Reading

Reading at MGJS

At Meath Green Junior School, we introduce reading to our children in many ways across the curriculum. Within our explicit literacy provision, reading is taught through phonics and spelling strategies to develop reading ability and skills, book-based units that are embedded in our literacy provision. VIPERS sessions, free reading opportunities and trips to our school library bus are a regular occurrence. Additionally, we run whole school termly ‘Reading Book Raffles’ to encourage our pupils to read for pleasure.

Our reading skills are taught through VIPERS – an acronym for ‘Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Summary’.

Phonics

We work closely with our KS1 feeder schools to ensure that pupils with gaps in their phonics knowledge are identified early and suitable interventions are put in place. In the Autumn term, identified pupils working with significant phonic gaps continue to use ELS (Essential Letters and Sounds) resources to ensure seamless transition from KS1 to KS2. Reading materials are matched to their phonetic stage. Children working on higher phases and with some gaps in phonic knowledge are assessed on our KS2 phonics intervention programme - Fresh Start (DfE validated programme). The pupils work through modules from their starting points and have access to appropriately matched reading materials (Fresh Start reading anthologies). For children who have completed their phonics phases, they select books at an appropriate banded colour to ensure they are reading texts that are age and stage appropriate.

What is our end goal?

Firstly, our aim is to foster a love of reading in all the children. Our end goal for reading follows two strands – assessment and every day. In assessments, we aim for all pupils to reach their full potential by the end of Year 6 and expect the vast majority of our pupils to be at the expected standard (EXS) or working at Greater Depth (GDS) when they complete KS2 assessments. We also aim for pupils to maintain or increase their pace of progress from their KS1 assessments. We have three PiXL data captures through assessments every academic year.

What does a successful MGJS pupil look like?

A successful pupil will finish their MGJS learning journey as a capable and confident reader, who has developed the reading skills that they need to allow them to succeed both in everyday life and academically.

What does a reader working at the expected standard (EXS) look like?

We expect a reader at the expected standard to demonstrate the majority of their year group criteria by the end of the year. They will have a developing sense of confidence when reading aloud, demonstrating their aptitude in word reading and comprehension.

What does a reader working at greater depth (GDS) look like?

We expect a reader working at greater depth to be achieving their year group criteria by the end of the year. They will demonstrate an increased understanding of the purpose that different literacy devices have and a sense of authorial intent (the author’s reason for writing as they do). Further into the key stage, a GDS pupil will be able to identify and evaluate the impact of what they are reading. Most importantly, this must be evident consistently and confidently over a range of text types.

What do we cover?

We cover reading across many different lessons in our curriculum and teach it through a range of topics, themes and texts. The map below highlights how the key skills of reading progress through the school and the level at which they are focused on within each year group.

Progression of Reading Skills

Oracy

Pupils can begin to explain what they know and what they think, using evidence.

“I like this because…” “I remember that…”

“It appears that… because…”

Pupils are able to share opposing views to their peers and appraise work of themselves and others.

“I understand you point of view, however…”

“You could improve your work by…”

Pupils have a stronger sense of their own thoughts and opinions, whilst they also can begin to balance both sides of an argument.

“An argument for/against would be…”

“In my opinion…”

“I can also see that…”

Pupils can make assured statements, based on their knowledge and opinions, whilst having a deeper ability to listen to and consider other viewpoints.

“The similarities and differences are…”

“I am convinced that…” “In conclusion,…”

“This is supported by the fact

that…”

Fluency

Can read aloud, sounding out unfamiliar words accurately and without hesitation.

Recognises punctuation and is able to pause and stop at relevant points.

Reads clearly and accurately, applying punctuation when it occurs.

Starting to use expression and intonation, showing an awareness of their audience.

Reads with growing fluency and pace, using punctuation, expression and intonation where appropriate for the audience and purpose.

Demonstrates a growing vocabulary.

Uses fluency skills from previous year groups to support an appreciation of authorial intent, audience and purpose.

Understanding of how moods, tension and pace are created in text.

Word reading

Use phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words accurately.

Begin to apply knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes.

Able to read most of the Year 3 and 4 statutory words.

Use phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words quickly and accurately.

Increasingly apply knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes.

Able to read all of the Year 3 and 4 statutory words.

Read most words with fluidity and confidence, attempting any unfamiliar words with increasing speed and skill.

Able to read most of the Year 5 and 6 statutory words.

Read confidently, applying knowledge of statutory words and spelling rules, as well as recognising cues from the text to help gather meaning.

