Case Study: Year 2 Intensive Reading Support Materials
Session 7: Staff meeting: planning an additional reading session
Key points
Session notes
Aims and
overview
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Before the
session
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This could be for the whole staff, just for Year 2 or KS1 or be arranged as a
joint inset session for Year 2 teachers using this model of support.
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Staff meeting
(1 hour)
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© Crown Copyright 2005
To deliver a staff meeting about planning an additional reading session.
Talk to the Literacy Coordinator and decide whether the staff meeting will
include Reception, KS1 and KS2.
Ensure all staff concerned have been informed about the meeting well in
advance!
Compile a handout pack of resource sheets for each staff member.
Collect examples of independent activities and resources to show during
the meeting.
Ask teachers to discuss in pairs the purpose of an additional reading
session. Take feedback from the teachers and ensure everyone is
committed to timetabling an additional reading session during which
children are engaged in a range of reading (and writing) activities and the
teacher teaches guided reading.
Key points to share: Children will make rapid progress in reading;
teacher has a dedicated time to teach guided reading (undisturbed);
children have the opportunity to read (applying reading strategies; reading
a range of texts; developing a love of reading).
Recap on the principle that children need a balanced reading programme,
which includes: reading to children, reading with children and independent
reading. Remind teachers that guided reading is a crucial component of a
reading programme – it is the time when the children practice reading and
we guide them.
Ask teachers to discuss the features of effective independent reading
activities (purposeful and engaging; involve children in reading a range of
texts; children read texts at an independent reading level; is achievable
without adult support).
Ask teachers to work in pairs to identify four reading activities, which
could be used during an additional reading session. List these and
discuss whether they are appropriate for both key stages.
Share the list of activities from Resource 16: Suggested Independent
Reading Activities (and refer to Using a Reading Journal from NLS
exemplified units if KS2 staff are present).
Share the list of generic follow-up activities which will help teachers to
think of a range of follow-up tasks which focus on reading and are easy to
plan and organise (Resource 16).
Ask teachers to share current practice in relation to organising
independent reading activities (timetabling; teaching children routines and
activities; encouraging independence).
Share the suggested timetable in Resource 15: Planning an Additional
Reading Session. Agree school practice in relation to the time and
length of the reading session and the organisation. (A 30-minute session
after lunch works well).
Ask teachers to set action points and share any planned monitoring of
the additional reading session.
Make sure Year 2 teachers have planned to implement this additional
session as soon as possible.
You could introduce the Year 2 Interactive Reading texts here (The
Dragon's Egg and Anu's Nose).
DRAFT
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Case Study: Year 2 Intensive Reading Support Materials
Additional
notes
Resources
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The staff meeting date will need to be negotiated with the school and
does not necessarily need to take place on Day 3
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Teachers often find it useful to take photos of their children doing
independent activities to use on task boards.
Resource 15: Planning an Additional Reading Session
Resource 16: Suggested Independent Reading Activities
Book Bands for Guided Reading (pages 2-3) gives an overview of
distinctions between shared, guided and independent reading.
Personnel
© Crown Copyright 2005
Literacy Consultant Staff from Reception/KS1/ KS2 as agreed with HT and
Literacy Coordinator
DRAFT
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