English

How we teach Reading and Writing

Read Write Inc. Phonics

At Moor Row we use the Read Write Inc. approach to teaching reading. Staff have attended training and we have invested in an extensive range of resources that support the programme. Read Write Inc. Phonics is a complete literacy programme for 3 to 7year olds that are learning to read and write. The programme uses synthetic phonics to teach reading and it covers all of the National Curriculum requirements for literacy and language.

This approach:

Gets children decoding and comprehending quickly. The special 'three reads' approach ensures that all children gain accuracy, fluency and a good understanding of the text.

Ensures children read storybooks and non-fiction books matched to their growing phonic knowledge.

Leaves no child behind. Initial and on-going assessment to track every child's progress.

Prevents downtime. Direct teaching followed by partner practice means that every child participates in the whole lesson.

We begin using Read Write Inc. when our pupils are in nursery and they will start by learning the first 30 sounds in short, daily sessions. When pupils move into reception year, they begin to read storybooks and non-fiction books that are closely matched to their developing phonic knowledge. The sessions are lively and interactive and our pupils make rapid progress. They begin to write confidently and learn to spell using sounds that they know. Their progress is assessed at the end of every half term and they are grouped according to the level they are working at. This ensures that teaching is always focused precisely on what pupils need and the pace of learning is fast. If we are ever concerned about a child's progress in reading, we provide 1:1 intervention for 15 minutes a day to address this and accelerate their progress.

Read Write Inc. Comprehension

Many children will complete the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme at the end of Year 1 although some may continue into Year 2 for a while to develop their reading fluency. Pupils then move on to the Read Write Inc. Comprehension programme for the duration of Year 2.

Features of the programme:

It gives every child a deep understanding of what they read. Complete texts from a variety of different genres are introduced using the special 'three reads' approach.

It fully prepares every child for writing. The teacher models planning, drafting and revising texts. Children mirror this process.

It teaches grammar in context. This enables children to apply grammar concepts to their own writing.

It supports the grammar and punctuation aspects of the Key Stage 1 curriculum.

It creates articulate speakers. Children learn how to debate and present.

In addition to this all children who have completed RWI move on to Accelerated Reader to further enhance their love of reading and comprehension skills.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2, we continue with Accelerated Reader and teach English through high quality texts which can be linked to our topic areas. This ensures that the children are exposed to a wide variety of genres and diverse characters. We use VIPERS to develop reading skills:

Vocabulary

Inference

Predictions

Explanation

Retrieval

Summarising

Through discussion with talk partners, children can articulate their ideas before completing a writing task following on from their reading. This ‘Learning Journey’ leads to the children getting a wide range of writing opportunities. This strategy also helps the children’s knowledge of topic work to be further embedded.