5 Top Tips for Primary Schools Guided & Independent Reading Programmes While working with international literacy experts over the last year, we identified 5 Best Practice Tips – we believe they are of great value, and so do the teachers to whom we’ve spoken about them. They will be of interest if you already have a reading programme or are planning to implement one in your school. 1. Have a big, broad excellently levelled programme at the core of a reading programme and then supplement this strong core with other well-levelled books. • A child gets the best result if they always start with the core programme. • This core programme teaches them the basics with a consistency of approach • This builds confidence and then the capability at each level before bridging out to other titles and programmes. For example, schools have PM, Engage or Flying Start at the core and supplement with programmes such as Nelson Literacy Directions, Collins Big Cat, Oxford, Sails and Red Rocket.
2. Multiple reading genres/text types are key to developing literacy skills. • This is especially true in upper primary. • Go beyond the ubiquitous narrative text style that dominates in primary but doesn’t prepare children for reading other genres, so they struggle later. 3. Best results are achieved when children read broadly at every level. • It is not a race to the next level. There is no point reading without comprehension. • A wide range of titles across a broad range of genres at each level helps build skills. • Varied questioning styles help to ensure comprehension is tested all the time. 4. Independent reading should be at a level or two below the child’s current reading level. • This ensures the child is able to read independently and can practise this with ease. • ‘Take home’ readers fall into this category, not just independent readers in class. • Help parents to understand that the purpose is to develop reading and comprehension skills by reading within the child’s capability. The parent’s role is to encourage and praise their child in doing this. 5. Not all schemes are consistently levelled to a common reading recovery standard.
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• Readers in a reading programme need to be levelled consistently for optimum results. èè If inconsistent with the core programme, resolve the issue by adding a simple sticker with the common standard reading recovery level to the book. • Levelling can be easily done using Which Book and Why (March 2014) available to buy at Folens.ie/shop Sa èè Have at least one of these in the school to support levelling all common titles quickly. èè Focuses investment in supplementary titles for reading programmes to avoid overpurchasing of one type/level and not enough of others.
Folens are the exclusive suppliers of Ireland’s favourite international Reading Programmes. Sa
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For more details on all of these Programmes and others,
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VISIT www.Folens.ie/literacy, TALK to your rep www.Folens.ie/our-reps, or MAIL on Folens.ie/support
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Top Tips Primary Schools.indd 1
28/03/2014 17:30