Year 6 Rationale

Whole class reading is placed very highly as part of the reading curriculum at St Michael with St John as it is where the explicit teaching of reading takes place. Whole class reading across school takes place at 1.00pm to 1.25pm in all classes and is led by the class teacher. Each year group has an overview mapping out carefully selected texts for the year. There is one text type allocated per week, which follows a cycle of fiction – nonfiction – poetry.

Each day has a focus on a different reading domain and the teaching sequence is as follows:

Monday- Vocabulary and Prediction

Tuesday- Sequencing (KS1) Summarising (KS2)

Wednesday- Retrieval

Thursday- Inference

Friday- Explanation

Autumn 1

Alongside our whole class reading sessions we also teach reading through our English units. During the first half of the Autumn term the children practise their reading skills through two genres:

• Novels as a theme
• Biographies

During the first unit in the Autumn term in Year Six, children are consolidating the reading skills that have been acquired throughout Key Stage Two. They predict what might happen from information stated and implied, compare texts written in different periods and are able to explain the effect on the reader of the authors’ choice of language and reasons why the author may have selected these words, phrases and techniques. When exploring themes, children are able to recognise them within and across texts and begin to express preferences about a wider range of books including modern fiction and fiction from our literary heritage. When inferring children will consider the characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions and will justify their inferences with evidence using the PEE prompt taught in Year Five.

During the non-fiction unit, children begin to analyse the conventions of different types of writing. Children at this stage in the year are taught to use a combination of skimming, scanning and close reading across a text to locate specific detail. They will be seen scanning for key information e.g. looking for words associated with ‘childhood’ and skimming for the gist of the text. Through close reading, they re-read and read ahead to locate clues to support understanding and justify their answers with evidence from the text. Children are also able to explain the effect on the reader of the authors’ choice of language and reasons why the author may have selected these words, phrases and techniques. They show an ability to retrieve, record, make notes and present information from non-fiction, including texts used in other subjects.

By the end of this unit children, prepare formal presentations individually or in groups, use notes to support presentation of information and respond to questions generated by a presentation.

Autumn 2

During the second half of the Autumn term the children practise their reading skills through three genres:

• Classic fiction
• Poetry
• Persuasion

During the first unit, children listen to, read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction and regularly listen to novels read aloud by the teacher from an range of authors, which they may not choose themselves. From this, children in Year Six are then able to express preferences about a wider range of books including fiction from our literary heritage.

Throughout this unit, children will be seen demonstrating active reading strategies e.g. challenging peers with questions, justifying opinions, responding to different viewpoints the context of the text and can justify opinions and elaborate by referring to the text e.g. using the PEE prompt- Point + Evidence + Explanation. They are also encouraged to analyse the conventions of different types of writing e.g. the use of dialogue to indicate historical settings for a story.

During the poetry unit, children explore texts in groups and deepening comprehension through discussion. They demonstrate active reading strategies e.g. challenging peers with questions, justifying opinions, responding to different viewpoints within a group and show an ability to recognise themes within and across texts e.g. friendship, loneliness, happiness, hope. At the end of this unit, children prepare poems to read aloud and perform using dramatic effects.

During the non-fiction unit, children listen to, read and discuss an increasingly wide range of non-fiction. They demonstrate an ability to explain the effect on the reader of the author’s choice of language and reasons why the author may have selected these words, phrases and techniques and can identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. Children at this stage in the year are taught to use a combination of skimming, scanning and close reading across a text to locate specific detail. They will be seen scanning for key information e.g. looking for words associated with ‘childhood’ and skimming for the gist of the text. Through close reading, they re-read and read ahead to locate clues to support understanding and justify their answers with evidence from the text.

Spring 1

During the first half of the Spring term the children practise their reading skills through three genres:

• Older literature
• Information texts
• Poems with imagery

During the first unit surrounding older literature, children learn the skill of comparison. They are taught to make comparisons within and across texts and to compare characters and texts written in different periods. In terms of vocabulary, children are taught to explain the meaning of new vocabulary within the context of the text and show the ability to explain the effect on the reader of the authors’ choice of language, extending this further showing an ability to give reasons why the author may have selected certain words, phrases and techniques. Children at this stage are able to demonstrate active reading strategies and can explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion. Through close reading, children re-read and read ahead to locate clues to support understanding and justify with evidence from the text. They also show an ability to identify how language structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

During the non-fiction unit, children explore the meaning of new vocabulary within the context of a text. They show an ability to scan for key information, skim for the gist of a text and use a combination of both to locate specific detail. Throughout this unit children explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion and show an ability to distinguish between statements of fact or opinion across a range of texts. They also analyse the conventions of different types of writing and prepare formal presentations individually or in groups.

