Teach-Primary-Issue-19.2

responses as part of the reading curriculum – not just in Year 6, but as soon as children can express themselves in written sentences. Jot it down Having children write a little as part of a reading lesson – an answer to a question, a single-sentence summary – will give you a record of their understanding, and a good idea of misconceptions to be addressed. It is also there for the children themselves to return to – it’s powerful to have them revisit a written response over a sequence of reading lessons and rework their thinking as their understanding improves. And yes, it helps them write better answers in SATs tests. But more important than any of these things is the fact that written responses actually improve comprehension. We really like the way Lemov, Driggs and Woolway put it in Reading Rediscovered (2016). They refer to “taking the analysis and hammering it into clear argument… writing an idea is the most rigorous and demanding way to express it… writing also requires every student to independently complete the analysis that synthesizes the lesson.” We know that for some, this H ave you ever had the experience of believing that you’d done a good job of developing children’s reading comprehension, only for them to demonstrate that you’d been, um, optimistic, once they complete a comprehension test? It’s a common tension: discussion about texts is crucial in the development of understanding, but writing answers to questions is a different challenge. It’s one of the reasons Year 6 teachers in particular invest time in ‘SATs prep’: comprehending what you read is not the same as being able to answer test questions. And test prep is important: when learning to drive, before the practical exam we often have a mock, so that the real thing doesn’t feel completely alien. In the context of a reading comprehension test, it is important that children have had experience of the vocabulary of the longer questions (character, impression, etc), format questions (matching, sequencing, true/false, etc) and yes, writing answers. However, preparation for tests isn’t the only reason for teaching children how to express their understanding in writing; in fact, if the entire KS2 testing process were abandoned, it would still be a good idea to have written language can sound a little harsh, but the essence – writing helps us to crystalise our thoughts and process our learning – is vital. Let’s be clear here: we are not advocating turning KS2 reading lessons back into traditional comprehension activities, in which children read a text and then write answers to the linked questions (this is practice at best, and often just assessment); we are talking about written responses following very careful teaching – synthesising the analysis, as Lemov, Driggs and Woolway put it. In fact, in Reading Rediscovered , they recommend a rigorous process of reading and discussion before introducing this expectation. ONE, TWO, THREE Chuck old-school comprehension rigmarole out of the window, and focus on a few simple steps to improve reading, say Christine Chen and Lindsay Pickton Reading Reconsidered is quite secondary phase-focused in its language and examples, but we have observed the processes in primary schools, and have helped a growing number adapt the approach to the specific needs of their pupils. Schools have such a 84 | www.teachwire.net Easy as