Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-21

Maddy is the executive director for English at The Three Saints Trust and is the project manager for Are You Really Reading? After a morning of sharing materials, it became obvious that the main issue was the assessment of reading. Mismatched expectations The KS2 mark scheme is known to be a very precise document, where many pupils lose marks because their response is not represented in the mark scheme. There are no half marks in KS2 SATs, and a common refrain heard in Year 6 classrooms is “I know what you meant, but you won’t get the mark in your SATs!” Could this perhaps be the reason why students appear to regress as they move to Year 7? Colleagues in KS3+ are gobsmacked by the KS2 reading mark schemes, and exclaim how that explains the difficulty they have trying to encourage KS3 pupils to think for themselves whilst analysing texts. It seems that one curriculum/ assessment style does not complement the other, and pupils are confused. Really reading My colleague, Lisa, and I decided to apply for a grant from SHINE that would fund a project to focus on developing summary skills for pupils – initially in Years 5 to 8. We wanted to create a toolkit that would equip pupils with the skills to summarise as they read, so that they would really read – and in turn, hopefully, begin to enjoy it! When pupils understand what they are reading, they can develop their ability to summarise quickly. This also means that they make links and connections with what they have read, identify significant events, understand cause and effect, and form opinions on characters or plot based on the text. Theory into practice Are You Really Reading (AYRR) is a teaching tool that enhances what is already in place for a school or setting. The toolkit, consisting of five strands, works alongside any approach to teaching reading. It doesn’t replace the current reading offer for schools, because it is not a reading scheme. Teachers can choose which strands would complement the text or stimulus that they are using. There is no rule book for how many times a strand should be taught, if the activity should be written or oral, or whether it should be recorded. Modelling the strategies is key to the project, so adults can scribe for pupils, ensuring pupils can fully focus on developing their summarising skills. It has been designed to work alongside any teaching style, in any school setting and with any text choice (fiction, non-fiction, plays, poetry, etc.). Although it was initially funded for Years 5 to 8 only, we knew the project would work from Early Years up, so we trained all our 200+ schools through each milestone – EYFS to KS1 and KS1 to KS2. The same five strands are used through the programme, right up to KS4; the only thing that changes is the difficulty of the text. This is what makes the project accessible for all: it’s simple and consistent. Measuring outcomes The effects of the AYYR programme have been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers see the impact of the project almost instantly – commenting on improved motivation, engagement, progress and oral discussion skills among their pupils. EYFS and KS1 pupils love how they can use the strands in one year group and then the next. “Oh yes… we used emojis in Reception too!” exclaimed a previously reluctant reader in a field visit we observed. KS2 children are demonstrably motivated in sessions that use the strands. Pupils comment that they used to be scared of unseen reading texts, but now they understand the text as they read, instead of having to go back over it. We are in the process of having the project externally evaluated. Early findings have shown that PP pupils using AYRR scored 3.0 to 4.7 points above the expected standard in the 2024 KS2 reading test – and the longer they participated in the programme, the higher their average scores. T E ACH I NG T E CHN I QUE S AYRR is very inclusive, and all pupils – including reluctant readers, those with individual or speech and language needs, and children who qualify for pupil premium – can benefit. ASD pupils have particularly enjoyed using the strands. The AYRR strands are transdisciplinary and can be used when reading across the curriculum. Although it’s not a test technique tool, AYRR does equip pupils with skills to summarise whilst reading, which helps in test situations. Individual schools can decide how much written recording needs to be done, and how AYRR will fit alongside existing reading schemes. WHY USE AYRR? www.teachwire.net | 41