Whole School Reading
Intent
At Wheatfield School, we use the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) Reading Curriculum, which is designed to develop confident, fluent and thoughtful readers. Through high-quality literature, rich discussion and explicit teaching, pupils learn not only how to read, but how to think deeply about what they read.
Our Reading Curriculum
The CUSP Reading curriculum is an evidence-based (Rosenshine, Shanahan & Rasinski, Law et al, Lemov, Didau, Pankin and Mayer), structured learning sequence built around three key principles:
· Explicit vocabulary instruction to develop pupils' understanding and use of ambitious language
· Prosodic reading (reading fluency) to help pupils read accurately, confidently and with expression
· Thinking hard about texts through discussion, questioning and written responses
These elements are woven through every reading lesson, enabling children to access increasingly challenging texts and develop a lifelong love of reading.
High-Quality Literature
At the heart of the curriculum is a carefully selected literature spine of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts. Pupils study whole-class novels and a range of supplementary texts that broaden their understanding of themes, ideas and subject knowledge. The literature has been chosen to expose children to diverse experiences, perspectives and cultures as well as a range of relevant social issues, big ethical questions and moral dilemmas.
Implementation
Each week, pupils read both a core class text and additional supporting texts. The curriculum is structured so that children encounter a variety of genres and text types while developing different reading skills. Lessons focus on a range of reading competencies, including:
· Vocabulary
· Retrieval
· Inference
· Prediction
· Summarising
· Understanding authorial intent and text structure
Questions and activities are carefully designed to encourage pupils to think critically and respond thoughtfully to what they have read.
Developing Fluent Readers
Reading fluency is explicitly taught in every lesson. Teachers model expressive reading and use a range of strategies to practise fluency and prosody, such as echo reading, paired reading and performance reading. This approach supports all learners in accessing demanding and engaging texts, regardless of their starting point, and as a result, pupils develop pace, accuracy and understanding.
Supporting Every Child
We are committed to ensuring that every pupil can be successful in reading. Teachers follow the ‘I do, we do, you do’ teaching model, based on Rosenshine’s teaching principles, in order to guide and support all children effectively. Knowledge Notes provide key information, vocabulary and prompts that help children engage with texts and articulate their ideas effectively. A range of scaffolding strategies are used to support understanding and build confidence within independent tasks.
Impact
Through our reading curriculum, pupils develop:
· A rich and varied vocabulary
· Strong reading fluency and comprehension skills
· Confidence in discussing and analysing texts
· A broad understanding of the world and different perspectives
· A lifelong enjoyment of reading
Our aim is for every child to leave primary school as a capable, confident reader who is well prepared for the next stage of their education. Our children will have developed conceptual fluency and comprehension skills which they can use and apply across a range of subjects, lessons and in the wider world as they continue their educational journey. Through exposure to the diverse literature spine, children become inclusive, compassionate and aspirational citizens in the wider community.
Reading for Pleasure
Across the school, we provide a range of opportunities to promote a love of reading and develop positive reading habits. These include whole-school reading celebrations such as World Book Day, reading themed events, author visits, paired reading opportunities and our twice-yearly book fair. Children are encouraged to explore a wide range of texts, share their reading with others and celebrate their achievements through initiatives such as class reading scrapbooks, the appointment of pupil reading ambassadors and weekly celebration of children completing ‘5 reads a week’.
In addition,
· High-quality texts are provided in each classroom’s reading area as well as in the library
· Each class visits the library once a week
· We promote an ‘Author of the Month’ through a display in the library and class presentations
