Reading

At Somersham, we want children to develop a love of literature which celebrates their literary heritage and the diverse world in which they live.  We want children to be confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers who are able to engage with a wide range of texts. ​Our aim is to enable children to make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.  

Our Reading Model

We instil a love of reading through exploration of texts linked to all curriculum areas.  The teaching of systematic synthetic phonics allows the children to be supported in becoming independent decoders and ultimately readers.  From Year Three to Year Six, children are taught additional reading skills through discrete reading sessions, English lessons and through cross curricular reading opportunities. 

Each reading session is linked to a reading skill (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, Summarising/Sequencing).  Reading sessions take on the principles of a structure based on research and guidance from James Durran and high quality stimuli are chosen for the children to explore and enjoy. The structure allows children to be immersed within the taught texts.

• In addition to these taught reading sessions, reading is taught within each English unit of work linked to specific text types.  These texts are carefully chosen to inspire and engage children.  Reading skills are reinforced through English lessons. 

• Every class has shared story time where picture books, novels poetry and non-fiction texts are enjoyed as a class.   Children also have individual reading books and are encouraged to read every night at home. They are heard read individually in school as often as possible by teachers, teaching assistants and reading volunteers (including parents). 

Throughout their time at Somersham, children will experience additional reading experiences such as visits from authors, visits to the local library and themed book weeks.   We provide opportunities for children to purchase books through book sales and have an inviting and well-structured library system with rich and varied texts.