Information on the approaches to teaching reading at TFC:
The Forum Centre is committed to raising the standards of reading for all students. It is important that all young people develop the ability to read confidently and independently to cope with the demands of everyday life.
Teaching effective reading skills is not just the responsibility of the English department. All subjects, where students are expected to read, are taking steps to develop these skills and provide opportunities for them to acquire the appropriate knowledge.
Upon entry, students complete a reading test determining their reading age and highlighting the skills they need to develop. This information is included in students' individual case studies, in addition to strategies to support addressing cognitive barriers to reading.
Students resit the test once a term to monitor progress. However, staff are aware of students' general ability when it comes to reading and so progress or issues are noticed quickly.
The Forum Centre has fully implemented the use of Lexia across all key stages. Lexia is one of the tools used by teaching staff to identify gaps in understanding and generate additional support tasks to maximise progress.
Once a book has been completed, whether as part of ‘National Literacy Trust Projects’ or in students' social time, students are encouraged to complete a recall sheet which includes a brief summary of what they have read, what they liked about the book, what they did not like and a general summary of the characters.
Book currently being studied:
Jummy at the River School (extract)
Specific strategies on the approaches to the teaching of reading:
KS3/4 reading lessons.
Close activities to support word recognition and comprehension.
Different text types are implemented daily.
Displays for keywords. and technical vocabulary
Language for learning as a focus of lesson objectives.
Activities linked to a range of reading strategies: empathising, inferring & close reading.
A whole academy approach to ‘Toast & a Tale’ on a weekly basis.
1:1 extract to engage with reading and develop fluency – ‘Read & Reflect’
1:1 extract to extend vocabulary using 100 high-frequency words as milestones.
Independent read and reflect logs.
LEXIA
Lexia® is a digital learning program to support development of our learners’ literacy skills, enabling them to read, write, spell and speak with confidence.
The program is delivered through a personalised approach and provides our learners with more control over the path and pace of their progress, helping them to make that critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
Lexia® combines effective, teacher-led instruction with interactive, user-centric experiences to support the abilities of a wide variety of students. Teachers are able to prioritise and differentiate instruction, allowing students to develop critical reading skills at their own pace.
Primary Students
As primary students move through the levels of the program, they are engaged and motivated by activities that take students on a journey around the world. Each level of the program represents a different area of the world and introduces new characters that are representative of each region. Within each level, students have the opportunity to decide which skills and activities they want to work on. This allows the students to be self-directed in their learning as they move through the program and their journey around the world.
Secondary Students
For secondary students a more age-appropriate interface allows students to progress independently to higher levels with more complex content based on skill mastery. Since students’ learning within the program is self-directed, they can choose which activities to complete as they work through the rigorous scope and sequence. Motivation for adolescents who may have difficulties with reading is critical, and research suggests that students are more motivated when they are able to monitor their own progress. To support motivation, students are able to view their progress on a personalized dashboard.
Click on the logos below to go directly to the LEXIA reading programme.
