove Primary School and Nursery, we are dedicated to developing each child’s abilities within an integrated programme of speaking and listening, reading and writing. Children will be given opportunities to interrelate the requirements of the English curriculum within a broad and balanced approach to the teaching of English across the curriculum, with opportunities to consolidate and practice taught literacy skills.
We strive for all children to become competent readers and writers. By the end of Key Stage Two, we aim for a child to be able to:
- Read easily, fluently and with good understanding;
- Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information;
- Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;
- Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage;
- Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences;
- Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas;
- Be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debates.
Approaches to Writing
To encourage the emergence of competent writers, a range of opportunities and provisions for phonics, spelling and writing are made.
Intent
At the Grove, we use an approach to write based on Babcock’s Sequences of Learning. This helps to build upon the developmental building blocks of writing: vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and paragraphing. Grammar is taught within lessons to help children build up knowledge and apply within lessons. This is then strengthened through the process of pupils revisiting and reapplying their skills. Applying a ‘mastery approach’ to writing also allows for the greater development of vocabulary, with all the above carried out in line with the writing objectives laid out in the national curriculum.
The sequences of learning approach has many other advantages including breaking the writing process down into manageable, explicitly taught chunks and provides pupils with opportunities to practise skills repeatedly – but in different contexts. There are also opportunities presented for extended writing pieces. The approach places emphasis on pupils’ understanding of the writing process, with planning and revision being key aspects that are explicitly taught, in order for pupils to use them independently. This helps to develop the children’s metacognition and will place pupils in a strong position in regard to their future schooling. It is expected that children make simple edits to their work throughout their schooling, from making simple letter corrections in EYFS to editing longer pieces of work to improve in KS2.
Approaches to Phonics and Spelling
Intent
We believe that good reading and spelling is an essential skills that allows children to communicate their understanding in all curriculum subjects. In order for pupils to develop into effective and confident spellers, they need to develop and use a range of spelling strategies. For this to be achieved, spelling is taught actively and explicitly with the understanding that the greatest impact on spelling is achieved when children are encouraged to use new spellings, and their associated rules in their writing. Regular analysis of pupils’ spelling ensure that support is provided, tailored to the specific needs of the child or year group.
Approaches to Reading
Intent
For pupils to succeed in education, reading has got to be a priority. Pupils’ reading ability and knowledge acquisition are of great importance, with the associated costs to the lives of individuals and wider society being enormous (World Literacy Foundation, 2015). A recent review of research (Castles, Rastle and Nation, 2018) synthesised over 300 studies to highlight best practice: a phonics-based approach to help young children crack the ‘alphabetic code’: Immersion in test to develop word-recognition and the influence of knowledge, processing and cognition on wider comprehension.
In taking these aspects into consideration, our aim is for all pupils – irrespective of their needs, abilities or background – to learn to read fluently and with understanding. We aim to meet, and where possible exceed, the expectations laid out in the Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum, with pupils’ progression appropriately across school. Once children can decode text effectively, we aim to build word recognition and develop comprehension skills in order to produce secure, confident, independent readers who enjoy and understand the benefits of reading.
Reading Spines
The aim of this reading spine is to provide an extensive list of core books which staff can apply to their own long-term plans. These are books to use as class reads, study books for writing and whole class reading, recommendations for reading areas or for extracts (taken from them to look at in greater detail). The intention is that by the time they reach year 6 and beyond, they have developed a wide, rich vocabulary and broader knowledge of the world and, as a result, are able to access the more complex books expected of them in secondary schools. It should be noted that book and text selection in school not only considers narratives and poems but also recognises that a good balance of topic-appropriate non-fiction should also be read to help further develop children’s background knowledge of the subject they are studying.
Our reading spine is a working document, as staff discover new books that suit topic areas that are being covered, texts are chosen for writing and new books for pleasure are discovered to share with the children.
