Strategies for organising whole class reading

Strategies for organising whole class reading

Teachers should select their whole class reading strategy bearing in mind the particular goals for their subject and lesson. The difference between reading lessons in English and reading across the curriculum In English lessons, building decoding fluency and comprehension can be a specific curriculum objective. Text and its structure is also studied in English lessons. However, in subject teaching, the curriculum objective is to learn new subject content. A text’s primary purpose, in subject lessons, is as a vehicle to deliver particular subject knowledge. Rarely, is the text an object of study (for its own sake) and in subject lessons developing reading fluency is a desirable by-product of class reading to learn about the subject. There are, nonetheless, real benefits of reading across the curriculum. Reading of increasingly complex texts will build decoding fluency and comprehension and ensure pupils can cope with more advanced study where reading is essential. It is also easier to convey more complex ideas in text than in speech and so using text can build a more complex understanding of subject content.Therefore, we advocate reading across the curriculum. However, teachers should select their whole class reading strategy bearing in mind the particular goals for their subject and lesson. The link below leads to an outline of the main strategies that can be used to read text in lessons.

Click here help teachers decide which strategy for whole class reading that will best serve the needs of the lesson.

Building reading fluency [steps should be in filled white]

Reading fluency is the ability to decode with accuracy and speed Here, we are referring narrowly to fluency in decoding. It is useful to consider accuracy and speed as a separate goal from comprehension because 'decoding fluency' makes comprehension more likely. Accuracy and speed are outcomes of automatic recognition of the letter patterns of EnglishIt is counterproductive to ask pupils to try and read faster. Rather, volume of reading, over time, will lead to instantaneous recognition of letter patterns and thus faster reading. Increased decoding fluency is a gradual process, with most progress generally made throughout KS2.Steps to decoding fluencyChildren with word reading difficulties may have mastered the basic code taught through RWI. However, they will remain disfluent and hesitant readers without the ample reading practice which allows the development over time of 'orthographic knowledge' of the letter sequences that make up English words.

Step 2: Children must become familiar with the vast range of allowable letter sequences that make up English words. This process is called ‘orthographic mapping’ and is knowledge beyond recognition of GPCs for RWI.To automatically recognise all common spelling rules and patterns, along with basic syllable types within words, requires many hours spent reading over years.

Step 3: To read fluently depends on knowledge of ‘syntax’. This is knowledge of the structure of the written word, e.g. its phrasing, rhythm, intonation and stress of sentences and familiarity with the structure of complex and multi-clause sentences.This knowledge of syntax is gained through many hours spent reading increasingly complex texts as well as hearing others read.

ProsodyChildren can learn about the phrasing, rhythm, intonation and stress of sentences through hearing others read. Reading with prosody requires some comprehension as well as decoding fluency.Texts which best support fluent decodingUsing texts at a child’s instructional level helps develop reading automaticity by repeat exposures to increasingly familiar words.

Step 1: Children must automatically recognise the basic code, explicitly taught through RWI, and blend GPCs into words. Only one to four exposures are needed for typically developing readers before the chunks of a new word’s spelling are locked together and permanently stored for instant recognition.

How to develop reading fluency and comprehension

Building decoding: click to learn more Building comprehension: click to learn more [these should be clickable blocksClosing the ‘practice gap’ The most important factor explaining variation in pupils’ decoding fluency is amount of exposure to text. There are stark differences in the amount of reading practice children get both inside and outside the classroom. If children are to become fluent readers, ‘they need to read a lot’. How schools can close the ‘practice gap’?Outlined below are a range of actions for closing the ‘practice gap’ to build reading fluency and comprehension. Each school may adopt a different pattern of activities, to provide children with adequate reading practice. One constant remains: children need ample reading practice to become fluent readers. For example, some children in Year 1 struggle to make the leap to the highest levels of RWI because they are not yet reading with necessary accuracy and speed. The same obstacle affects pupils in Year 6 who struggle with the reading SAT.

