Reading curriculum

St Stephen’s Reading Curriculum 2024 

Intent: 

At St Stephen’s Junior School, we believe a high-quality reading curriculum should develop every child’s love for reading to become a life-long reader. We teach reading not merely to decode words on a page, but to empower children with the ability to comprehend, analyse, and engage with the world around them. Through providing children with thought-provoking, socially relevant and interconnected material, we hope to foster positive attitudes towards learning which will continue through further education and into later life. 

We wish for our children to leave St Stephen’s Junior School equipped with the tools and knowledge beyond simply deciphering text but equipped with the skills to critically evaluate information, discern fact from opinion, and create their own informed judgments. 

How is the Reading Curriculum implemented? 

         At St Stephen’s Junior School. We teach reading using a variety of approaches such as: 

• independent reading 
• whole class reading 
• shared reading 

We have a rigorous and well-organised Reading Curriculum that provides many opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. Our intended Reading Curriculum is enacted through the lessons taught each morning throughout the week. 

Each week, depending on the year group, the children are taught a 45-minute whole class reading lesson. 

• 2 of these lessons will be lessons based on the core text usually a novel. These high-quality core-texts have been chosen to reflect themes and topics across the school and progress in difficulty based on their ZPD. 
• The remaining 3 lessons will be lessons based on additional extracts of other high-quality texts. This ensures children experience a wide variety of genres and text types which often link with our other curriculums. 

Learning is scaffolded and differentiated according to need, enabling effective learning to take place for all.  

Extract Lessons 

Below is a structure of a typical whole class reading extract session. 

Vocabulary and background check 

We have ensured that the reading extracts we use at SSJS all use ambitious vocabulary intended to extend our children’s range of vocabulary. At the beginning of each lesson, we highlight the new vocabulary that we will encounter in the text and teach the children the new definitions. This could be through a dictionary task, a matching task or a context task. We also give the children a background check to the book. This may be to set the scene of the extract they are reading or to give them some knowledge of the author.  

Quick Fire 5 Questions 

After giving the children the opportunity to read the text - either independently, in pairs/groups or as a class, the children are then required to answer 5 quick fire retrieval questions based on the text.  

Turn and Talk 

Turn and Talk gives children the opportunity to discuss key themes and ideas spoken about in text.   

Solo Task 

Once the Turn and Talk has been completed, the children then engage with a ‘Solo Task’. A Solo Task gives children the opportunity to further share their understanding of the text. These are either inference, explanation or prediction style questions, which require the children to ‘read between the lines’ of the text. 

Review and Reflect 

After the lesson is over, we then complete a review and reflection based on what we have read. This is a question designed for children to leave the lesson with something to think about.  

Novel Lessons 

Novel lessons follow a similar pattern to extract lessons. As novels are longer than the extracts, it is expected class teachers read part of the text throughout the week as a part of story time sessions to ensure coverage.  

Systematic Synthetic Phonics 

For those who require additional support, in Year 3 to 4 we offer additional reading learning groups through the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme. RWI is a consistent, rigorous and dynamic literacy programme aims to teach every child to read. 

Using synthetic phonics, children quickly learn to blend letter sounds together following a fun and effective programme. 

In Years 5 and 6 this is taught through Fresh Start which is the follow-on programme from RWI.  

Home Reading 

At SSJS, all children participate in the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme, which is designed to do the following: 

• Allocate books that are individually suited to the child’s reading ability. 
• Track the child’s progress throughout their time at SSJS 
• Provide important data which will help us support children at school. 

At the start of each term, each child takes part in a Star Reading Assessment. This is an online quiz which measures the child’s reading ability through a series of comprehension questions. Every test for every student is different. The AR programme uses smart technology to respond to the children’s answers in real-time adapting the quiz by either making it more challenging or less so to suit the ability of the child. 

Upon completion of the Star Reading Assessment, the child will be given a ZPD. A ZPD defines the readability range within which pupils should read to best develop their reading whilst avoiding frustration. 

The child’s teacher will use the ZPD range as well as what they know of the child to assign a number (corresponding to a colour), which will then be used to select an appropriate book. 

Once the child has read their book, they are then required to take a quiz from the AR website: 

https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/2240567 

This is to check for and support reading comprehension as well as provide important information as to whether the book level is suitable for the child. 

Reading Diaries 

In Years 3 and 4, children are given a home reading record. Children are expected to read 4 times a week. Children and parents are expected to record this in their home reading diary. Children’s reading records are expected to be in school every day. Teachers will write a comment in the reading diary once a week. If a child has not read 4 times a week, they will receive a letter to remind them to do so.  

In Years 5 and 6, children are given a planner. There are the same expectations as the reading diary, however the children are given greater ownership over this. 

Reading for Pleasure 

Reading for Pleasure is a real focus for St Stephen’s Junior School. Over the school year, we embed a love of reading for our children with additional events such as: 

• World Book Day 
• Reading in the Dark 
• Parent Reading Afternoons 
• Volunteer Parent Readers 
• Author Visits 
• Illustrator Visits 
• Engaging book corners 
• Library visits 

The Library 

Our library is a very special place at St Stephen’s Junior School. Each class has an allocated library slot once a week where they are able to listen to stories, change their home reading book, explore new stories and complete Accelerated Reader quizzes. We also open our library to other educational settings such as the local nursery where our Year 5 children support and read stories to the younger children. 

Volunteer Readers 

Once a year, we invite volunteer parent readers to come into school and listen to the children read. The adult is able to spend at least 10 minutes with each child each week. The pair can build a bond and it’s a great opportunity for children to practise reading aloud and adults are able to test the children’s comprehension skills. 

What is the impact of our Reading Curriculum? 

Among other outcomes, as a result of our Reading Curriculum our pupils have- 

• Become life-long readers 
• Are equipped with the skills and knowledge required to thrive beyond primary school. 
• Have developed their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. 
• Can read easily, fluently and with good understanding 
• Can appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage  
• Can use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.