Reading
Read, Write Inc Phonic Programme
At Greysbrooke Primary School, we understand the huge importance that reading contributes to unlocking the door to every child?s education. This is why children from Reception to Year 2 take part in daily phonics lessons, following the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme.
It is a comprehensive literacy programme which enables children to read accurately and fluently whilst developing good comprehension.
Children first learn the English alphabetic code by learning to read the 40+ sounds in one way and blending these sounds into words. Then they learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. Children also write every day, rehearsing out loud what they want to say, before spelling the words using the graphemes and ?tricky? words they know. Children?s composition (ideas, vocabulary and grammar) is developed by drawing on their own experiences and talking about the stories they read.
The structure of the programme enables children to develop skills in reading, writing, spoken language, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. Books are closely matched to the children?s increasing knowledge of phonics and ?tricky? words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases.
The aim of using this programme is to develop high standards in children?s literacy and also spark a lifelong love of reading.
Vipers
Once children have completed RWI, they move onto developing their reading skills through focused comprehension work using the VIPERS methodology.
What are Vipers?
VIPERS is an anagram to aid the recall of the 6 reading domains as part of the UK?s reading curriculum. They are the key areas which we feel children need to know and understand in order to improve their comprehension of texts. VIPERS stands for:
Vocabulary
Inference
Prediction
Explanation
Retrieval
Sequence or Summarise
The 6 domains focus on the comprehension aspect of reading and not the mechanics of decoding, fluency, prosody etc. As such, VIPERS is not a reading scheme but rather a method of ensuring that teachers ask, and students are familiar with, a range of questions. They allow the teacher to track the type of questions asked and the children?s responses to these which allows for targeted questioning afterwards.
