Reading and Writing

Aims

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

English at Roby Park Primary is taught through the use of high quality texts where the link between Reading and Writing is made clear, using Literacy Counts Read 2 Write and Steps 2 Read units. These are planned out ensuring progression across the year groups and engaging in exciting provocations for Writing and Reading. We plan in a wide range of speaking and listening and Writing activities as well as making links between grammar and spelling.

Click below to find out more about our engaging English curriculum and our Recommended Reading Lists:

• Whole School Reading Curriculum Overview
• Whole School Writing Curriculum Overview

Below are recommended reading lists for each phase. If you are interested in buying/loaning books from the library, have a look at the lists below for exciting, engaging texts that your children will enjoy:

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4
• Year 5
• Year 6

A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society.

Rising Stars Reading Planet

Our reading expectations are for children, in all year groups, to read daily for just 10 minutes. It is important parents/carers build in reading time each day in order for children to progress in their reading fluency and stamina.

The books in Reading Planet are designed to appeal to the tastes and interests of children who are starting to learn to read, as well as those who are becoming fluent readers. The books include a variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays, written by experienced educational and children’s writers. All the books have been carefully levelled according to book banding and other criteria, to ensure gradual progression in difficulty and each eBook features an optional audio recording (with each word highlighted as it is read).

As well as interesting characters and storylines, the books have a number of helpful features to support your child in reading, including quizzes (see below). Completing these will help you to ensure that your child is getting full meaning from their reading.

Your child’s teacher will allocate weekly ebooks to be read and will be able to track how your child is doing in the quizzes through a teacher dashboard.

Nursery – Y3 (with a few children in Y4-Y6) will also have physical books sent home, along with a reading log and book bag to keep the books in good condition. Books must be returned in their reading bags please.

Please return the reading log daily, so the class teacher and parent can use it as a form of communication. Reading logs can be used for:

• Positive praise
• Tracking progress
• Communicating with the teacher
• Asking questions
• Noting difficult words
• Tracking a variety of skills

Children who bring physical books home are expected to read them and return them on their book change day which is outlined below. If books are not returned, only ebooks will be allocated. After significant investment in to our reading materials, it is important books are looked after.

Book changing days are:

• Mondays: Nursery, Reception, Y1, Y3, Y4, Y6
• Tuesdays: Y2, Y5

Rising Stars eLibrary

Your children’s login details have come home but if you have any issues, please email password@robyparkprimary.co.uk or speak to yuor child’s class teacher.

You can log in with their username and password and:

URL: my.risingstars-uk.com

Centre ID: 6034814

Once logged in, click on the ‘Reading Planet Online’ icon then click on the ‘Open’ button to launch the book on your screen.

Each book has one or more ‘checkpoint’ quizzes that appear at intervals throughout the book. They are designed to check the understanding of the text up until that point and are indicated by the animated quiz icon.

At the end of every book there is a longer quiz that checks overall understanding of the text. As with the checkpoint

quizzes, your child clicks on the animated quiz icon to launch the end-of-book quiz.

For each end-of-book quiz they complete, children will receive a bronze, silver or gold star, based on the proportion of correct answers they scored. These rewards can be viewed in the ‘My achievements’ section of the child’s dashboard.

If you have any difficulties in using the resource, or need some support in getting started, please see your child’s teacher and we will be happy to help you.

Below are some parent guides to support you:

• A Guide to Reading with your Child
• Pupil User Guide
• Reading Planet Book List

Reading Plus

At Roby Park we use an online reading program called Reading Plus which helps develop and improve three particular skills in reading.  Reading Plus is a research-based silent reading intervention that helps students gain proficiency by improving comprehension, reading rate, and vocabulary.

The first time you login to Reading Plus you will need to enter our site code which is rprobyp

What is Reading Plus?

Reading Plus is a program for children aged 8 and above that teaches them to be stronger readers. It does this by developing silent reading fluency (reading speed), then introducing more complex stories (for comprehension), and advanced vocabulary (for knowledge). Children have access to 800+ high quality online texts that are constantly updated and adapted to meet every child’s needs, regardless of what level they are reading at. Teachers can monitor exactly what and how children are reading, meaning they can offer the right kind of support when needed.

What will my child gain from using the program?

First and foremost, we hope that they will get a lot of enjoyment from using Reading Plus! The stories are short and engaging to keep levels of motivation high, and your child will read about many things outside of their normal scope of reading – anything from ‘What can one child do to save the world?’ to the future of AI. Your child will challenge themselves to become a better reader and in doing so, develop better reading habits. They will gain a greater understanding of what they have read and be better prepared for tests such as Year 6 SATs.

How does Reading Plus work?

Children choose a story (typically 6-7 minutes in length) from a level appropriate to their reading ability. Once they finish the story they answer 10 questions to test if they understood what they have just read. Teachers can see reports detailing your child’s progress. Worksheets are available for extra support with specific reading skills. Reading Plus is not meant to replace reading books, and Reading Plus is not just an eLibrary – the program is designed to teach your child to become a more efficient reader which will add to their enjoyment of reading independently – developing a lifelong love for reading.

How does my child log in?

Your school should have sent you information on how to log in including a site code (which is unique to the school) and your child’s username and password. If you are unsure of any of these, please get in touch by emailing password@robyparkprimary.co.uk

Does Reading Plus work on a laptop or an iPad?

Yes, Reading Plus runs on laptops and iPads, as well as iPads Minis, tablets, Chromebooks, desktops and MacBooks.

Do I need to download an app?

Reading Plus doesn’t need an app downloading – it’s all accessed through a secure website.

How long should my child be on Reading Plus?

Ideally every day for about 30 minutes (at home and in school combined), but at least 3 times a week. Little and often is best!

Why does the program use the moving bar when my child reads the stories?

We call this the ‘Guided Window’. The Guided Window was developed to teach children to navigate across lines of text sequentially – this is sometimes called left to right scanning (try putting your finger on a word and moving it across the page!). You can find out more by searching for ‘Reading Plus Efficiency Brief’ free downloadable research summary.

• Getting Started on Reading Plus
• How to Guides for Pupils & Parents
• Link to Reading Plus

Relevant Policies:

• English Policy
• Handwriting Policy
• Phonics Policy