Able to read most of the Year 5 and 6 statutory words.

Vocabulary

Pupils are able to identify, read and define words relevant to their year group topics, across the curriculum.

Regularly ask for help to read unfamiliar words when encountered.

Pupils are able to identify, read and define words relevant to their year group topics, across the curriculum.

Demonstrate an awareness of how vocabulary can affect meaning in writing.

Regularly ask for help with reading unfamiliar words when encountered, including asking for their meaning.

Pupils are able to read words relevant to their year group topics, across the curriculum.

Understand how words or phrases can impact the meaning of writing and how an author might choose their vocabulary.

Have an understanding of previously unfamiliar words that they have encountered.

Pupils are able to identify, read and define words relevant to their year group topics, across the curriculum.

Explain the effect that vocabulary has on a piece of writing, suggesting why an author made that choice.

Can apply a working knowledge of previously unfamiliar words that they have encountered.

Inference

Use information from a text to make a simple inference about a character or setting.

Provide answers to inference questions verbally.

Identify evidence from a text that allows a reader to make a simple inference about a character or setting.

Provide answers to inference questions verbally or in writing.

Explain how an inferred answer was reached, with evidence from the text.

Provide answers to inference in writing or verbally – either presenting an answer or

through questioning.

Use evidence to support inferred understanding of a text, including emotions, opinions, tone, tension and theme.

Provide answers to inference

questions verbally, in writing or as part of a discussion.

Prediction

Share a basic prediction of what might happen next in a narrative text.

Use knowledge of a narrative text to make a prediction of what may happen next, giving evidence to support an answer.

Use knowledge of a text to make a prediction of what may happen before or after a given point in a narrative, giving evidence to support an answer by analysing clues

from the text.

Offer a range of suggestions for what might happen before or after a given point in a narrative, discussing which is more certain by analysing clues from the text and applying own experience.

Explanation

Ask questions to help gain a better understanding of a text.

Identify the key themes of a text.

Explain why the text’s layout relates to its genre.

Ask succinct questions to help gain a better understanding of a text.

Explain why a text has certain features, relating to its genre.

Identify key themes and features across a range of genres.

Begin to be able to explain the impact of themes and features within a text on its meaning.

Explain own understanding of a piece of text, referring to theme, features and vocabulary used.

Justify explanations with evidence from across a text, including surface level and inferred content.

Retrieval

Identify main ideas and extract key information from a selected paragraph.

Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts.

Use an index to help retrieve information from a book.

Identify main ideas and extract key information from a selected paragraph within a wider text.

Retrieve and record information from both fiction and non-fiction texts.

Use a contents page and an index to help retrieve information from a book.

Identify main ideas and extract key information from a text.

Retrieve and record information from a wider range of both fiction and non-fiction texts.

Use features of a book to help retrieve information from relevant sections, including

fact boxes.

Confidently identify main ideas and extract key information from a piece of text, across any genre of fiction or non-fiction.

Make clear distinction between statements of fact and opinion within a text.

Summarisation

Sequence the key events of a short narrative, using chronological order.

Share a summary of main ideas from a paragraph of writing, fiction or non-fiction.

Sequence the key events of a longer text (including narratives and recounts), using chronological order.

Share a summary of main ideas from up to 3 paragraphs of writing, fiction or non-fiction, identifying key details from each.

Sequence the key events of a text that includes more than one timeline / perspective / narrative.

Share a summary of main ideas from a page of fiction or non-fiction, sharing relevant key details from throughout.

Sequence the key events from a text of any appropriate genre.

Identify and summarise the key points from a piece of non- fiction text, recording them as bullet points.

Share a summary of main ideas from an entire piece of writing, at least one page of fiction or non-fiction, sharing relevant key details from throughout.

Reading for Pleasure

Able to independently read for 5 minutes.

Enjoys selecting a book from the class book corner or school library.

Able to independently read for 10 minutes.

Select books around a certain theme, using the class book corner or school library.

Give opinions about a book that they have read and reasons to support.

Able to independently read for 15 minutes.

Use books to help support understanding and knowledge, across the curriculum or for research tasks.

Recommends books to their peers.

Able to independently read for 20 minutes.

Accesses a wide range of texts from across genres and is able to read confidently for pleasure and for research.

Recommends books to their

peers, justifying why they enjoyed them.

Stretch

Across all year groups, our pupils are challenged to extend the range of the texts that they are reading and have an assured sense of why they enjoy the texts that they enjoy. We do this by reviewing books in writing or verbally, as well as sharing texts as a class.