Reading Plan

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Our School Improvement Plan

Literacy: Reading

 

 

 

 

  Summary of main strengths as identified in last SSE – Sept. 2012 to June 2013

 

·         Dedicated, enthusiastic and progressive team of teachers.                                                                               

·         Diligent and supportive Board of Management.                    

·         Effective planning, teaching, classroom management and assessment.                                                                                       

·         Effective initiatives to promote reading.                                       

·         Excellent school resources.                                                                 

·         Main school library as well as classroom libraries.      

·         Positive, affirmative feedback from Parent and Pupil Reading Surveys.                                                                                         

 

  Summary of main areas requiring improvement as identified in last SSE:

 

 

·         Attitude and motivation: pupils’ willingness and   eagerness to read.                                      

·         Reading Fluency                                                                                      

·         Comprehension skills.                                                                          

·         Vocabulary development.  

·         Phonological Awareness   

                                                                            

 

 

 

 

  improvement targets (related to pupils’ achievement)

 

·         To increase literacy levels by 5% in Standardised test results, using Micra-T Assessments.

·         To provide our pupils with opportunities to read books at their own level of competency and gradually raise the complexity of what they can read and comprehend – Literacy Lift-Off.

·         To improve reading fluency.

·         To give our pupils opportunities to explore and interact with books of different genres in a stimulating and enjoyable fashion.

·         That our pupils will learn and apply the same reading comprehension strategies in a whole-school approach across the various curriculum areas.

·         Fostering our pupils’ love of reading by engaging with multiple texts and books as a vital part of developing positive attitudes to literacy.

·         To develop vocabulary.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         Purchase of PM+ Reading Programme, Levels 1 – 30; 6 multiples of each fiction book, teacher manuals at all levels and the PM+ Benchmarking Kit.

·         Introduction of Literacy Lift-Off, an intensive Intervention of Reading and Writing, in Senior Infants, First Class and Second Class.

·         Daily provision of significant levels of in-class support of Literacy Lift-Off Intervention by GAM/EAL Teachers.

 

·         Daily provision of in-class support of Literacy Lift-Off Intervention by Principal.

 

·         Benchmark/grade book stocks in school and classroom libraries.

·         Third Class pupils to be benchmarked on PM+ Reading programme and to read the books independently.

·         To provide 3 more “Storysacks” for Infant classes and promote the use of these on a scheduled basis among the 6 Infant classes.

·         To ‘train senior pupils to teach early reading conventions to Junior Infants at “Buddy reading” sessions.

·         Introduction of “Building Bridges of Understanding” in all classes to promote a whole-school, strategic approach to comprehension instruction.

·         Increase the use of the School Library and bring our pupils on scheduled visits to the local library in Monasterevin.

·         Continue to use a structured, whole-school phonics programme based on Jolly Phonics Programme and/or updated School Phonics Plan for IV-VI.

·         Further promote the use of “Word Walls” at every class level.

·         To explore vocabulary through the use of dictionaries and Thesauruses.

·         Establish a whole-school time for independent reading, DEAR time, once weekly in Term 2. (Drop Everything And Read)

·         To read to the children regularly for the sole purpose of enjoyment.

·         PDST training for staff in Guided Reading and Comprehension skills.

·         Provision of extra books and manuals to support the actions above.

·         Ongoing communication with parents/guardians regarding implementation of Literacy Lift-Off and Comprehension strategies by using letter, website and parent-teacher meetings.  

 

 

 

 

The Principal

The Literacy-Link Teacher

The Literacy Committee.

  Timeframe for action

3 Years

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         Increase in the number of children reading at home every day by 5% at Junior and Senior levels.

·         Improved standardised Reading Test Scores by 5% at all class levels.

·         Increase of 5% in the number of children visiting the local library.

·         Higher Reading Benchmarked Levels.

·         Feedback from class teachers.

 

 

Review dates

 

June 2014

June 2015

June 2016

 

N.B. The English curriculum is designed to offer children a language experience which integrates oral language, reading and writing.

  During the school year 2015/2016 we intend to focus our attention on Writing.

  During the school year 2016/2017 we intend to focus our attention on Oral Language.