Approaches to Reading and Spelling in senior classes

Guided Reading is a differentiated approach to teaching reading to children at primary school level

Children read at their own level, making reading enjoyable and meaningful for them

The class reader is too easy for some pupils and too difficult for others

School Self Evaluation Statistics from Australia and New

Zealand where this approach is on the national curricula

Very positive feedback from teachers in the school who had attended courses and undertaken research on the topic

Successful pilot in 2nd and 3rd classes in 2013/14

Pupils are tested to help with grouping.

This testing is called Benchmarking. Testing is done 1:1 outside the door

using a kit The class teacher and/or the

support teacher benchmarks. At 5th/ 6th class level we only need

to benchmark a sample of students

1st- 6th Classes -All year in all classes- 2 days per week- 1hr.

Support teacher working in class.

• Class is divided into 4 groups• - similar reading ability• 2 adults- Class Teacher + Support

Teacher- 2 groups each• Each group is reading a different

text/novel• While teacher is working with one

group, the other group is working on an independent task

• Some variations on this … SNA/ class dynamic etc

Flaws with traditional methods of teaching spelling. School Self Evaluation Staff training in January 2013 Successful Pilot in 2013/14 in 3rd

classes. Differentiated approach

Corewords

Dictation

Personal Dictionary

Spelling Homework

Alternative word sources