Developing as a Reader through Upper Juniors What we do in school and how you can help your child at home St. Aldhelm’s Church Primary School

Our School Aims for Reading To teach children the necessary skills to enable them to become fluent and independent readers. To develop and extend the skills of analysis, prediction and interpretation. To enable children to respond to a range of texts and show an understanding of ideas, themes, events and characters. To develop a love of reading.

Key aspects of Reading oWord recognition: odecoding - phonics osight reading of High Frequency words oComprehension: ounderstanding and interpreting texts oengaging with and responding to texts oEnjoyment and Confidence

Simple view of Reading

How we teach reading in Y5 and Y6 We do lots of shared reading of texts within English time, using Reading Detectives and/or Reading Response activities Daily opportunities for independent reading within lessons and within reading time Timetabled 1:1 reading with teacher, teaching assistant or adult volunteer reader for children who are not yet reading at level expected for their year The vast majority of children will be helped to choose from our extensive stock of ‘free readers’ – a few may still be reading colour-banded scheme books Use of class ‘readers’ and focus author / text studies Focused reading tasks (other curriculum areas) Reading targets – helping children to know their next step

Guided reading This is the main way in which teachers work with children at KS2 to develop the children’s reading comprehension skills. Children are grouped by ability to enable focused teaching at an appropriate level for the child.

Texts used We use a range of short stories, poems and non-fiction texts: our focus is on comprehension, use of vocabulary and knowledge of text structure. Within guided reading, we find short chapter stories are much more effective for ‘digging deeper’, rather than dense books of small print!

To progress as readers AND writers, children in Y5 and Y6 need to be able to: -read longer and more complex texts, in a range of genres, with good fluency, so they can ‘hold’ the key information in their heads (accuracy, pace and stamina) - dig deeper to understand how characters are feeling and why (infer/deduce); they need to be able to explain their inferences with ‘evidence’ from the text - expand their knowledge and understanding of more adventurous vocabulary and how author’s use language for specific purposes (language acquisition/ style awareness) - know how and why texts are structured and presented the way they are (esp. non-fiction) (knowledge of different text types and their specific features)

Reading for Meaning In lower juniors, for most children, we focus on four out of the seven assessed aspects of reading: Read It! (AF1) Use a range of strategies including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning Find It! (AF2) Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts Think about it! (AF3) Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts Look at it! (AF4) Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features As children become more proficient, we also work on Listen to It! (AF5) Explain and comment on writers' use of language Respond to It! (AF6) Explain an author’s purpose and find evidence in the text of an author’s viewpoint For less secure ‘decoders’, their main focus is Read It! And Find It! (AF1 and AF2) but with work on other relevant AFs, too.

Reading for Meaning In upper juniors, for most children, we really are aiming to secure children’s ability to respond in detail, both verbally AND in writing, to questions across all AF strands, but especially AF3 to AF7. Think about it! (AF3) Deduce, infer Look at it! (AF4) Identify/comment on text organisation/structure Listen to It! (AF5) Explain and comment on writers' use of language Respond to It! (AF6) Explain an author’s purpose and find evidence in the text of an author’s viewpoint Make Connections! (AF7)- relate texts to their social, cultural and historical traditions

Reading for Meaning CRUCIALLY: For children to demonstrate that they are working at, or above, Y5/6 age related expectations, they need to read widely and ‘with a critical eye’, so that they can talk knowledgeably about their reading. In Year 5 and especially in Y6, the children also have to become confident at: supporting their inferences/views, by drawing upon relevant information from the text they are reading expressing themselves sufficiently clearly when answering written comprehension questions

On the next page, you will find an overview of the progression of children’s reading skills, within each of the assessed reading strands. The text it quite small: you should be able to read it, but perhaps a magnifying glass will be needed!

