Reading At Melbourne Infant School
We want all of our children to be fluent readers with a high level of reading and comprehension skills. We also want to foster a love and enjoyment of reading and to encourage children to experience texts form a wide range of genres and authors. We have a wide range of approaches to teach reading and children are given daily opportunities to develop their reading skills. Reading is a partnership between home and school and we value all home reading.
Why is it important to read?
Research shows that learning to read and loving reading is directly linked to children's success at school and beyond. Reading books aloud to children stimulates both their understanding and imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them to develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. Even after children learn to read by themselves, it's still important for you to read aloud together.
We expect children to read at least three times a week at home. Children will read at school through individual reading, group/guided reading and whole class reading. Both home and school reading is recorded on a portfolio on Dojo.
Reading for Pleasure
Reading For Pleasure
A basket of ‘Books For Pleasure’ has carefully been selected by teachers and children for each learning team. These books will be read to them over the course of the year and include ‘Mindful Moment’ books which have a focus of well-being and mindfulness.
We encourage a love of reading through a well-resourced reading scheme, book corners, library, story club, sharing inspirational reading quotes, author of the month, themed days including World Book Day, author visits, local library visits, book fairs and special events such as:
- Breakfast with books- parents invited to share a story and a croissant before school.
- Extreme reading competition – where is the most extreme place you have read?
- Teddy bear sleepover – children bring their teddy into school to pick a book at our library.
- Book swap – children bring a book to swap with a friend.
- Sponsored read
- Donate a book – children donate books to our library. Books are labelled with a personalised donation sticker.
- Mystery reader – adults invited to read to the children in groups.
- Summer reading challenge – promote Derbyshire library scheme.
- Book worms- club where junior children read a story to a group.
School Reading Scheme
To broaden the experience of reading in our school, our reading scheme incorporates books from a range of schemes. Books include stories, rhymes, non-fiction, picture books and chapter books. These high quality texts are organised by coloured book bands according to the National Banding System. Each class has access to a range of coloured books which are clearly labelled and accessible to all children. These books are carefully matched to every child’s ability and allow children to apply their on sight vocabulary and comprehension at an appropriate level.
In EYFS all children start school with a wordless picture book. Children have access to our progressive Phonic books (labelled Ph) which allow children to practise their growing phonic skills. Children take one phonic book and one colour banded book to read at home and at school. These books are matched to the phonics phases taught. These banded interactive books are used in classrooms for whole class reading, during phonics, in small guided groups and shared at home. An appropriate electronic phonic book is selected each week for homework which matches the phonic focus. Children also have access to a library book to enjoy at home.
Book Corners and Library
Every class has access to a well-stocked, age appropriate and inviting reading area which is valued and encouraged by all. We also have one central library which is updated regularly. Books are organised firstly by fiction or non-fiction. Picture books, early readers and chapter books are grouped by genre (e.g. traditional tales, poetry) and/or author (e.g. Julia Donaldson, Mick Inkpen) and grouped with labelled dividers on the shelves. Coloured stickers are used to identify the non-fiction subject (e.g. animals, sport) and are clearly labelled on the bookcases. There are a variety of story sacks, sets of colour banded guided reading books, teachers resource books, big books and puppets located in the library.
Our librarians (Book worms) select books to match topics and interests of a Learning Team.
Phonics
Throughout school, children learn to read using the Bug Club phonics programme.
For more information about phonics at Melbourne Infant School please see the link below to the phonic page and our PowerPoint which is delivered to parents early in the Autumn term each year.
Reading Strategies
Our phonic scheme is complemented by our whole school reading strategies toolkit and VIPERS.
Once children master accurate decoding, a greater emphasis is placed on comprehension and fluency. Strategies are modelled and used during whole class, group, shared, paired or individual reading.
Intervention
We regularly use Phonic Tracker to assess phonetic knowledge, blending and word recognition. Sometimes, children may need a bit of extra support so we provide targeted support in a variety of ways e.g. extra reading sessions, Precision Teaching Programme (PTP), phonic intervention sessions, phonic tracker games & activities. We will always share this information with parents so they can support at home.