Reading
Reading is a key strategic focus for all at Wellacre.
We want all our students to read for pleasure within a community in which reading is valued and celebrated. There are a number of ways in which a reading culture has been established.
Independent reading
During Tutor Times, slots are dedicated to reading. All KS3 students have a library lesson once a fortnight. They benefit from book recommendations from their peers, on library shelves, in the Review Folder and from knowledgeable staff.
English lessons
In KS3 English lessons, all students drop everything and listen to their teacher read the 'Class Read' for the first 10 minutes. Students enjoy the shared experience of reading a story together; enhancing their contextual knowledge, widening their vocabulary and developing their skills around inference.
Celebrating reading
We celebrate reading throughout the year and also hold special events including author visits, Readathons and the Bookbuzz reading programme.
Support and monitoring
We take a graduated approach to supporting reading in addition to the universal offer and support for all. Students in Years 7-10 take biannual reading tests (NGRT). NGRT data, summary findings and strategies to support are produced for all students in Year 7-10 and made available to all staff. Using this data, we are able to identify students who require intervention and tailor support accordingly. This includes:
- Word Wasp-a highly structured phonics-based programme for students who are significantly struggling with reading.
- Catch Up Literacy-a 1:1 intervention to support learners in their reading of a book so they activate both dimensions of reading – word recognition processes (including phonics) and language comprehension processes.
- Intergen reading-Trafford Intergen brings older and younger people together through a shared reading experience.
- Turning Pages in Schools-a peer mentoring reading programme pioneered by the Shannon Trust
- Wellacre Book Buddies-peer mentoring for more fluent readers
- Reading mentors-support for KS2 readers in a local Primary school.
Whole School Priorities
Our three key priorities to support reading and literacy for 2022-24 are:
- Explicit teaching of vocabulary and extended writing skills in lessons across all subjects
- 'Upgrading sentences' strategies used in all subjects
- Explicit teaching of strategies to support reading in all subjects.
Recommended reading for young people aged 12+ from the Book Trust
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/g/great-books-guide-2021-12/
Supporting Independent reading at home
Talking to young people about the books they read is one of the best ways to support their literacy development. They need to engage in critical thinking to discuss a book.
Here are some tips on how you might help at home:
Before they start a new book
- Why did you choose this book?
- What makes you think it is going to be interesting?
- What do you think the book is going to be about?
- What do you think is going to happen?
While they are reading a book
- What's happened so far?
- What do you think will happen next?
- If you were that character, would you have acted differently in that situation?
- Where is the book set? Would you like to visit?
- If the main character in that story was in your class, do you think you would be friends?
- What does the place look like in your head as you read? Would you want to visit there?
- Did you learn any new words or facts so far?
After they have finished a book
- What was your favourite part of the book? Why?
- Who was your favourite character? Why? Which adjectives would you use to describe them?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned from the book?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book, What were they trying to show?
- Did it end the way you thought it would?
- If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be?
