On Friday, I attended some brilliant (free!) CPD from the South West English Hubs. I was especially excited for this event because it had the fantastic Alex Quigley as the first speaker on the line up. I’ve long been a fan of his books, which are not only informative but totally relevant to classrooms up and down the country.
I am a huge advocate for the need of vocabulary in classrooms and that reading for both pleasure and information is invaluable to progress both academically, emotionally and socially. So much so, that I am currently completing a scholarship project on how books and reading can impact on SMSC! The reading gap is a main factor of academic achievement: the correlation of reading ability and GCSE subjects shows that all subjects are effected.
The startling data that Alex started the session with highlighted where the ‘Literacy Gap’ began and how it could be identified so keenly:
- 1 in 8 children do not own a single book at home.
- 25% of 15 year olds have a reading age of 12 or less.
- 1 in 6 adults struggle with literacy.
Knowing this, it’s then important to consider that ‘curriculum and reading are inexplicably linked’. In any subject, there is inevitably going to be reading in some form. Not only this, but there needs to be understanding of the reading the children are undertaking.
Accessing texts can often have a huge impact on attitude to reading for pleasure. As adults, we know this. For example, if someone gave me a huge text full of technical scientific language I didn’t understand, which was a topic I also wasn’t interested in I’d struggle to enjoy reading it. Now imagine a child being given a text that feels like this over and over again; they won’t learn the pleasure they can gain from texts and will instead feel as though it is a chore.
In this way, whole class reading can be an important gateway into learning to read independently. You can tackle words that you might not be able to decode alone, have debates and discussions about texts and also see it as a social activity and not just a lesson! But it’s important to remember the range of reading that can take place within the classroom.
There are many different ways that reading can be approached, be it teacher-led, choral, round robin or eventually, individual silent reading. Yes, we want children to listen to and be exposed to a range of reading that will model and inspire their enjoyment and engagement; reading can be such a social activity and it is this side that so often allows the ‘reading for pleasure’ to brim over and infect our lives. Ultimately, though, we also want children to be competent at reading alone. Not only do they need it for exam technique, but they will be able to read much more than reading aloud, as well as really gaining that escapism that the activity so often brings. There’s a reason we say ‘get lost in a good book’ so frequently!
In order for children to successfully do this, we need them to have the skills that underpin reading. As you develop reading skills, they become so ingrained that you often forget you’re doing them; it’s important to remember that children will need to be refining and honing these skills throughout school – even when they get to A-Levels! It’s easy to sit down and revise and forget what ‘skimming’ and ‘scanning’ actually are, or how useful they can be when done correctly. Or to read a piece of text full of technical terms and use root words rather than Google to help you decode.
This, for me, is something it is vital to remember as children move from Primary to Secondary. With daily reading lessons it becomes ingrained in daily discussion: inference, literal meaning, applied knowledge. But come secondary – when there will be reading in every subject – we will need to ensure children have key skills to successfully navigate the content expected of them.
Sure, you use texts in primary to read. I loved using all the high-quality non-fiction that is becoming so increasingly available; graphic novels both independently and alongside a novel version of the text; extracts and whole class readers to entice children into new worlds and adventures. But the reliance of reading is different in secondary, which is something I didn’t anticipate quite as much when I saw the difference in lessons.
This term, for our remote learning, our Year 7s spent their first lessons working on reading skills, followed by a lesson consolidating them into study skills and I think the benefit was noticeable (though we will – hopefully – see this more so when we move on to our next scheme of work!). Having seen Alex’s ‘Arduous Eight’ (see below) I think this was something that was hugely beneficial to the children. We are expecting them in daily life to use numerous skills; you wouldn’t stop refining these in music, sport, baking or maths, so why would you not in reading, too?
Often to enhance reading skills, texts are moved to an earlier year to read – but it was pointed out in the session that this is not always beneficial. Selecting books for challenging vocabulary is not the only factor that should be considered. Reading a book too early can often cause the complex themes and ideas to be too difficult for children to fully understand and therefore actually hinder comprehension. Conversely, books might not have ‘difficult’ vocabulary, but will actually help children access how language works and teach them these analytical skills we need.
Choosing the correct text is essential. Which means, being a reader as a teacher is essential too. Not necessarily in your spare time – it isn’t a hobby that everyone will have – but it’s important to know the texts you select. Just because another teacher has used a text with their class doesn’t mean it is right for yours or that you’d be passionate about the book.
When I first started teaching, this happened with me and Holes! I selected it because everyone raved about it. I know it’s clearly a brilliant book…but it’s just not for me. I wasn’t passionate about teaching it. My class weren’t passionate about learning it. What should be a really fantastic Year 6 text actually hindered our learning. It had none of the impact Nowhere Emporium did! With this in mind, I think it’s really important to remember:
- Age appropriate for your year group.
- Suitably challenging without being above their level.
- That themes and content are suitable for your particular class.
We are really lucky to be living in a such a rich time for children and teen fiction, with so many authors willing to engage with their readers! There are two things I wish I had learnt earlier in my career, which I am going to pass on to you:
Picture books can build amazing inference, scanning and skimming skills. among others. They’re not just for younger children but can be used really effectively with all ages. I used Arrival and Where’s Wally in Year 6 for reading but not until a few years in – they were fantastic for accessing reading!
Middle Grade books are full of topics which are not only brilliant for building empathy but tie into relevant and current themes within society…so work for Year 7 and 8, too! This is something I picked up during my time in Year 6, and has been invaluable for me to transfer during my role as a Transition Teacher.
Throughout the training, it is clear to see that accessibility of texts, as well as how they are accessed is a vital consideration during not only specific reading sessions but also those of other subjects. The variety of texts is important to consider – it is still reading if the books are graphic novels, or comics, or newspapers. Would it even be suitable to listen to an extract of an audio book within the lesson? In particular, how are we identifying if the complexity of the themes of the text as well as the vocabulary and language are suitable?
It was with these three final reflection questions below that we were asked to consider how we might identify the reading gap within our settings, so that we can begin to focus on closing it:
- How much do my colleagues know about the reading gap?
- How does your curriculum allow access to rich texts?
- Is there a balance of fiction and non-fiction?
Some important things to think about. So these are the questions I’ll leave you thinking about too!
Emily x
Teaching Isn't B&W 