Grove Primary Reading Spine 2023 Nursery 2.pdf
Grove Primary Reading Spine 2023 Lower KS2 (Yr 3 and 4).pdf
Grove Primary Reading Spine 2023 Reception.pdf
Useful Links
Below is a list of websites that you may find useful to look at to support your child's learning.
Please be aware that these websites are external to the school and we are not responsible for their content or advertising.
Phonics
Reading
Writing
SPaG
Book Band Information
Reading
In Early Years and Key Stage 1, the school uses ‘Read Write Inc’ Reading Scheme. Within this scheme, there are fiction and non-fiction books which correlate to the National Book Bands (please see Phonics page). From Year 3 or when the children are ready for their next reading stage, the school uses a vast selection of reading books (from a range of reading schemes), which are carefully graded by reading levels known as book bands. As a rough guide, children are expected to reach the highest level (lime) at seven years old. Children who read above lime level are reading fairly fluently and although some books are still graded above this level, children are reading such a wide range of material that the banding becomes not so important. Below is a guide of what colour band you can expect your child to be reading in school and at home:
The books will vary in a number of ways, including layout, size, vocabulary and length, to give the children a rich diet of literature. The difference between each colour band/number stage is very gradual, so that children do not experience great difficulty moving up through the scheme.
Progress through the bands is not automatic and it is important to ensure that children working in the early bands have secure understanding so that they remain in control of the task and well-motivated as they move on to more challenging texts.
To help you understand how the book bands correlate with different schemes of books that we have in school (such as Big Cat and Oxford Reading Tree), please see the document below.
Reading at Home
Reading at home
It is important to encourage your child to read and listen to them read regularly at home to develop their fluency and understanding.
Oxford Owl have a free eBook library that is available for you to access; all you need to do is register and login using the following link: Oxford Reading Books
Read Write Inc. Phonics
If your child is being taught to read using the Read Write Inc. programme, you can find books suitable for them by clicking on the ‘Levels’ menu below and using the 'Read Write Inc.' filter to select the right level.
We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding of the story.
Sharing books and reading for pleasure
If your child is reading simply for enjoyment, comprehension, or practice, just browse the library or use any of the other filters. Your child's teacher will let you know which book band your child is on and when they are ready to move up to the next level. In EYFS and KS1, we have introduced share at home book bags; these are for the children to share with their parents. In KS2, children will bring home colour banded books, as well as a share for pleasure book.
Tips to support reading at home
To help your child learn to read and support your child when reading at home, use the following tips:
The Oxford Owl website is full of information to support the teaching of reading for all year groups, with additional information for spelling, writing and grammar from Year 1 onwards.
EYFS and KS1
At Grove Primary School and Nursery, we teach the children to read using a structured phonics programme called Read Write Inc. Children begin by learning the letter sounds and how to blend them together. We call this ‘Fred Talk.’ For example:
m – a – t = mat
Children begin by learning the simple sounds:
Children progress to learning the complex speed sounds. For example:
t – r – ai – n = train
f – ire = fire
When reading, we encourage children to find sounds that they already know which we call ‘special friends’. Children are also taught to ‘Fred in their head’ so that they start to become fluent readers.
Reading with your child in KS1:
Before listening to your child read ask them:
- Why did you choose this book?
- Is it fiction or non fiction? How do you know?
- What do you think this book is about?
- Have you read any other books with a giant / little boy / pirate?
- What do you think will happen? (stories)
- Read the blurb and discuss.
When listening to your child read, encourage them to:
- Blend the sounds together to decode the words (children call it Fred Talk) for example:
- n – igh – t = night
- b – l – a – ck = black
- Identify special friends (sounds they recognise) in a word
- Fred in their head
- Clapping out syllables or chunks in words and names can help with reading longer words: Di-no-saur! Cho-co-late! Or point out that some words are made up of two words, so wind and then mill makes windmill
- Recognise high frequency words (children may call them No Excuses words) e.g. he, she, the, me, my
- Notice their own mistakes if it doesn’t make sense
- Self correct.
