Reading in KS1

As well as learning to decode words and start to develop their fluency in phonics (see phonics sub-page), children at Monkston also participate in small group reading sessions with the teacher and whole class guided reading sessions.

In the small group reading sessions, the teacher listens to each child individually and uses this time to develop the children’s confidence, comprehension and inference. The teacher will also use this time to introduce the children to a wide variety of texts including fiction and non-fiction and develop the children’s vocabulary.

In whole class guided reading sessions, the children participate in ‘echo reading’ where the teacher models the skills of using expression and fluency in reading and ‘text marking’ where the children look through the text for clues (including punctuation) to help them with their fluency and expression. In addition to this, within the whole class reading sessions, the children learn to answer a variety of correctly challenged deduction and inference questions.

Daily story time usually happens at the end of the day, where the teacher shares a ‘class text’ with the children. Each term or half term, each year group has a ‘reading theme’. These themes can include specific authors, or PSHE themes, or curriculum linked themes. If you'd like to know the book, theme or author that your child is learning about/reading, keep an eye out for the year group newsletter that gets sent home at the start of every half term.

Daily story time follows a designated, consistent structure across EYFS and KS1 as outlined below:

Monday – Read a story book that goes with the reading theme of the half term/term.

Tuesday – Rereading and ‘delving deeper’ into the linked story book/ reading another book by the author.

Wednesday – Reading a non-fiction or poetry book.

Thursday – Teacher’s choice (A chance for the teacher to model their own love of reading).

Friday – Child’s choice (A chance to encourage the child’s love of reading by reading or re-reading their favourite story books).

Reading at home in KS1

The children in Monkston bring home two books from school; one reading book and one library book.

In reception and year 1, the children bring home Read Write Inc. book bag books which they can read to an adult or an older sibling. These books are closely linked to their individual phonetic knowledge. The purpose of these books is for the children feel confident reading something that they know they can read and to consolidate learning that they have done in school. These books are also sent home for some year 2 children.

In year 2, children will be sent home a book banded book to read to an adult or an older sibling. 

All children get the opportunity to bring home a book from our library. The purpose of these books is to share and read together with people at home to develop enjoyment of reading. All classes visit the library once a week.

All children are given a reading diary at the start of each term which should be signed by an adult at home every time they read to an adult or an older sibling. If your child has read four times in one week, they will be given one Monkston point. Children can change their book on Mondays and Thursdays in KS1 and Reception; however, they must only change their book if they have read it twice. The purpose of this is that if younger children read the same story/book more than once, they will develop a greater understanding of what happens.