Smallwood CE Primary AcademyPhonics and Reading
Teaching Reading at Smallwood
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 learn phonics as part of their day to day curriculum. As children become confident and fluent readers, phonic skills are linked to spelling patterns and strategies. At key stage 2 phonics continues to develop effective fluency and then spelling becomes a focus. We teach phonics using the Ready Steady Phonics scheme this then carries on into the juniors. As well as using decodable readers, all children have a reding book to enjoy reading at home and independently.
Children at Smallwood are supported and encouraged to become active, enthusiastic and independent readers. Accelerated Reader is used from Year 2 to Year 6 to:
Guide Personalised goals help children stay focused on the factors that matter most for reading growth—and help to monitor their progress and provide feedback to keep learners on track.
Engage Individual reading recommendations use childrens’ interests and reading levels to suggest “just-right” titles—or children can self-select from over 200,000 choices!
Practice “Just reading” transforms into high-quality reading practice that fuels growth: Reading quizzes monitor comprehension, while literacy skills and vocabulary quizzes extend children's learning and builds mastery skills.
Grow Detailed reports provide insights into children’s progress. Paired with Renaissance Star Reading®, children's mastery of reading skills is monitored.
From recognising children's achievements to discovering new interests, Accelerated Reader helps create a culture of reading through choice
Children who read more perform better in all their academic work.
All children have an independent reading book and read several times during a week as part of guided reading lessons and with reading volunteers. We expect all of our children to practise their reading at home at least 4 times per week.
All children experience top quality texts through our shared reading books. Children shared read every week. As part of guided reading children also explore a wide range of texts in small groups and learn how to read fluently, develop their vocabulary and increase their comprehension and inference skills.