How to develop reading fluency and comprehension

Building decoding: click to learn more Building comprehension: click to learn more [these should be clickable blocksClosing the ‘practice gap’ The most important factor explaining variation in pupils’ decoding fluency is amount of exposure to text. There are stark differences in the amount of reading practice children get both inside and outside the classroom. If children are to become fluent readers, ‘they need to read a lot’. How schools can close the ‘practice gap’?Outlined below are a range of actions for closing the ‘practice gap’ to build reading fluency and comprehension. Each school may adopt a different pattern of activities, to provide children with adequate reading practice. One constant remains: children need ample reading practice to become fluent readers. For example, some children in Year 1 struggle to make the leap to the highest levels of RWI because they are not yet reading with necessary accuracy and speed. The same obstacle affects pupils in Year 6 who struggle with the reading SAT.

One to one reading with an adult

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Building reading comprehension

Types of knowledge necessary for comprehending a text The knowledge needed for comprehension can include the meanings of words, rules of grammar, knowledge of events and temporal relations, episodes, scenarios, emotions, and characters’ [Castles, Rastles and Nation 2018]. Knowledge for comprehension is built thorugh readingPupils’ knowledge can be increased by wide reading across genres and subjects and by focusing on the knowledge pupils need to understand specific texts. Much of this knowledge can only be gained from reading (or hearing) text. This is because written language is different in structure from speech. Vocabulary knowledge is imortant for reading comprehension and mostly built through readingWe know pupils do benefit from direct vocabulary instruction but this approach can cover very few, most useful, words. Most words will need to be learned through reading. 90% of the vocabulary we know, only usually occurs in text. Decoding fluency positively predicts reading comprehension When pupils are able to identify words at a glance, they have more attention available to think about meaning and comprehend a text

and learn from it. There is also some evidence that children below a ‘decoding threshold’ make little progress in reading comprehension (e.g. of new vocabulary) through their own reading. It seems that self-teaching is only possible when the developing reader has enough decoding ability to begin with.Limit teaching of comprehension strategiesThe DfE Reading Framework states that it is better to focus time on building pupils’ knowledge than on teaching reading comprehension strategies. Comprehension strategies, such as clarification, summarization, prediction, and question generation can be taught but don’t need to be constantly repeated. Evidence suggests that strategies can be learned very quickly and applied to new reading material after relatively little instruction. While strategy instruction should be time limited, the acquisition of knowledge needed for comprehension is gradual and continuous. It relies on rich input from reading.Texts which best support comprehensionTeacher led analysis of a complex text above instructional level builds vocabulary knowledge and develops comprehension (Booth et. al., 1999).

Building reading comprehension

Types of knowledge necessary for comprehending a text The knowledge needed for comprehension can include the meanings of words, rules of grammar, knowledge of events and temporal relations, episodes, scenarios, emotions, and characters’ [Castles, Rastles and Nation 2018]. Knowledge for comprehension is built thorugh readingPupils’ knowledge can be increased by wide reading across genres and subjects and by focusing on the knowledge pupils need to understand specific texts. Much of this knowledge can only be gained from reading (or hearing) text. This is because written language is different in structure from speech. Vocabulary knowledge is imortant for reading comprehension and mostly built through readingWe know pupils do benefit from direct vocabulary instruction but this approach can cover very few, most useful, words. Most words will need to be learned through reading. 90% of the vocabulary we know, only usually occurs in text. Decoding fluency positively predicts reading comprehension When pupils are able to identify words at a glance, they have more attention available to think about meaning and comprehend a text

and learn from it. There is also some evidence that children below a ‘decoding threshold’ make little progress in reading comprehension (e.g. of new vocabulary) through their own reading. It seems that self-teaching is only possible when the developing reader has enough decoding ability to begin with.Limit teaching of comprehension strategiesThe DfE Reading Framework states that it is better to focus time on building pupils’ knowledge than on teaching reading comprehension strategies. Comprehension strategies, such as clarification, summarization, prediction, and question generation can be taught but don’t need to be constantly repeated. Evidence suggests that strategies can be learned very quickly and applied to new reading material after relatively little instruction. While strategy instruction should be time limited, the acquisition of knowledge needed for comprehension is gradual and continuous. It relies on rich input from reading.Texts which best support comprehensionTeacher led analysis of a complex text above instructional level builds vocabulary knowledge and develops comprehension (Booth et. al., 1999).

