We value a broad, balanced and reading rich curriculum that includes reading with, reading by and reading to children. By protecting time every day, to read aloud to our children they will have the opportunity to hear and respond to great stories written by some of the most highly acclaimed literacy authors. Not only that but, research also demonstrates that reading to children develops empathy - meaning reading aloud to our children will not only make them better readers, but also better people. We cannot think of a better gift for our students and the world.
Our canon of texts has been carefully selected because they are books that are ‘worth reading’. They will inspire a love of reading, ensure that our children are exposed to high-quality literary language, will widen and deepen their personal word-hoard, develop cultural capital, enrich character and empathy and prepare them not only for the demands of future curriculums but also a fulfilling literate life.
The focus for sharing reading in this way is pleasure and enjoyment. However, during read alouds there will sometimes be an additional focus for teaching. This might be modelling how phrased and fluent reading should sound, vocabulary development, word-analysis, deepening layers of meaning, questioning and critical thinking, and knowledge and understanding of the world. During read alouds the aim for the teacher is to read the story with as little interruption as possible but sometimes, the teacher might pause to explain what words mean, explain new and unfamiliar concepts, ask questions (both teacher and children), visualise what is happening or summarise a main point or idea. All stories will be read from beginning to end to ensure that within this part of our curriculum, children can engage in the whole story. This means that sometimes the texts stand alone, sometimes they are continued from our literature spine and sometimes they are continued from guided comprehension.
For younger children, a range of high-quality picture books will be read a number of times so children can join in with repetitive refrains, rhythm and rhyme. The journey will then continue with short novels moving into longer novels for older children which is why you will see less texts to choose from at this stage of development.
We deliberately choose texts which open a window on the world, using centres and badges of excellence including CLPE, The Carnegie and Kate Greenway Medals and recommendations from Children’s Laureates from the last decade. Each text links with and compliments the Oasis Primary Curriculum, enabling children to re-visit particular favourites and engage in author and poet study. The literature is mapped and planned to tell different stories from different people. Every term we include: classics; poetry; picture books for all ages; books that are written by and tell the stories of black and global majority communities; working-class voices; stories which make disability visible; that highlight different family types, LGBT and gender issues; and reflect the realities of the diverse communities we serve.
Teachers will be given both support and freedom to explore, interrogate and make links between the texts chosen. We will offer suggested question stems and domains of reading to pick up on. We also realise that different children will have different needs so will provide a frame work but not prescriptive sessions.