Reading Matters

Welcome

Creating space in the curriculum for pupils to read and discuss their own reading choices is vitally important and helps to build motivation and enthusiasm for reading.  As a school we are focused on improving students’ attitudes to reading to enhance their progress in English and their literacy skills across the curriculum.

Below you’ll find tips and advice to help your child foster their love of reading.

Mrs Lathall
Reading Coordinator

We have a school Instagram page dedicated to all
things book related!  Follow allsaintsreading for news,
competitions and book recommendations.

Reading Matters Newsletter

Autumn 2023

Summer 2023

January 2023

September 2022

July 2022

December 2021

Student Book Reviews

Click on the books below to hear a review from one of our students

All Saints’ Reading Strategies 2023-2024

A key focus this year is introducing Reciprocal Reading as a school wide approach, paired with ensuring all areas of the curriculum support students ability to engage with texts in all disciplines.

The strategy: Complex and challenging texts should be read aloud by a member of staff or a competent reader within the class. Students do not need to ‘follow along’ whilst the text is read aloud.

The reciprocal reader steps can be applied to any subject area and can be modelled by teachers initially. To support students in becoming more accomplished readers, the above process can then be used to prompt questioning around what is being read.

Rationale: This will reduce cognitive load for weaker readers, as time taken decoding words can make it far harder for students to comprehend the meaning.

Clarifying key words can be done prior to reading. Again, this will reduce extraneous load and will enable to the students to engage with texts more successfully.

What the research says: Reading comprehension is highly correlated with listening comprehension (Bell & Perfetti, 1994: Gernsbacher, Varner, & Faust, 1990). For difficult to understand texts, prosody can aid understanding (Kosslyn & Matt, 1977)

General Reading aims:

• Provide our students with the skills and strategies necessary to develop into competent and fluent readers to enable our students to be successful with the increased reading and literacy demands of the new specifications;
• Encourage the enjoyment of books and reading so that the students develop a life-long enjoyment of text;
• Develop a critical appreciation of what they read;
• Develop research and study skills, using library and class texts, in conjunction with the Internet and other electronic means;
• To develop a critical appreciation of the writing of others in order to emulate these skills in their own writing;
• Encourage care and ownership of books.
• All students are encouraged to independently select a wide range of reading material.  Students in years 7- 8 are expected to have a reading book with them as part of their daily equipment.

What are reciprocal reading skills?

Reciprocal reading is a reading practice designed to develop and support comprehension.
Students are encourage to read, talk and think their way through a text using the following skills:

Prediction, Clarity, Questioning and Summarising

Prediction—Making predictions from what is already known from the text structure and text features.

Clarify—Clarifying unfamiliar vocabulary and challenging concepts.

Questioning-Asking questions about the text using Who, What, Where, When and Why.

Summarising—Summing up the main ideas or gist of the text.

Efficient readers synthesise these strategies when reading.  In order to make these explicit to students, it is essential that each one is modelled and scaffolded separately.

How can I support my child with their reading?

1. Look for things your children might like to read.  Use their interests and hobbies as starting points.
2. Encourage your child to read aloud to you an exciting passage in a book, an interesting section in the newspaper, or a joke in a joke book.  When children read aloud, don’t feel they have to get every word right.  Even good readers skip or mispronounce words now and then!
3. Set aside a special place for children to keep their own books.
4. Let your children see you reading for pleasure in your spare time.
5. Visit the library regularly and explore the children’s section together.
6. Ask a librarian to suggest books and magazines your children might enjoy.
7. Encourage older children to read to their younger brothers and
   sisters.  Older children enjoy showing off their skills to an admiring audience.
8. Play games that are reading-related.
9. Share your reactions to things you read, and encourage your children to do likewise.
10. Read aloud to your child, especially a child who is discouraged by his or her own poor reading skills.  The pleasure of listening to you read, rather than struggling alone, may restore your child’s initial enthusiasm for books and reading.

Aspirational Reading

The Top 50 Books to read before you leave school. Click on a title to read more about that book.

1984
A Monster Calls
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Animal Farm
Anne Frank
Artemis Fowl
The Book Thief
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
Boy Tales of Childhood
A Christmas Carol
Catch 22
Coram Boy
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Enemy
Everything, Everything
The Famous Five

The Fault in our Stars
Frankenstein
The Handmaid’s Tale
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Hobbit
Holes
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hunger Games
I am Malala
James and the Giant Peach
Kes
Life of Pi
The Lord of the Flies
The Lord of the Rings
Macbeth
Mortal Engines

Never Let Me Go
Northern Lights
Noughts and Crosses
Of Mice and Men
Oliver Twist
The Outsiders
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Regeneration
Romeo and Juliet
Skellig
Sophie’s World
Stone Cold
To Kill a Mockingbird
War Horse
Wonder

Useful Websites

The National Literacy Trust (www.literacytrust.org.uk) has several important initiatives to help boys’ reading.

The Reading Agency  (http://readingagency.org.uk/) promotes the benefits of reading at all stages of life.

World Book Day (www.worldbookday.com) provides exciting and fun new  resources based on your favourite books, brands, characters and authors.