Reading

Subject Leader: Alice Nash and Larissa Brown

Curriculum Team: English

Subject: English - Reading 

The Pinkwell WHY for Reading (The Intent - Vision) 
Reading underpins children’s ability to access and understand their global world. We want all children to be confident readers who are able to decode and comprehend with accuracy, speed and confidence. We want our pupils to become readers for life; readers who develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information; who acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading and who have a knowledge and  appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage.

The Pinkwell WHAT for Reading (The Intent - BIG IDEAS)

• To decode fluently: recognise the 40+  sounds and their corresponding letter(s); blend the sounds; have a knowledge of phonetically irregular common words.
• To retrieve and record information and identify key details from fiction and non-fiction texts.
• To draw on knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts and explain the meaning of words. 
• To identify and explain how an author’s choice of words and phrases enhances meaning and impacts the reader.
• To identify and explain the sequence of events in texts and summarise the main ideas from more than one paragraph.
• To make inferences from the text and justify them.
• To predict what might happen on the basis of the details that have been read so far and the details that have been implied.
• To identify and explain key aspects of fiction and non-fiction texts, such as characters, events, titles and information 
• To identify and explain how information or narrative content is related within the text and contributes to meaning as a whole. 
• To make comparisons within and across texts.

The Pinkwell HOW for Reading (The Implementation)
At Pinkwell we use a Hooked on Books approach (created by Jane Considine) for the teaching of reading from EYFS through to the end of Year 6. Key aspects of the Hooked on Books approach are:

• The Reading Rainbow – a fully comprehensive approach that targets reading competencies, covers the National Curriculum and develops understanding at an age expected level from EYFS to Year 6. The reading rainbow lens form the basis of Book Talk and Comprehension sessions, establishing the three ‘reasons to read’, stem sentences and evidence focus for sessions. In addition to this there is a focus on tier two vocabulary through the inclusion of ‘bonus words’ in every session. 
• Book Talk – a whole class comprehension and a targeted  group approach that works simultaneously, ensuring all individuals are working at their level and are accountable.
• Demonstration Comprehension – clear, out loud thinking by the teacher whilst modelling answers to questions and showcasing “thesaurus thinking” to ensure the most precise words are used
• Independent Comprehension - builds on the modelling and learning from the Demonstration Comprehension sessions.
• A daily reading aloud session - the teacher reads to the whole class, demonstrating and fostering a lifelong passion for reading. During these sessions there are short bursts of demonstration reading. 
• Demonstration Reading – the art of modelling the internal thinking of a reader. This is to demonstrate how a reader thinks during the process of ‘reading for meaning.