Assessment Focus AF1 – use a range of strategies, including decoding of text to read for meaning AF2 – understand, describe, select or retrieve information or ideas from texts and use quotations AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from text. AF4 – Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts including grammatical and presentational features at text level AF5 – explain and comment on writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level AF6 – Identify and comment on writers’ purpose and viewpoints, and the overall effect of the text on the reader AF7- relate texts to their social, cultural and historical traditions MIDDLE LEVEL 2 (average child end of Y2) I use phonics, my memory and the meaning of what I am reading to work out new words. I can use index pages, glossaries and chapter headings to find information and answer questions. I can ask and answer ‘why’ questions about what I have read and give reasons for my answer. I notice the punctuation and fonts in texts e.g. italics, exclamation marks, bullet points. I can notice new or interesting or powerful words and say why I think they are good. I can find words and sentences that give a strong feeling e.g. scary, magical, funny. I make links between things I read and notice if something reminds me of another book. MIDDLE LEVEL 3 (higher attainer end of Y3; average child end of Y4) I can use different skills to help me read and understand new words (e.g. phonics, syllables, meaning). I can find the main facts from a text and put them in my own words. I can make predictions about what might happen in a story by thinking about what has happened so far. I can use technical words to explain how a text is organised e.g. heading, sub- heading, paragraph, introduction. I can talk about how a writer has used some words or phrases to create a particular effect. I can explain an author’s purpose in writing something and say how it makes me think or feel. I can notice a range of similarities and differences between books on the same topic or by the same author. MIDDLE LEVEL 4 (higher attainer end of Y4; average child end of Y6) Not applicable I can find the most relevant facts from across a chapter or section to answer a question. I can justify my opinion about a character or event by finding more than one piece of evidence in the text. I can describe the organisation and presentation of a text and say how it helps the reader. I can talk about a writer’s use of language e.g. similes and metaphor. I can explain an author’s viewpoint by finding examples across a chapter or section. I can compare several versions of the same text/information e.g. news reports from different papers. MIDDLE LEVEL 5 (higher attainer, y6) Not applicable I can identify the main points in a longer text and locate these by scanning. I can find examples of subtle or inferred meaning and recognise the theme of a book. I can describe the organisation and presentation of a range of genres and say how it helps the reader. I can explain how writers create a range of effects e.g. tension, chaos, mystery, humour. I can identify an author’s purpose and viewpoint and give several clear examples of how this is conveyed. I can compare and contrast versions of the same text from differing sources e.g. creation myths from different cultures. Easy-speak assessment focus DECODING (Read it!) LITERAL MEANING (Find it!) INFERRED MEANING (Think about it! TEXT ORGANISATION (Look at it!) LANGUAGE EFFECTS (Listen to it!) OVERALL EFFECT (Respond to it!) LINKS AND CONNECTIONS (Connect it!) Key QuestionHow can we work out this word? Who? What? When? Where? Why do you think..?How is this text organised? Why is this word/phrase effective? How does it make you think/feel? What does it remind you of?

So how can you help? Ten ways you can help your child to be a great reader

1 Encourage your child to enjoy reading eg. joke books, comics, magazines, picture books, books related to their latest interest/hobby, favourite authors

2 Listen to your child read …REGULARLY Establish a daily ‘read to me’ routine: This can be your child sat at the breakfast bar reading aloud, whilst you make tea. Or even them sat on the toilet reading aloud, whilst you listen on the stairs! Regular reading aloud to an adult helps children build stamina and to work on expressive reading. It also allows them to ask about the meaning of unknown words and to discuss the ideas/themes they encounter. We are asking children in Y5 and Y6 to make sure that an adult at home listens to them/discusses their reading with them, at least twice a week. Please see our Reading Miles Booklets for Y5 and Y6.

3 Talk to your child about their reading Ask them questions, to get them making predictions of what will happen and why spotting how someone is feeling talking about: characters, places and events; themes; author style; genre; their likes & dislikes. Discuss the meaning of unknown words: this is hugely important as studies have shown that VOCABULARY development is CORE to improving your child’s comprehension of more advanced texts.

