Reading

At The Bewbush Academy, we have a whole class approach to reading. We aim to ensure that children become analytical readers, have an awareness of authorial intent and can justify and explain their own opinions. 

Through reading a range of stories, poems and non-fiction as well as having high-quality discussion with the teacher, pupils' develop their comprehension skills and a love for reading. With the National Curriculum split into three key areas: Reading for Pleasure, Vocabulary Development and Oral Comprehension, a whole class approach to reading will enable children to develop their skills within each of these. 

Every child will be given the opportunity to read aloud, listen to a text read to them by a teacher (an expert) and develop their ability to be able to discuss what they have heard in a constructive way. Unfamiliar vocabulary will be explored and explained in a systematic and consistent way, ensuring a breadth and depth to their reading as well as enhancing their enjoyment.

EYFS and KS1

Through a whole class reading approach, children will be exposed to a range of high quality texts therefore expanding their vocabulary and enabling them to take part in rich discussion.  Teachers will model fluency and line by line reading ensuring that children can hear the correct patterns of rhythm and sound, use of punctuation and read for meaning.  As children progress through KS1 they are taught how to answer retrieval questions, find evidence in images and simple text and to begin justifying their thoughts and opinions around a text.  

KS2

Across Year 3 to Year 6, whole class reading becomes fully embedded. Children are continually exposed to high quality literature, have the opportunity to develop their  fluency and are encouraged to explore their skills in thinking aloud and internally whilst reading. In order to become more analytical, written responses to evidence-based questions and book talk are modelled before children apply this process independently to their own responses to texts.

During whole class reading lessons, children will be taught several different aspects of reading including: vocabulary, prior knowledge, whole class discussion, fluency and explicit teaching of comprehension strategies.