Reading at St Patrick’s
At St Patrick’s school we are developing a new KS1 and KS2 reading programme that will support the development of reading (decoding) and comprehension. We have a selection of books from a wide range of scheme, all the ‘scheme’ books have been organised into book bands, each one with a different colour. This supports children when choosing a book within their level. This programme will ensure that all children will experience a range of genres in order to meet the high expectations of the national curriculum.
Children will be allocated a reading level once class teachers have completed their assessments. Children will then choose which book they would like to read from that colour set. Different publishers organise their schemes with different systems, but the coloured book bands is national and designed to bring all schemes together with a progression in ability.
Each child’s progress will be monitored through Guided Reading sessions and formal assessments; and book levels changed accordingly. Alongside their banded book, children will be able to take a free choice from the class book corners or library.
Helping your child with Phonics
We are using the Read Write Inc phonics scheme to teach children to read and write at St. Patrick’s.
Below are links to websites that will explain the system and, crucially, how the children will be taught letter sounds which they can practice at home. There is also a video showing an example of a Phonics lesson.
There are a lot of activities your children can have a go at and a lot of e-books they can share at home.