During the poetry unit, children explore texts in groups and deepen their comprehension through discussion. They demonstrate active reading strategies e.g. challenging peers with questions, justifying opinions, responding to different viewpoints within a group and show an ability to recognise themes within and across texts e.g. friendship, loneliness, happiness, hope. At the end of this unit, children prepare poems to read aloud and perform using dramatic effects.

Spring 2

During the second half of the Spring term the children practise their reading skills through two genres:

• Detective/crime fiction
• Explanations

During the first unit, children listen to, read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction and regularly listen to novels read aloud by the teacher from a range of authors, which they may not choose themselves. From this, children in Year Six are then able to express preferences about a wider range of books including fiction from our literary heritage.

Throughout this unit, children will be seen demonstrating active reading strategies e.g. challenging peers with questions, justifying opinions, responding to different viewpoints and can justify opinions and elaborate by referring to the text e.g. using the PEE prompt- Point + Evidence + Explanation. They are also encouraged to analyse the conventions of different types of writing e.g. the use of dialogue to indicate historical settings for a story.

During the non-fiction unit, children explore the meaning of new vocabulary within the context of a text. They show an ability to scan for key information, skim for the gist of a text and use a combination of both to locate specific detail. Throughout this unit children explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion and show an ability to distinguish between statements of fact or opinion across a range of texts. They also analyse the conventions of different types of writing and prepare formal presentations individually or in groups.

Summer 1

During the first half of the Summer term the children practise their reading skills through three genres:

• Short stories with flashbacks
• Discussion and debate
• Classic narrative poetry

During the first unit, children use their knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes to investigate how the meanings of words change. They explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion and infer characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, justifying inference with evidence.

Throughout this unit, children analyse the conventions of different types of writing and show an ability make comparisons within and across texts. They also explore, recognise and use the terms personification, analogy, style and effect.

During the non-fiction unit, children begin to analyse the conventions of different types of writing. Children at this stage in the year are taught to use a combination of skimming, scanning and close reading across a text to locate specific detail. They will be seen scanning for key information e.g. looking for words associated with ‘childhood’ and skimming for the gist of the text. Through close reading, they re-read and read ahead to locate clues to support understanding and justify their answers with evidence from the text. Children are also able to explain the effect on the reader of the authors’ choice of language and reasons why the author may have selected these words, phrases and techniques. They show an ability to retrieve, record, make notes and present information from non-fiction, including texts used in other subjects. By the end of this unit children, prepare formal presentations individually or in groups, use notes to support presentation of information and respond to questions generated by a presentation.

During the poetry unit, children listen to, read and discuss an increasingly wide range of poetry. They explore, recognise and use the terms personification, analogy, style and effect and learn to analyse the conventions of different types of writing. New learning is introduced here where the children are taught to use etymology to help the pronunciation of new words.

Summer 2

During the second half of the Summer term the children practise their reading skills through three genres:

• Novels on a theme
• Recounts
• Poems on a theme

During the first unit surrounding older literature, children learn the skill of comparison. They are taught to make comparisons within and across texts and to compare characters and texts written in different periods. In terms of vocabulary, children are taught to explain the meaning of new vocabulary within the context of the text and show the ability to explain the effect on the reader of the authors’ choice of language, extending this further showing an ability to give reasons why the author may have selected certain words, phrases and techniques. Children at this stage are able to demonstrate active reading strategies and can explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion. Through close reading, children re-read and read ahead to locate clues to support understanding and justify with evidence from the text. They also show an ability to identify how language structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

During the non-fiction unit, children explore the meaning of new vocabulary within the context of a text. They show an ability to scan for key information, skim for the gist of a text and use a combination of both to locate specific detail. Throughout this unit children explore texts in groups to deepen comprehension through discussion and show an ability to distinguish between statements of fact or opinion across a range of texts. They also analyse the conventions of different types of writing and prepare formal presentations individually or in groups.

During the poetry unit, children explore texts in groups and deepen their comprehension through discussion. They demonstrate active reading strategies e.g. challenging peers with questions, justifying opinions, responding to different viewpoints within a group and show an ability to recognise themes within and across texts e.g. friendship, loneliness, happiness, hope. At the end of this unit, children prepare poems to read aloud and perform using dramatic effects.