Reading and Spelling
The ability to read, write and communicate is crucial to opening doors of opportunity in the future lives of our children at Snainton CE Primary School. Children are taught reading and spelling, in line with National Curriculum expectations, daily as part of our cross curricular topics,
Reading:
The children have access to an ever widening range of books to support their learning as well as reading online.
As far as the teaching of reading is concerned, we use a range of reading scheme books as our base which are organised into coloured bands so that all children can easily identify the section of books from which they are to choose a reading book. We actively encourage parents to read at home with their children, and also to listen to them read from their school book. We also like parents to write a comment in the child’s reading record book. As well as individual reading, the children read in small groups, providing them with opportunities to read and discuss a wider selection of literature, including poetry and plays.
Hearing stories read aloud is important as it allows children to be able to develop a rich vocabulary as well as giving them the opportunity to be able to discuss the things they hear. The children are read to regularly in all classes across the school.
Writing:
As far as possible, writing is taught in a cross curricular manner to fit in with learning across the curriculum so that children are able to make links between subjects and so that there is a reason and purpose for their writing. Specific skills are taught discretely when required but at all other times, links are made. A variety of different genres are studied during the year, including a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry units and these can be found on our long term plan.
Phonics:
We use Jolly Phonics and “Letters and Sounds” to support our teaching of phonics. Phonic groups are differentiated according to the needs of the children and are organised in a structured and systematic way. Once children are proficient at using phonics as a tool for decoding unfamiliar words and for spelling phonetically decodable words, we move on to daily spelling practice based on the requirements of the National Curriculum. Later, in Key Stage 2, the children have spelling lessons each week focusing on new word families, prefixes and suffices and more complex spelling patterns and rules. Throughout their time in school, we encourage children to practice their phonics and spelling at home through regular reading and practicing of given word lists / activities. We value the support of parents and believe that developing children’s learning in all areas of the curriculum works best when there is a partnership between home and school.
Phonics and spelling teaching across the school is organised as follows:
Early Years / Year 1/Y2: Daily phonics following Jolly Phonics and Letters and Sounds (phonic homework to reinforce skills taught)
Year 3/4 / 5/6: Weekly spelling lesson based on requirements of new National Curriculum (weekly spelling lists linked to new spelling patterns / rules that have been taught)
Year 3 and 4 Common Exception Words