Year 6 have quite literally been up to their eyes in chocolate this half term. The classes have been reading a range of non-fiction texts to find out about the process of chocolate manufacturing from ‘bean to bar’. They have then used their research to plan their own explanation texts thinking carefully about their target audience and adapting the formality and content of their writing as appropriate. They have also explored features of diary writing and read a wide range of famous diaries including one from Howard Carter. In lessons, they have developed their control of tense within their writing to ensure that as writers they can maintain consistency and move from past to present tense as appropriate within the genre. More recently both classes have returned to narrative writing. They have been reading a range of text extracts containing flashbacks and engaged with a video stimulus called ‘German in the woods’ to act as a starting point for the children to develop a shared narrative with a flashback. Team LL and AF then  developed their own narratives with a flashback. Throughout the half term they have continued to enjoy the adventures of Stanley Yelnats in their class novel Holes.

his half term in Reading, Team DB have continued to read as a class, The Hobbit.  They have explored selected extracts from the book alongside related texts to strengthen their understanding of similar genres, not only to help with their fluency, but to also help with their writing too. Throughout the term, the class have continued to expand their vocabulary and recognise how some words can have different meanings depending on the context. The class's reading fluency has improved whereby the children can now read at a varied pace, using expression and intonation for character parts or in the context in which they are reading.  In addition to this, Year 5 have also explored the way in which different comprehension questions can be asked, using the skills they have developed throughout the year. The children are now more confident when it comes to answering various VIPERS style questions. They should be very proud of the progress they have made in Year 5, in preparation for their new beginnings in Year 6 next year.

This half term in Reading, Team NH have continued to read The Boy in the Tower as their central text, as well as short narratives and newspaper reports of successful rescue missions to support their writing this half term. Throughout the term, they have continued to expand their vocabulary and have even used some of this new language to support their writing! The class have continued to develop fluency and pace over the text when reading, with a focus on emphasizing different words and how this can change the meaning of a sentence.  Throughout each text, Team NH have also focused on different characters emotions using evidence of their actions and words to inform their judgements. 

In reading, Team LF have thoroughly enjoyed exploring The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and immersing themselves in the magical world of Narnia. Through their whole-class reading sessions, the children have developed their understanding of the characters, settings and themes within the novel, while broadening their knowledge of Tier 2 vocabulary. They have continued to build fluency through text marking and the MTYT ("My Turn, Your Turn") strategy, helping the children to read with greater expression, accuracy and confidence. During active reading sessions, the class have focused on answering inference and explanation questions using evidence from the text to justify their ideas. These skills have been reinforced through a range of engaging comprehension activities, enabling the children to become increasingly thoughtful, analytical and confident readers.

In reading, Team CB have shown a deepening understanding of how to interpret, analyse and respond to a wide range of texts over the course of the Summer term. The class have continued to develop their fluency and accuracy when reading texts, using punctuation as an indicator for how a text should be read. Through careful text marking children have demonstrated their ability to read with expression, intonation and appropriate pausing. They have also worked hard towards the latter end of the half term to demonstrate their ability to comprehend through a final summative assessment and a series of mini comprehensions based on unfamiliar texts. Team CB also reviewed their ability to navigate a dictionary and thesaurus as a tool to support them in understanding and sourcing new vocabulary.

This half term, children in Team CH have continued to make excellent progress in their reading. Throughout the term, all children have worked hard to develop their fluency, confidence and comprehension skills, showing greater independence when reading a range of increasingly challenging texts. Some children have continued to access their phonics sessions, where they have further secured their knowledge of phonemes and spelling patterns, becoming more confident in decoding unfamiliar words and reading with greater accuracy, fluency and automaticity. As we approach the end of the year, lots of children have now completed the Read, Write Inc. programme and have enjoyed exploring high-quality class texts through whole-class reading sessions. They have developed their understanding of ambitious vocabulary linked to our class text driver, Alice in Wonderland, discussing the meaning of new words and identifying how authors use language to engage the reader. The children have also shown increasing confidence when reading aloud, using expression, appropriate pace and intonation to bring the text to life. As part of these sessions, the children have worked to answer a range of comprehension questions in practical based tasks.

In Reading, the children have continued to build their confidence, fluency and enjoyment of reading. They have been reading a range of engaging texts matched to their reading level, helping them to develop accuracy, expression and understanding. Team JF have practised using their phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words, while also developing their fluency by rereading texts. They have explored new vocabulary, discussed the meaning of words and phrases, and answered a variety of comprehension questions to deepen their understanding of what they have read. We are incredibly proud of the progress the children have made this year. Their enthusiasm for reading has continued to grow, and they have shown great resilience and determination as they become increasingly independent readers.

This half term, Team AC have worked incredibly hard in their phonics lessons as they prepared for their Phonics Screening Check. They have spent time revising all of the Set 2 and Set 3 sounds, ensuring they are confident in recognising the different ways sounds can be represented in words. A key focus has been on slowing down when reading unfamiliar words and using clear, accurate Fred Talk to sound out before blending the sounds together. The children have shown fantastic perseverance and resilience, taking their time to decode words carefully. The children have also continued to read a range of Read Write Inc. Storybooks, developing their fluency, expression and understanding of what they have read. They have worked hard to answer questions about the texts, make predictions and discuss new vocabulary, helping to deepen their comprehension skills.

In reading, Team EO have continued to develop their confidence, fluency and comprehension skills throughout the final half-term. Across Reception and Year 1, the children have enjoyed sharing and discussing a range of high-quality texts through their Talk Through Stories sessions, including Cops and Robbers, The Scarecrows' Wedding, Aliens Love Underpants and Billy's Bucket. Through these texts, the children have developed their understanding of characters, settings and key events, whilst building their vocabulary and comprehension skills through discussion and storytelling. The children have continued to make excellent progress in their daily Read Write Inc. sessions, developing increasing accuracy, confidence and fluency when reading. A particular focus this half-term has been improving reading fluency, encouraging children to read more smoothly, accurately and with appropriate expression. The Year 1 children also completed the Phonics Screening Check this half-term, and all staff are incredibly proud of the determination, resilience and achievements shown by every pupil throughout the process.