Talk about their understanding of the text:
- Ask them questions using the bank of questions provided on the next page e.g. what was the character like? Which word in the text means fast? If you were the author which word would you use here? If you were the author how would you change the ending?
- Notice the punctuation
- Read with expression and fluency
- Notice the features in a text, for example: why has the writer put that word in bold / capital letters? Why has the author used an ellipsis?
After listening to your child read ask them:
- Which was your favourite part of the story and why?
- Tell me 2 / 3 / 4 things that happened in the book?
- What happened at the beginning / middle / end?
- After reading a page, can you tell me what happened?
- Can you find me a fact about…? Can you use the index / glossary…?
- Retell the story.
- Make a fact poster with the facts they have learned.
Questions you can ask your child when reading:
Here we have provided you with a selection of questions that you can use to support your child when reading.
- How could the character have chosen to behave in a different way?
- How would that change the story?
- How do you know…?
- e.g. the girl was annoyed / frightened / happy / in a hurry)
- Why do people need to…?
- e.g. look after their teeth, be careful near water
- What did Sam do that might have made Ben angry?
- What made the castle smelly?
- True or false questions
- How is a puppy the same as a human baby?
- Choose an adjective and can you tell me a different word e.g. big – huge, sad – upset
- What does this word mean?
- Which word / phrase tell you…?
- e.g. that the setting is spooky
- There is a word on this page that means fast – can you find it (quick)
- Find and copy a word / phrase that means..
- Who does the dog belong to?
- What is the girl doing?
- Where did the boy travel to?
- When did they find…?
- Which character said…?
- How did the boy get to space?
- Why did the girl go to the park?
- Give two things that the girl finds..
- What happened in the beginning / middle / end?
- What happened after?
- Can you tell me four events that happened in the book?
- Put these events in order.
KS2
KS2 Reading Support Question Stems
When reading with your child, use these question stems to help you ask questions as they are reading. This will help to support your child’s understanding of the text they have read.
2a – Word meaning:
- What does X mean?
- Can you think of another word with the same meaning as X?
- Can you replace X with a different adjective / noun / verb etc?
- Can you use X in a different context?
- How would the context change the meaning of X?
- Which word is closest in meaning to X? a) W b) Y c) Z
2b – Retrieval (Children must be able to find the answer in the text):
- What is happening in X?
- Find the word/s or phrase which tells you X
- What / who / why / when / where….. ? Quote from the text
- What does the text say about X?
- Where in the text is X?
- What does X think about Y?
2c – Summarising:
- What has happened in the story so far?
- What are the key points of the first two paragraphs?
- Summarise the paragraphs you have just read.
- Tell me what you have just read in one sentence.
- Sum up the main points.
- Tell me the purpose of the text in one sentence.
2d – Inference (children look for clues in the text but are not able to lift the answer directly):
- Why / what / how / where / who / when do you think…?
- How do you know…?
- Explain why X happened / felt that way / acted in that way?
- Give evidence from the text to show X
- What impression do you get of X?
- What in the text suggests…?
2e – Prediction:
- Predict what will happen next.
- What do you think will happen next and how do you know?
- What do you think will happen to X?
- Now that X has happened, how do you think that will change things for Y?
- What do you think X will do next?
2f – Meaning and Organisation:
- What is the overall meaning of this text?
- What effect does the text have on the reader?
- What organisational features has the author used?
- Why has the author set the text out in this way?
- What is the impact of X?
- What can you tell about the time OR place OR culture the story is set in / the writer is living in?
2g – Writer’s word choice:
- What did the author choose that word?
- What other word / phrase could they have used? How would that have changed the meaning?
- What effect was the author trying to create with the following words: _____ ?
- Identify figurative language / simile / metaphor etc. How does this impact the text / reader?
2h – Comparisons within the text (overview)
- Compare X to Y.
- How does the final paragraph link to the introduction?
- How does paragraph 1 link to paragraph 2?
- How has X changed throughout the text? (e.g. feelings, personality, atmosphere etc).