Curriculum: Reading at Richard Lander School

Reading at Richard Lander

Encouraging a child to read and fostering a love of reading is one of the greatest gifts that we can give them. Reading widely will undoubtedly assist in their academic success but also gives young people (and the rest of us!) somewhere to escape to – an imagination workout.

Little and often is the key.
 Find a genre, author, series,  topic that interests your child.  Students can get advice from  our librarian or browse your  local bookshop or online  bookseller.
Get them into the habit of reading for just 15-20 minutes at the end of the day. This is much better than a two hour session once a week.
Encourage through example – talk about what you are reading too.
Value all kinds or reading – not just fiction novels: ‘The West Briton’, a national daily paper, a set of instructions for a product, a celebrity autobiography. Variety is important.

Year 7 Accelerated Reader

What is it? Accelerated Reader is a programme to promote independent reading and motivate students to read for pleasure. Every student in Year 7 does a Star Test to assess their reading ability. They are given a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) score which helps us guide them towards books which are appropriate for their reading level. Our dedicated librarian is available every day to help support students as they select their texts.
Once a book is completed, students take an online quiz to assess their comprehension of the text. They will then be advised whether they need to continue at that level or are ready to move up to the next one.
After students complete a book – we are also going to ask them to complete a short book review so they can recommend it to their peers.

Rewards: Students will receive merits for every book they complete and small prizes together with certificates will be awarded as students progress through the programme. Those who complete books and score highly on their online quizzes will also be entered into a prize draw for a Kindle ebook reader. The community which reads the most number of words each half term will be awarded the RLS Reading Trophy.

What can you do to help? Ask your child how many books they have read so far on the scheme. Listen to them read. Ask them what ZPD books they are currently on. Encourage them to fill any spare moments with reading.

Thank you for your continued support - The English Department