3 cont’d TALK to your child Use your child’s reading target to support their reading development at home. Sticker example (L4)

3 cont’d TALK to your child Use your child’s reading target to support their reading development at home. BOOKMARK example (L5)

4 Help your child to take pride in their Reading Journal Encourage your child to be a ‘reflective reader’: 1)Each time they read, they should write at least a short comment, of one or two sentences, about what they have read. These comments should be reflective/responsive, rather than ‘good book’! 2)Make sure your child completes: a Reading Detective and/or a Fiction / Non-Fiction Reading Response activity at least once a week. (next 3 slides have examples) 3) When they have completed a book, encourage your child to write a book review.

Reading Detectives – examples (more information later in slide show)

Reading Response Activities – examples Your child has a copy of the relevant level of these activities glued into their reading journal, so that they can choose an appropriate task independently. Below is a Fiction Level 5 example

Reading Response: Non-fiction example L5

5 Make sure your child does their reading homework: PLEASE! It is part of your child’s responsibility as a reader to prove what they can do independently. It also forms part of our ‘evidence base’ for assessing your child’s reading level. It is grim for all concerned if children don’t bother, or do their work shoddily.

6 Read to your child regularly – bedtime story Children LOVE it! and there are HUGE benefits… You can read ‘higher level’ books to them… You can bring stories alive with voices… You can explore some of the big themes which affect your child’s life (friendship, loyalty, family, worries, passions…)

7 Vary the voice! Story tapes/story CDs Dad/Mum/Grandma/Older siblings 8Make sure your child sees you reading – then they will value it. This is especially true for boys. 9Visit bookshops and libraries 10 Reading Rewards – money ONLY to spend on books, magazines or comics

Curl up with a good book…or magazine… or newspaper Book Club: every Thursday lunchtime Comics/Magazines: First News /Aquilla Our School website – Classes page – for further advice and links to book websites

Ten ways your child can help himself/herself become a great reader Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day Practise reading every day

Home-school reading partnership: using Reading Detectives and Reading Response Activities Designed to develop children’s comprehension and to improve their depth of response to reading Used within whole class, group and individual reading sessions These form a main part of your child’s reading homework

Reading Detectives Illustrator Word Finder Question Finder Feelings Finder Link-maker Summariser Actor Mind-mapper Director Passage Seeker Style Seeker Opinion Spotter

Illustrator Draw what you read about – a picture, cartoon or diagram. Label with phrases from the text to show why you have drawn what you have drawn. AF 1 and AF2 Word Finder: Look for words that are interesting or confusing or new. Write them down and, where necessary, look up their meaning in a dictionary. Use them in a sentence. AF1, AF2, AF4, AF5

Question Finder Make up questions about what you have read. Where, what when, who, how, why etc… for someone else to answer. Put the page number next to the question. Also, write the answers (turn page upside down!) so that the person can check if they have the same as you! AF1 – 3, AF7 Actor Prepare and present a passage, reading fluently and expressively and responding to punctuation. AF1, AF3

Feelings Finder Find the parts that tell you about feelings – happy, sad, exciting, scary etc… AF3, AF6, AF7 Link Maker Does the passage or story remind you of something else – a book, film, TV programme, a person or something that’s happened to you? AF3, AF7

Director Direct a group to create a still picture of an important moment. OR Write directions for how an important moment could be acted/filmed. AF3, AF6, AF7 Tell the group what the whole story or passage is about. Or write a paragraph about the key points. AF2, AF4, AF6 Summariser

Mindmapper Draw a mind map of the most important events / information in the passage or story. AF2 AF4 Passage Seeker Find the most interesting passage or section and explain why. AF5 AF6

Style Seeker Look for language pattern, rhythms and tones used by the author. AF5 Opinion Spotter Uncover attitudes and opinions of the author. Which phrases show you what the author thinks? AF 6

And finally… We are always keen to recruit parents and grandparents as Volunteer Adult Readers to listen to children read on a 1:1 basis in school. An ideal time is the a.m. slot we use every day across the whole school for reading, just after the morning ‘drop off to school’. If you are interested, please get in contact with Mrs Kaunhoven.