Reading at Key Stage 2

Contexts for teaching reading at Key Stage 2
Shared reading

This practice originated from the work of Don Holdaway (1979). Using shared reading to teach children how to read, at all levels, is a challenge, but a rewarding and exciting one. When well modelled for them, student teachers can begin to see the possibilities it offers to support and extend readers and improve comprehension skills (Pressley, 2000). They also develop their own subject knowledge by taking part and planning sessions.

Teaching and learning strategies

Make clear the learning objectives and their relevance to developing children as readers. Select well chosen texts with reasons for choice. Teach and use appropriate technical vocabulary.

Model

• how to use shared reading to develop the strategies discussed in What children need to learn/possess to become readers;
• how to teach about appropriate grammatical and structural features;
• how to teach specific skills in meaningful contexts e.g.:-
  • Demonstrate to children word identification (see Literacy at Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 - Key Issues: word identification) through using various kinds of information available in the classroom and a range of memorised procedures.
  • Encourage children to draw on a range of cueing systems (see English and Children with Special Educational Needs - Reading Difficulties - assessment) in their reading, providing maximum support initially, but progressively withdrawing this.

Promote paired/group talk to clarify and develop ideas constantly relating this to desirable classroom practice as outlined in Raising student teachers’ awareness of the structure of Teacher-pupil talk in classrooms and how to assess its quality in Speaking and Listening at Key Stage 2 and Beyond.
Use a range of interactive teaching strategies to engage interest and promote learning. (see Teaching Shared Reading).
Demonstrate assessment practices.

See also Shared reading of Non fiction texts and English and ICT - Using the Web.