Paired reading

Click on the links below for details of each strategy. The links can be used to help which strategy teachers decide which strategy for whole class reading will best serve the needs fo the lesson.

Can be used to support decoding, fluency and comprehension

Repeated reading and paired repeated reading

Can be used to support decoding fluency and comprehension

Guided annotation

Supports comprehension of text. Encourages pupils to actively monitor comprehension through e.g. clarifying pronouns. cohesive ties and vocabulary.

Control the game

Can be used to support decoding fluency and comprehension

Individual silent reading

Can be used to support decoding fluency and comprehension

Strategies for decoding and comprehension of individual words

Hear See Say

Supports decoding and sight recognition:

Speed Words

Supports decoding

Inside/outside/beyond

Encourages pupils to habitually consider the meaning of unknown words. Expands pupils’ knowledge of morphology and etymology to apply to working out the meaning of unfamiliar words.

6-step Vocabulary

For teaching selected tier two words, chosen for high frequency and utility. Facilitates depth and breadth of understanding of these words.

Strategies for whole class reading

Repeated reading and paired repeated reading

Repeated Reading and Paired Repeated reading can be broken down into phases: Paired Decode ReadMetacognitive Fluency Model Paired Fluency Read.

Paired Decode Read: Paired Decode Read is a type of paired reading most often used in reading lessons as part of the English curriculum. it is focussed on building students’ accuracy and automaticity (ease and pace of decoding). A Paired Decode Read can be repeated if pupils’ accuracy or pace still requires improvement after their first attempt. The aim is for the words to be recognised easily, with only minimal use of cognitive resources, i.e. a high level of automaticity, therefore releasing space for comprehension. ‘Speed Words’ practice will positively impact a paired decode read, as students get the opportunity to practice reading the ‘tricky words’, with increased automaticity, prior to reading them in context.

Metacognitive Fluency Model: The metacognitive fluency model is most often used in specialist reading lessons, where reading fluency is the main goal of the instruction. It is an optional phase of the Repeated Reading Model, to be used when required. The purpose of this read is for the teacher to provide not only a model of fluent reading, but also a metacognitive ‘commentary’ to share the thought processes involved in the decision-making for expressive reading. The teacher should aim to model ‘transferable strategies’ e.g. “These two dashes show me that there’s additional information inside, so my voice must read this part as if it’s in brackets. Listen…” When pupils are ‘let inside’ an expert reader’s head, they learn more than purely to mimic the fluent reading. Most importantly, they can learn to transfer the strategies they have observed into their own reading. Teachers can easily begin to involve pupils in the decision-making process, through a gradual release model.

Paired Fluency Read: The Paired Fluency Read usually follows the Paired Decode Read (or the Metacognitive Fluency Model, if this is being used). After students have built a good level of accuracy and automaticity through initial rounds of repeated reading (Decode Reads), they work in pairs, taking it in turns to practise reading the same section of text with automaticity and prosody, whilst receiving supportive feedback from their partner.

Strengths When well implemented, all pupils in the class practise decoding and build reading fluency. There is a strong research base demonstrating the efficacy of building fluency through repeated reading with gains transferable to new texts.

Possible limitations Can take more time than some other approaches and paired reading requires all pupils to be fully engaged and able to prompt each other. Strong routines will support the effectiveness of this strategy. In subject lessons the time taken to repeat read might be too great given other lesson objectives.

