Reading Response
Why is the study of Reading Response important?
This curriculum will develop the core literacy skill of reading. Reading Response will develop students’ ability to comprehend texts of different genres and styles, exploring how meaning is created through the writer’s choice of language and structure.
Students will gain confidence in reading aloud for meaning and in reading independently through gaining knowledge of strategies to enable them to unpick layers of meaning. Furthermore, students will make predictions about texts (plot, character, atmosphere etc.) using inference skills and develop individual, thoughtful responses to novels.
Reading Response staff will have the opportunity to promote a love of reading for pleasure in addition to honing the key skills of comprehension and understanding.
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What will you learn?
Students studying Reading Response will develop their confidence to read aloud and participate in thoughtful debate. This will be an opportunity for students to cultivate their love of reading and be able to explore the layers that make up a novel.
The curriculum will embody all of our values and help students to foster the initiative to think beyond the text. The students will be able to:
- Develop comprehension and inference skills
- Encourage thoughtful interpretations
- Foster independence and resilience in reading for meaning
- Promote a love of reading for pleasure
- Improve vocabulary and learn shades of meaning around new terms
- Develop listening skills and be able to learn from others
- Contribute to discussions through effective communication
- Think deeply about the themes covered in the books and how this connects to real life
- A greater insight into human nature and decision-making.
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Implementation
The novels were carefully chosen to interest our students and are specifically selected to the needs of our students. All our students, regardless of need will be able to access the Reading Response curriculum. This is through appropriate scaffolding, using metacognition to narrating our thought processes, chunking our learning and communicating in groups to discuss our thoughts.
The curriculum has been designed to build upon students’ prior knowledge (their schema) to reduce the cognitive load placed on their working memory to learn new things. There will be regular discussion and chunking of content to explore the themes within a book and to ensure students are successful in their composite tasks.
By moulding a curriculum that moves with time and to the needs of our students, we aim to develop skilled readers. Reading Response lessons will challenge our students through their zone of proximal development to cultivate independent interpretations that demonstrate students’ ability to think deeply and meaningfully.
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How can Reading Response support your future?
Reading is not only an essential life skill, it is a skill that exercises our mind. Reading for pleasure is positively correlated with attainment and student success; these skills are transferrable to every subject and future career paths. The ability for students to become immersed into a book and be transported into the story, students can learn about new cultures, experience a range of emotions and ultimately experience the world from a different perspective.
Reading is vital to every single career, however here are a select few for those who want to pursue a career specifically in reading:
- Acquisitions Editor
- Archivist
- Book critic
- Content Editor
- Grant Writer
- Lawyer
- Librarian
- Political Scientist
- Script Reader
- Teacher
Other Subjects
Student Testimonial
“Reading Response is fun for me because reading makes me feel calm. I feel I get a lot of my creativity from Reading Response.”
Y8 Student
