Reading is at the very heart of our learning in Emmaus. In addition to developing the children's technical reading skills, we also strive to foster within them a love of reading which they will carry throughout their lives.
Reading takes many forms in Emmaus and the children are provided with a wealth of experiences and opportunities which promote reading.
We utilise a range of different schemes in our teaching of reading and phonics including Jolly Phonics, Phonics Bug, Bug Club, Collins Big Cat, Oxford Reading Tree,Treetops, Literacy World and Snapshots as well as using quality texts whenever possible to nurture a love of reading.
TYPES OF READING IN EMMAUS
Shared reading - Reading a text as a class, answering questions, looking at the layout, language features, use of punctuation, sentence structure, the intent of the author, choices that the author has made and responding to the text on a personal level.
Guided reading - Reading a text that is slightly more challenging for a child in a small group with a teacher or teaching assistant. Each child reads independently and we work as a group on fluency and expression, as well as the areas addressed during shared reading.
Independent reading - We promote reading for pleasure at every opportunity and set aside dedicated time for children to read independently throughout the day.
Home reading - Books that are at an appropriate level for your child that may have a small degree of challenge. Discussion and experience of sharing books with family and friends are key features of home reading.
Additional reading activities - Children also take part in daily Reading Workshops where they have the opportunity to respond to books in a variety of ways. Reading takes place across all subjects of the school curriculum and we strive to improve and apply children’s skills at every opportunity.