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Reading at RMGS

Welcome to the RMGS Reading Corner

At Rainham Mark we are all ambassadors for the power of literature and benefits of good reading habits. Our RMGS culture for reading is empowered by research from groups such as The Reading Agency and the National Literacy Trust and embedded in our core community values of PROUD (Philosophy, Reading, Oracy, Understanding and Debate). Although the academic value of regular reading is undeniable, we believe that the value of books goes far further than achieving higher GCSE or A-level grades. We see reading as lifelong habit that promotes intellectual curiosity, contributes to better wellbeing and strengthens our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

The Reading Agency says that…

  • Children who read books often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.
  • Studies have shown that those who read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. Reading for pleasure was also associated with better sleeping patterns.
  • Adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction.
  • Studies have found that reading for pleasure enhances empathy, understanding of the self, and the ability to understand one's own and others' identities.

 

More Information about Reading Ages

Students at Rainham Mark are regularly tested to ascertain their levels of reading proficiency. This measure’s both a student’s decoding ability (Their ability to recognise graphemes and sound them coherently) and their comprehension ability (The students understanding of words and text including explicit and implicit information). A reading age is a helpful indicator of a student’s overall reading ability compared to national averages in their age range.

Where a child’s reading age is at or above their actual age then it indicates that they are reading at the expected level for a child their age.

Where a child’s reading age is above their actual age then it indicates that they are reading at a greater level than their actual age.

Where a child’s reading age is below their actual age it indicates that they are not reading at the expected level for a child their age.

If after testing a child’s reading age appears significantly lower than their actual age then they may be invited to an intervention reading group to further assess their reading and support them in improving.

 

Reciprocal Reading Intervention Programme

Information from reading age testing has confirmed that where students are falling below the expected standard this is typically due to weaker comprehension and associated skills as opposed to word decoding or phonic processing. The intervention programme is designed to cultivate the best opportunities for students to deliberately practice their comprehension skill in small groups through Reciprocal Reading. These sessions usually take place during form time, once a week.

Reciprocal Reading is a shared reading strategy that designates roles to the readers with a responsibility for an element of the group discussion. The roles are: Predict, Clarify, Question and Summarise.

For example, a student taking part in a Reciprocal Reading Session may be assigned the role of Clarify, whereby they will look for key words, phrases or other information that they are unsure of or think that the group may benefit from finding out more about.

Reciprocal Reading encourages deep reading and effective teamwork breaking down texts effectively to ensure understanding.

In Reciprocal Reading intervention sessions a member of staff supports the students by facilitating the reading aloud aspect and mediating the discussion.

After the intervention programme students are re-tested to ensure that progress is being made. When the student is no longer considered as requiring intervention then they should no longer attend the sessions.

 

How to Improve a Reading Age

Students that are looking to improve their reading age score should consider increasing their reading frequency, choosing books or materials that appeal to their interests. This can include newspapers, magazines, online articles etc.

Our school library is impressively stocked with a range of books that are organised by level of challenge and can be freely taken out and exchanged. New books are purchased termly and the school librarian is always excited to hear a recommendation or request for new stock.

If you are a parent or guardian looking to encourage your young person’s reading habits consider regularly checking in with them about their reading and asking them about their current book or reading materials.

For novels you could ask Who, What, Where, When, Why and How questions to find out more about the story. These questions exercise the recall aspect of learning and strengthen the student’s comprehension of the text more and more each time they are asked. Some examples of this could be…

“What is ‘The Philosophers Stone’ all about?”

“How does Harry Potter’s character change throughout the book?”

“Which is you favourite character? Why?

With non-fiction reading consider inquiring about why they chose that text and how it appeals to their interests. This can be empowering not only for a student’s interest in reading but also in supporting young people develop their interests potentially into hobbies or future careers.

When another person, be it a parent, teacher, or friend recommends a book it can spark interest in the potential reader that encourages them to pick up that book. As a parent consider which books you have read and why you found them memorable, share these stories with your young person and recommend a good read. Sometimes this can be just as encouraging when you didn’t like the book, giving the potential reader an opportunity to read it and discuss or debate with their own impressions.

 

Recommended Reading

The School Reading list is a fantastic resource of recommended reading that is chosen by a consortium of librarian and education professionals. The lists are updated regularly and a simple click on the cover image will link you through to Amazon should you wish to order the text. Don’t forget that many of these books are available in the library to students for free.

Year 7

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks3-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-7-pupils-ks2-age-11-12/

Year 8

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks3-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-8-pupils-ks3-age-12-13/

Year 9

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks3-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-9-pupils-ks3-age-13-14/

Year 10

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks4-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-year-10-pupils-ks4-age-14-15/

Year 11

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks4-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-year-11-pupils-ks4-age-15-16/

Year 12

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/secondary-ks3-ks4-reading-lists/sixth-form-reading-list-books/#year-12

Year 13

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/secondary-ks3-ks4-reading-lists/sixth-form-reading-list-books/#year-13