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Inside/outside/beyond

Inside, Outside and Beyond, supports the vocabulary pillar of reading instruction by providing students with tools to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases. Through a gradual release model, students learn to:

Strengths Knowing the morphology and etymology of words helps pupils infer the meaning of unfamiliar words. The habit of considering word meaning will help pupils self-learn new vocabulary

Possible limitations Can be time-consuming to plan and deliver. Some expertise is needed in choosing the rith words to consider.Novice learners can guess incorrectly from internal and contextual cues. The method is best used to build the habit of considering meaning rather than as a reliable solution when the meaning of words is not known.Teaching I/O/B, as with all reading strategies, should be time-limited. The full approach should not be continually used over time.

• Use ‘Inside’ to habitually look for clues within the structure (morphology) of a word i.e. roots, prefixes and suffixes.
• Use ‘Outside’ to habitually look for contextual clues in the immediate context, and in the text that comes before or after the unknown word. This included using punctuation clues, e.g. parenthesis, commas used as parenthesis
• Use ‘Beyond’ to:

- Activate background knowledge; e.g. think about where they might have heard or seen the word before and to make connections in order to provide clues for the meaning of the word in the current context - Use resources present in multimodal texts to help decipher meaning, e.g. diagrams and graphics - Know when and how to use an appropriate reference guide, e.g. glossary, Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary, to look up the meaning of a word

Individual silent reading

During individual silent reading or ‘sustained silent reading’ (SSR), students read independently and quietly during a set time.

Strengths Time efficient. All pupils can read at their own pace.

Possible limitations Pupils finish at different times and it is hard to ensure pupils have engaged with all the words in the text.

Guided Annotation

Guided Annotation is taught via a gradual release model. It is an active reading strategy which provides students with a system and tools to independently make sense of a text for a given purpose. Students use an annotation ‘key’ to actively and explicitly monitor their comprehension, identifying potential barriers to understanding. Through guided practice, students become skilled at using common text affordances and active reading strategies to overcome barriers and build meaning, whilst annotating.

Strengths Ensures text is read and meaning thoroughly considered. Gives pupils access to very complex texts. Provides teachers with ‘data’ on how well pupils are understanding a text Teachers can then respond to areas of text where pupils are struggling and clarify misconceptions. Allows ongoing dialogue between teacher and class about the relevant information held in the text Enables students to be held to account during silent reading tasks. Students are able to read at their own pace, and reread sections of text as required, to optimise comprehension. Can be particularly powerful in English lessons where the text itself is the object of study

Possible limitations May be too time consuming for some reading purposes in subject lessons. There is the potential for the lesson objective to be ‘lost’ in the annotation process. To mitigate against limitations teachers need to choose this strategy when close textual analysis is appropriate or be careful to focus textual mark up on content which informs the objectives of the lesson.

Control the game

‘Control the Game’ is an approach to class reading which involves the teacher asking students to read aloud in turn, in an unpredictable order, while the rest of the class follows along with the text. It is designed to keep all students engaged, as they must be prepared to read at any moment. Preplanning who will read which sections also allows the teacher to adjust the difficulty and/or duration of reading for each student and can be a more effective method than where the order of readers is predictable. The teacher can periodically ‘bridge’ the reading by modelling/reading aloud a section of text, before handing over to another student.

Strengths Simple to organise within the time constraints of subject teaching and possible to ensure all are following when pupils are all held to account. Increases participation ratio and student accountability due to the randomised approach to reading as opposed to 'popcorn' or 'down the line' reading. Allows ongoing dialogue between teacher and class about the relevant information held in the text.

