READING

At Monega we believe every child should be given the opportunity to learn to read, and develop a love for reading. We strive to develop this love for reading through exciting and engaging book choices used throughout the curriculum. In school, children have the opportunity to read every day, with Guided and Shared Reading lessons part of the weekly timetables. Additionally, teachers read to their class daily, modelling tone, intonation and fluency.

At Monega we believe it is important that children understand the journey of a book from the beginning to the end, to understand the author and characters fully. To ensure this happens, we have carefully selected ‘In-depth books’ to be completed as part of the school curriculum. These books tie into the written curriculum and are available for children to take home to re-read.

Each week children are given a book to read at home, along with a reading journal to be signed. The book is selected by the class teacher and is suitable to the child’s reading ability. Children also take a ‘Free Choice’ home reading book. This is a book that interests them and will promote a love for reading.

At Monega children are taught to read through Jolly Phonics. Phonics is taught daily and in EYFS children learn a new sound every day. Termly assessments allow the school to track the progress of each child.

READING AND PHONICS

At Monega we teach phonics using the Jolly Phonics programme. This is a fun and child centred approach to teaching literacy through phonics. Jolly Phonics uses a synthetic phonics approach and teaches children the five skills for reading; learning letter sounds, learning letter formations, identifying sounds in words (segmenting), blending and tricky words.

READING CHAMPIONS

A Reading Champion is easy to recognise - they have a passion for reading. Be it books, magazines or graphic novels, they have a desire to read and an ability to inspire other people to discover the pleasure of reading.

Children are encouraged to aim for three levels of Reading Champion achievement:-

Bronze Champions
Silver Champions
Gold Champions

Children use their personal Reading Journals to record their reading sessions at home. By reading aloud at home and discussing their reading with family members, children are developing their understanding of stories and texts. As children build this knowledge and experience with books they collect stickers which count towards certificates. These are given in assembly and displayed in the school library.