- One hour each week as part of the curriculum for every Year 7, 8 and 9 pupil
- Non-fiction texts are carefully linked to topics in the taught curriculum
Reading a text and understanding its meaning is so much more than simply being able to sound out the words. There are a whole host of component skills which pupils need to regularly practise to become more confident and able readers.
Students in Year 7 and 8 have a dedicated reading lesson each week where they engage with an appropriately challenging non-fiction text around a topic which is linked to their taught curriculum. Each lesson, using the Achieve 3000 package, students carefully read an article which is automatically set at a lexile level designed for their ability. They test their understanding using a series of questions designed to allow students to develop their understanding of vocabulary, language techniques, inference and comprehension. Teachers focus their lessons on developing pupil understanding of reading techniques so that pupils build more confidence at tackling a range of texts. These reading lessons not only develop their word power and reading skills but also supports the knowledge they are gaining in the broader curriculum.
Having access to 12,000 non-fiction articles means teachers use engaging texts which are linked carefully to the topics pupils are studying in their classes across school. For example, pupils are learning about the function of the respiratory system in Science; in our reading lesson pupils engage with a text on the topic of vaping and its health implications. In Geography pupils learn about how rivers shape our landscape; in our reading lesson pupils read a text about the damage that poor farming methods can have on fragile river systems.
A key focus in each of these sessions is to develop important skills when tackling informational texts: summarising a text; considering cause and effect; determining fact and opinion; identifying main ideas; making inferences and predictions. The key skills are used throughout the curriculum and these reading lessons teach pupils the strategies and steps to success. Pupils use a quiz function to check their understanding and accrue points to chart their progress throughout the year.
To find out more about the non-fiction reading programme used in school visit the following link: https://www.achieve3000.com/products/achieve3000-literacy/