Education

Reading Fluency

Fluency means “flowing freely” therefore reading fluency is the art of reading aloud, so that it ‘flows’ naturally for the speaker. It is important to note that reading fluency is one aspect (of many) that contributes to affluent readers. Reading fluency entails the combination and reciprocation of word reading with accuracy, automaticity and prosody. ThatContinue reading “Reading Fluency”

Reading strategy updated

Why must reading be a priority? Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. If children can’t read, they can’t access the lessons. Poor literacy leads to negative-life outcomes, low confidence and high frustration. BBC documentary: Jay Blade Learning to read at 51 brings this topic firmly into the spotlight. I have written about theContinue reading “Reading strategy updated”

A book for every pupil in lockdown

Reading is a multifaceted skill that develops through instruction and practice (Scarborough 2002). Children need to have a grasp of word reading: they need to have a secure understanding of the relationship between print (spelling) and the sounds they represent, the ability to manipulate these sound-spelling correspondence, segment words into individual sounds and blend them back together to readContinue reading “A book for every pupil in lockdown”

Are children listening?

Daily story time is embedded in my school, nothing is out on the tables, the children intently listen to the adult read from the class reader. But are they really listening or simply dreaming about the contents of their lunch boxes? This year we introduced Accelerated Reader (AR), a system to motivate children to read.Continue reading “Are children listening?”

Supporting the wider curriculum

Our school has been on an epic reading journey to say the least, from no library to an embedded reading culture. You will find reading advocates everywhere – one year 6 teacher promised her class at the start of the year, that she would read one children’s book a week and then place it onContinue reading “Supporting the wider curriculum”

Weaving non-fiction into the curriculum

Importance of non-fiction We want children to know and remember more, knowledge is power and is the epicentre of education. There is an array of evidence depicting that background knowledge is vital for reading comprehension. The more children know about a subject, the easier it is to read a text, understand it, and retain the information for later recollection. (Alexander, Kulikowich, &Continue reading “Weaving non-fiction into the curriculum”

Dual Coding Theory

As I head into the second half of the year, I find myself, like many other reflecting on past practise, what I have learnt and will take forward into this term. We were lucky enough to have an inset with Oliver Caviglioli last year on dual coding, I am sure you have heard something aboutContinue reading “Dual Coding Theory”

Reading Strategy

Why do we need a reading strategy? Reading fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Reading fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. A child begins to comprehend a text once they can read at a speed of 90 wpm. SATS analysis showsContinue reading “Reading Strategy”