WORD - Reading Like An Expert

Reading for Pleasure Initiative

What is it?

The new reading for pleasure initiative is set out to model and teach our students how to become experts in the field of reading while becoming independent. This collective programme is used to focus on teaching students to become more confident as readers.

Rationale for the Programme

The rational is that it allows students the opportunity to stop at various stages in reading and use a variety of questioning to shape their overall understanding and knowledge of and engagement with the text. Students are encouraged in all subjects and at all levels to decode any written word, question or extended text using the BDA method and teachers are trained to embed this into their lessons and the wider environment

What is the Reading Ruler?

The reading ruler is used to help students to develop their metacognitive skills and process in order to understand how to stop at a certain stage in the text and check their level of understanding. In combination with thinking hard strategy, it helps student to develop a cohesive relationship between the text and their understanding. It involves a “Before, During and After” stage where students are encouraged to decode the written language and culture of the text.

“I really like the way the responsibility is put on us and the expectation is not on the teacher. The ruler helps us stop at any point and see what is happening” - George - Y7 student

Example model slide and response from a year 8

What is Each Class Reading?

7CV-JC and 7CV-EO	Trash by Andy Mulligan	Stone Cold by Robert Swindells	Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius
7EL-HH and 7EL-SB	Lord of the Flies by William Goulding	Trash by Andy Mulligan	Stone Cold by Robert Swindells
7SA-GM and 7SA-ED	Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius	Lord of the Flies by William Goulding	Trash by Andy Mulligan
7GC-JH and 7GC-IB	Stone Cold by Robert Swindells	Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius	Lord of the Flies by William Goulding
8CV and 8CV	Wonder by RJ Polacio	Noughts and Crosses	The Island at the End of Everything
8EL and 8EL	The Night Diary – Veera Hiranandani	Wonder by RJ Polacio	Noughts and Crosses
8SA and 8SA	The Island at the End of Everything	The Night Diary – Veera Hiranandani	Wonder by RJ Polacio
8GC and 8GC	Noughts and Crosses	The Island at the End of Everything	The Night Diary – Veera Hiranandani

     

     

Buddy Reading

Our new buddy reading system is a programme launched between our year 9 and 12 students to help develop their reading age and understanding of a variety of texts.

The aim of this programme is to create a cohesive relationship between our upper school students with our lower school while teaching our year 12 students a variety of skills needed for the world outside the classroom such as mentoring, managing and training individuals to gain understanding of a new skills. In this case, the year 12 students have been trained in how to support younger students in how to decode a text and complex vocabulary. Our new initiative runs 3 times a week and explore a variety of multicultural and diverse texts to help deepen students understanding.