In our guided reading sessions, the children will access texts that are of an accurate reading level that have been selected from the Rising Stars Reading Planet resources, to ensure the progression of reading skills as they transition through the school. The children develop their independent skills, in relation to inferencing, predicting, summarising, retrieving, commentating, identifying and explaining, by participating in guided reading sessions and by accessing an independent reading task that allows them to further consolidate their skills.

KS1

By the end of KS1, the children should be able to ask and answer questions about a variety of texts that are appropriate to their developmental stage. They should be able to discuss a wide variety of texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry and should have an understanding that non-fiction texts are often structured in different ways. The children should be able to make predictions based on what has been read so far and should be able to make inferences based on what is being said and what is being done. 

The national curriculum for reading aims:

Year 1

Pupils should be taught to:

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
  • Listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
  • Being encouraged to link what they read or hear read to their own experiences
  • Becoming very familiar with key stories, fairy stories and traditional tales, retelling them and considering their particular characteristics
  • Recognising and joining in with predictable phrases
  • Learning to appreciate rhymes and poems, and to recite some by heart
  • Discussing word meanings, linking new meanings to those already known
• Understand both the books they can already read accurately and fluently and those they listen to by:
  • Drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
  • Checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
  • Discussing the significance of the title and events
  • Making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
  • Predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
  • Participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say explain clearly their understanding of what is read to them.

Year 2

Pupils should be taught to:

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
  • Listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
  • Discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related
  • Becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales
  • Being introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways
  • Recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry
  • Discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary
  • Discussing their favourite words and phrases
  • Continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear
• Understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:
  • Drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
  • Checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
  • Making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
  • Answering and asking questions
  • Predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
  • Participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say
  • Explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those that they read for themselves.

By continuing to develop their reading skills, the children will be able to ask and answer questions about what they have read, compare, contrast, argue, analyse, and evidence a variety of topics, including but not limited to, characters, settings, authorial choice, figurative language and facts and opinions. By the end of KS2, the children will be able to confidently perform texts using a wide range of devices to engage the audience and for effect. They will be able to select books, based on their growing preferences in which they will read for pleasure.

Lower Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught to:

• Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
  • Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
  • Reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
  • Using dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
  • Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally
  • Identifying themes and conventions in a wide range of books
  • Preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action
  • Discussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
  • Recognising some different forms of poetry [for example, free verse, narrative poetry]
• Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by:
  • Checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding, and explaining the meaning of words in context
  • Asking questions to improve their understanding of a text
  • Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
  • Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
  • Identifying main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph and summarising these
  • Identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning.

Year 3

Year 4

Upper Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught to:

• Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
  • Continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
  • Reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
  • Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
  • Recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
  • Identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
  • Making comparisons within and across books
  • Learning a wider range of poetry by heart
  • Preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience
• Understand what they read by:
  • Checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
  • Asking questions to improve their understanding
  • Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
  • Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
  • Summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
  • Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
• Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
• Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
• Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
• Participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
• Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
• Provide reasoned justifications for their views.

Year 5

Year 6

At St, Patrick’s we aim to provide a curriculum that is effective, inclusive and accessible to all pupils.