Reading Curriculum

Read Write Inc

River View is proud to be a Read Write Inc school. We have been working hard for the last few years to ensure we deliver this programme very effectively so that all children have the best possible start with their reading and writing. We integrate the Read Write Inc ‘5 Ps’ - praise, participation, purpose, passion and pace - across all lessons as they are the foundation of effective teaching and learning. Read Write Inc is an inclusive literacy programme for children learning to read and write, beginning with the first stages of reading in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and aiming for children to be reading confidently and fluently by the end of Year 2. Children who need extra support with their reading in Years 3 and 4 continue with RWI, and those in Year 5 and 6 follow the 'Fresh Start' programme.

For further information regarding this programme, please take a look at the following websites:

Home Reading Books

We have been very excited to launch our new home reading initiative this year! From September 2023, children have more choice about which books they read. Every classroom has a select few crates of books which are either organised by topic/genre or author and children are invited to choose the book they would like to read from these. Each half term, the crates are swapped so children have fresh books to read. 
Children who are still learning to decode and participate in Read Write Inc lessons take home books appropriate for their reading level, plus a book they can share at home which someone can read to them.

Click the link below to read some of the comments our pupils have made about the new home reading books!

Some free reader children may bring home more than one book. This may be because they have chosen a book that is challenging for them and they may need to share this book with someone at home so they can be supported when reading it. Therefore, the child may decide to take home a second book that more closely matches their reading ability so they can enjoy reading this independently.

Alternatively, a child may choose a book that they find easy to read, and may choose or be encouraged to take home another book that more closely matches or challenges their reading ability to develop their reading skills.

Either way, we are keen for the children to see reading as a pleasurable activity and we want them to have autonomy over choosing their own reading books to motivate and inspire them to read.

Book Bags

This year, every child has been given their own River View book bag to carry their books to and from school. This will stay with them for the rest of their River View journey. Children are expected to bring their book bag to school every Monday so they can swap their book (or if they haven’t finished it, they have a discussion with the adult about how they are finding it).

Boom Reader

Pupils no longer have home reading diaries. Instead, parents can log when their child has read at home using the Boom Reader app on a mobile phone or tablet, or through the Boom Reader portal through the website on a desktop device.

Please find below some helpful documents to help with setting up your account:

Rainbow Reader

Children are encouraged to read regularly at home and log their reads on the Boom Reader app. Children receive a certificate and a badge every 25 times that they read at home. Children can pin these badges onto their book bag. Each badge is a different colour and when they reach 200 reads, they have built the rainbow and are a ‘Rainbow Reader’! All children who have read the rainbow by July will be rewarded with a trip to the cinema.

Whole Class Reading

Children in Years 3-6 (and those in Year 2 who have completed the Read Write Inc programme) participate in Whole Class Reading lessons every week. Each reading group works on a text selected to match their reading ability. Children complete activities to develop their vocabulary, to increase their reading fluency and pace, and to develop their skills to enable them to understand what they read. Children work with a partner to allow them to support each other with their reading. They answer questions about the text independently and have opportunities for self-assessment to help them improve.

A Book and a Bagel

As children enter their classroom in the mornings, they have ‘A book and a bagel’ time before registration. This is a chance for them to sit and enjoy a book while they eat their bagel. The books for this time have been selected carefully so that children can enjoy them in short bursts and dip in and out of them, for example: poetry, comics, non-fiction, short stories. 
 

As well as reading their bagel books, Year 5 and 6 have a subscription to ‘First News’ and receive a newspaper every week. They enjoy reading the articles to keep up-to-date with the latest news nationally and internationally.

Book Club

Two separate book clubs are run for Lower Phase (Years 1, 2 & 3) and Upper Phase (Years 4, 5 & 6). We focus on one text for a half term. The children enjoy doing a variety of fun activities based on the book. We read and discuss the text together and do activities which help the children to develop and apply their reading skills and enhance their enjoyment of reading.

World Book Day!

On Thursday 7th March, we celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as a book character and doing activities in our classes based on the book ‘The Lost Thing’ by Shaun Tan. We continued our activities on Friday 8th March, including participating in a workshop with our parents/carers.

Click the link below to see lots of photos and videos from World Book Day!

Reading Across the Curriculum
As reading is such a fundamental skill, we are committed to providing the children with opportunities to develop their reading skills across the curriculum, not just in their reading lessons. Please see below some of the additional opportunities the children have to practise, apply and improve their reading skills.

P4C (Philosophy for children)

Books are often used as a stimulus in P4C lessons. Some of these books inspire discussions about the nine protected characteristics. Children are encouraged to identify key themes and concepts within the book, which lead them onto generating philosophical questions, which in turn generate meaningful discussions and debates.

Singing

When the children sing during singing assemblies, music lessons, and when rehearsing for a performance (e.g. Harvest, Christmas etc), they often read the lyrics on the screen. Due to the repetitive nature of song lyrics, and that songs are practised over and over again, this is a fantastic way for children to develop their reading fluency. They begin to recognise more words and be able to read these by sight. It is also a great way for children to learn new vocabulary.

Foundation Subjects

Children are exposed to a wide range of texts during their ‘I Wonder’ lessons and other subjects such as RE and PSHE. For example, children often read and discuss stories from religious texts in RE. They use non-fiction books or reference texts such as atlases in Science and Geography. They read and pick out key information from different sources in History. They read and follow instructions in subjects like Design and Technology and Computing.

Class Reader

Each class has a book on the go that the teacher reads aloud to the class each week. These books are deliberately chosen to be at an age-appropriate interest level for the children, but at a level that is more challenging than the pupils can read for themselves. This is so the teacher can model reading aloud and inspire the children to read.

Writing Lessons

As reading and writing are so closely related, half-termly English units are based on a book. This allows the children to experience a wider range of texts and offers them inspiration for their own writing. Children discuss unfamiliar vocabulary from the book and are encouraged to use this in their own writing.

Theme Weeks

A lot of the ‘theme weeks’ we have in school are based around books and we do a range of different activities, including art and writing, inspired by the text. Often, the whole school uses the same book but the activities are differentiated to suit the age and ability of the children and each year group takes a slightly different route when exploring the key concepts and themes of the text. Sometimes, each year group works on a different book that all link to the same theme.

Break & Lunchtimes

Books are offered as a choice during break time and OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) during lunchtimes.

Assemblies

Sometimes, books or extracts from texts are read during an assembly and used as a stimulus for discussion. A video of a story being read is played at the start or end of one assembly a week for the children to listen to as they enter or leave the hall.

If you have any questions about reading at River View please ask to speak to Mrs Mansbridge, our Reading Co-ordinator, who will be happy to help.