Possible limitations Trying to read whilst listening to someone else can increase cognitive demand and limit capacity for pupils to think about meaning. Pupils who need the most reading practice can sometimes get the least, if teachers select a smaller, easier section for them to read. Pupils may not be following the text themselves and simply listening. With strong routines to ensure all pupils are following the text this drawback can be mitigated

Hear See Say

Hear, See, Say is a strategy used to provide pupils with scaffolded practice to accurately pronounce challenging words through simultaneously seeing the word and hearing accurate pronunciation. Teacher modelling of pronunciation will can include: pointing out tricky graphemes, syllabification or explicit identification of morphology (roots, prefixes and suffixes). The demonstration is followed immediately by pupil repetition. It is important for students to look at the words they are learning to pronounce/read, so that active decoding can take place, and so that they are not simply repeating what they hear with no attention to the orthography of the word.

Strengths Best for reading lessons, English, EAL or intervention/practice, or in subject lessons when students are encountering unfamiliar, multisyllabic words that they will likely struggle to decode.

Possible limitations It can be tempting for teachers to simply read out the words as wholes. Hear See Say word teaching should focus on explicit instruction of what makes a word tricky at first glance: be it multi-syllabic, unusual stresses or rarer GPCs. Some schools circle difficult letter strings or add RWI dots and dashes to support word decoding here

Paired reading

Paired Reading is a whole class or small group reading approach aimed at improving reading fluency by increasing the amount of reading practice students engage in. The text is divided into sections by the teacher and the paired students take turns to read to each other, out loud. Whilst one student reads, the other listens, following along in the text and providing support, as needed. The roles are then reversed, allowing each student to practice both reading and tracking for accuracy. Students can be paired with a student of similar reading ability, or the approach also works when a more fluent reader is paired with a slightly less fluent reader. However, care should be taken to avoid pairing students for whom there is a large gap in reading fluency.

Strengths Time efficient. All children are reading for the full time allocated to the activity.

Possible limitations Requires all pupils to be fully engaged and able to prompt each other. Strong routines will support the effectiveness of this strategy.

6-step Vocabulary

6-Step vocabulary, based on the work of Isobel Beck, provides a helpful approach to the explicit teaching of tier two vocabulary. The six step teaching sequence ensures the tier two word is: taught within context; connected to words within the same ‘family’ (common word derivatives); connected to familiar synonyms and antonyms; broken into its morphology (where helpful); modelled by teachers and spoken out loud by students – to practice accurate pronunciation. Teachers provide: a ‘child friendly’ definition of the word’ and examples of the word being used in new, potentially unfamiliar contexts. Next, the teacher provides opportunities for students to apply the word in various contexts, in order to expand their familiarity and usage, and consolidate their understanding. Finally, the teacher poses questions, often including scenarios in which the word is used, requiring students to explain their answers, in order to check for understanding and correct misconceptions.

Strengths The approach is proven to facilitate retention of words taught and hence grow pupils’ vocabularies. It helps pupils make connections to words already within their vocabulary, increasing the depth of their understanding and building precision in terms of word selection

Possible limitations Pupils need to learn the meaing of many words and not all can taught using this approach. teachers should select especially useful words to teach in this way.

Speed Words

Speed Words is a strategy used to build accuracy and automaticity of word recognition through the repeated reading of challenging words, with the aim for the words to be read ‘at a glance’. ‘Tricky words’ (those that it is predicted students may struggle to read/pronounce), are selected from a text students are about to read. The words are placed in a ‘Speed Words’ table/grid, for isolated, timed practice. Words can be repeated within the grid to provide additional practice. Students engage in repeated practice, working in pairs, taking it in turns to read the words from left to right. They compete against themselves (not each other), to increase the speed at which they are able to read all words in the grid accurately. A timer can be displayed on the board for students to keep a record of their ‘personal best’.

Strengths Best for reading lessons, English, EAL or intervention/practice, or in subject lessons, to support weak decoders, prior to reading a section of text.

Possible limitations It can be tempting for teachers to simply read out the words as wholes when introducing them to pupils. Speed word teaching should focus on explicit instruction of what makes a word tricky at first glance: be it multi-syllabic, unusual stresses or rarer GPCs. Some schools circle difficult letter strings or add RWI dots and dashes to support word decoding here

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