Reading Continuum – Compass Point
What skills and knowledge an average
How this will be achieved for an average
How this will be achieved for an average
How this will be achieved for an average
How this will be achieved for an average
How this will be achieved for an average
How this will be achieved for an average
child needs for good reading at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
child at Compass Point.
Children’s Centre
Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Lower Juniors
Understanding of the world
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Sensory experiences, encouraging the
children to describe these
experiences.
Stories and rhymes linked to the
children’s direct experience of the
world.
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Trips out to extend the children’s
experience of the world beyond
school and family.
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Link these experiences to story
books.
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Discussing experiences beyond the
children’s immediate experience in
time and place eg dinosaurs,
unfamiliar animals, foreign
countries, fantasy worlds, linking
this knowledge with books and
stories when possible
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Literacy rich topic.
Constant questioning of children to
check and extend comprehension.
Visits to the library
Extended experiences.
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Communication:
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Meaning
Using language:
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Developing Vocabulary
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Book Talk:
Understanding the purpose and structure of
texts.
Using words and understanding that
words carry meaning.
Listening to songs, rhymes, stories,
finger play. Objects and
experiencers – sensory activities.
Modelling words repeat/extend.
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Make books – family books
Looking at simple books and talk
about/tell the story from the pictures.
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Sentence Structure
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experience nonfiction texts and their
vocabulary: instructions, lists recipes
etc
Using 1 or two words to describe and
express.
Repeating phrases in songs/rhymes
Using sentences/phrases to speak
about familiar subjects.
Extend the child’s language by
modelling grammatically correct
phrases.
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Use questioning intonation -
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Children given lots of opportunity to
speak.
Adult modelling correct sentence
structure/vocabulary back to
children to extend and develop their
expressive language.
Children given ample opportunity to
listen to correct English eg story
books, teacher/adult talking.
As much opportunity for children to
converse with adults as possible.
Read books and stories expressively:
stopping on the full-stops and
commas and emphasising speech
and exclamation.
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To interpret symbols correctly.
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Using pictures to represent objects.
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Develop phonological awareness
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Distinguishing one sound from
another –different musical
instruments, high/low notes. (letters
and sounds phase 1).
Environmental sound walks.
Wide variety of traditional tales,
Nursery rhymes
Strive to increase vocabulary
through teacher talk, reading
simple information books to the
class.
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Being exposed to a wide variety of
stories – predicting
endings/retelling stories. Talk about
characters, setting, plot.
Dramatising stories
Story making
Puppetry etc.
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Modelling of correct language and
sentence structure by adults.
Circle time. Audio/listening centre.
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Continue to extend children’s
vocabulary through exposure to
good quality picture books and
simple information texts.
Literate environment.
Read qualities stories.
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Book talk: beginnings/ middles/
endings
Story sacks
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Correct and model back grammatical
sentences.
Expect children to reply in full
sentences.
Model coherence of pronouns.
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Visual
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Listening to experiencing/retelling a
wide variety of books and stories.
Building a bank of familiar
stories/stories with familiar refrains.
Bringing books to life with props,
maps, masks, drama.
Discuss character, setting, events,
endings and illustrations.
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To know how to use punctuation correctly.
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Speak in grammatically correct English
sentences.
Speaking and listening skills:
experiences, o0bjecgts, pictures.
Developing existing vocabulary and
knowledge.
Take an interest in print –
environmental print walks.
Model movement across print left to
right.
Read their own name, a couple of
familiar words eg. ASDA and know a
number of significant sounds.
To be able to point to a row of
objects/counters left to right.
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Learn and repeat back rhymes.
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Read books and stories expressively:
stopping on the full-stops and
commas and emphasising speech
and exclamation. Point out full stop
and speech marks in big books.
Encourage the children to stop on
the full stop when reading.
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Understand that the alphabetic
system conveys meaning though
exposure to familiar words
(McDonalds, Argos etc)
Reception Key words
Learn intial sounds and some long
vowel phonemes. (Read Write Inc)
To have firm one to one
correspondence of words whilst
reading.
Learn to orally blend and segment.
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Read books and stories expressively:
stopping on the full-stops and
commas and emphasising speech
and exclamation. Point the
reception punctuation as well as
exclamation marks, and commas in
big books.
Encourage the children to use speech
marks and exclamation marks to aid
their expression whilst reading.
Children to know most of the 100
keywords.
Labels around the classroom –
equipment displays and topic.
Children to know most speed sounds
and be able to blend. (Read Write
Inc)
To blend multisyllable words.
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Literacy rich topic.
Follow up with cross curricular
writing.
Encourage the children to ask
questions to air their understanding
of a topic. Such questions can be
investigated as a class.
Visits to the library.
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Continue to extend children’s
vocabulary through reading longer
picture books, short novels and
information texts to the class.
Clarify any difficult vocabulary.
Read challenging texts.
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Continue to extend children’s
vocabulary through reading novels
and challenging information texts
to the class. Discuss and clarify any
difficult or technical vocabulary.
Book talk: Characters, setting,
beginning, middle, ending,
Index, contents.
Use dictionaries.
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Book talk: Characters, setting,
beginning, middle, end, climax
resolution.
Index contents, glossary.
Use dictionaries and thesauri.
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Correct and model back extended
grammatical sentences, requiring the
child to repeat back if appropriate.
Expect children to reply in full
sentences, extended complex
sentences if appropriate.
Encourage the children to speak with
coherence of pronouns.
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Read books and stories expressively..
Point the Year 1 punctuation as well
as more advanced punctuation
marks (parentheses, elipses) in big
books.
Encourage the children to take a
small pause on the commas and a
larger pause on the full stops.
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To be secure in all 100 keywords.
Be secure in all speed sounds and be
able to blend in multisyllable words.
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Literacy rich topic.
Follow up with cross curricular
writing. Strive to make sure the
children’s understanding is correct
and correct misconceptions.
Visits to the library
Correct and model back extended
grammatical sentences, , requiring
the child to repeat back if
appropriate.
Expect children to be able to speak
to adults and peers, as well as make
presentations over an extended
period of time, using correct
grammar throughout.
Read books and stories expressively..
Point the Year 2 punctuation as well
as more advanced punctuation
marks (colons, semi colons) in big
books.
Encourage fully expressive reading
with elegant phrasing.
To know advanced word work eg tion
and sion endings.
To know advanced keyword lists.