Reading at Greater Depth in Y5 and Y6 Alison Philipson March 2018

apliteracy.com Resources in folder in Resources – Training Resources – Dixons – password – Dixons17 apliteracy@gmail.com @AP_Literacy

Previous session . . . Unpicked test papers Asking the right questions Importance of wider reading Importance of reading aloud to children Teaching children new vocabulary Teaching children how to infer

Your next steps . . . Provide greater depth children with a wider variety of texts Focus on explanation of inferences Ask questions about text as a whole/larger chunks of text Start class speed words each week and vocabulary sheets fro 100 % books Find and use more linked texts to class novel (not just non-fiction) More test style questions in Reading Reconsidered lessons Speed words to be used more Use collapse a text for word classes More synonyms and antonyms Try out inferencing with the class Children generate own questions Give children some unfamiliar texts to try out Use some of the inference and ‘reading between the lines’ questions Implement vocabulary learning as part of reading sessions Do more test style questions using question stems Use reading question stems Make word banks Expose children to wider reading Collapse a text Use synonyms and antonyms Revisit vocabulary over year

This session . . . How are your higher ability children doing ? What are their next steps How can we deepen children’s comprehension skills even further ?

Why ? Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. Frederick Douglass The more that your read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go. Dr. Seuss Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Margaret Fuller

How are your higher ability children doing How are your higher ability children doing ? (Reading response books/videos) Texts Fluency Your questions Children’s answers Vocabulary Inference  

What are your next steps ?

More on wider reading . . . Choosing the right texts Is the book worthy of a reader's and listener's time ? Does the story sound good to the ear when read aloud ? Will it appeal to your audience ? Will children find the book relevant to their lives and culture ? Will the book spark conversation ? Will the book motivate deeper topical understanding ? Does the book inspire children to find or listen to another book on the same topic ? By the same author ? Written in the same genre ? Is the story memorable ? Will children want to hear the story again ?

http://www. badgerlearning. co http://www.badgerlearning.co.uk/ecommerce/primary-resources/library-reading- boxes/confident-fluent-readers/ Challenging KS1 and KS2 Books for Confident Readers Our newest reading box is called 'Suitable Books for Gifted and Talented Readers Age 9-11' . It gets very difficult at this point to select spot on books for this reading level. The children are quite different in Year 5 and Year 6 in terms of maturity but can be reading at the same level, as gifted readers do. Year 6 readers might be starting to explore books that would be better suited once they have transitioned to KS3 – not always acceptable reading material for a Primary School library and not what all parents would want their children to read. There is no doubt about it this was one of the most difficult collections to put together across the entire Badger Reading Box range. Books were rejected for many reasons but mostly (time and time again sadly) it was inappropriate language, believe it or not, which is becoming more widely used in children's books today. We drew our line in the sand and feel very pleased with this small but perfectly formed collection for super-confident readers. 'Suitable Books for Super-Confident Readers Age 7-9' provides a well-researched and thoroughly checked library of quality books for children in Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) who are reading well above their chronological age but who need books suitable for their level of maturity. The books identified for either Year 3 or Year 4 are at the reading level of Year 5 and Year 6 but they are very safe for this age group. Also in this range see, 'Suitable Books for Super-Confident Readers in KS1', a best-seller. Again, offering books for gifted and talented readers (reading age 2 years above chronological age), this collection is spot on for very young readers who need guidance in reading suitable material at their young age.

More on fluency . . . Decoding and sight recognition both have a part to play There are no quick ways to develop reading fluency The more you read, the more fluent you’ll be You’re not a fluent reader unless you understand what you read In order to read fluently you have to find and infer information A good vocabulary unlocks fluency Fluency can be modelled (Aidan Severs)  

Questions to support even deeper comprehension. . . Question stems – how are we going to support children with getting to the place where they can answer questions like these ? Questions to support even deeper comprehension (linked to how we read as an adult and Bloom’s Taxonomy)

Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Taxonomy provides learning levels to increase higher order thinking skills for children of all ages. The levels include remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create.

How do we plan reading skills lessons for higher ability children ? First – reading as a reader. Ask the children to read the extract twice with the purpose of enjoying it – first on their own, ticking the parts they like best then to read their favourite bit aloud to a friend, explaining why they enjoyed that part the best – note that, when planning reading skills lessons for higher ability children, it is necessary to do this bit yourself first – you will then go through similar thought processes and your initial responses will support the routes your questioning goes down. Next – use the Blooms Taxonomy question strings document to develop some ‘deeper comprehension questions’, again for the purpose of enjoyment and discussion. Finally – use the test based question stems documents to develop some ‘deeper comprehension questions’ which will support children with accessing the higher level test questions AND enjoying and understanding text on a deeper level.

What are your next steps ?