LKS2 (Year 3 & 4)

Year 3 Year 4

Learning Journeys

Curriculum Overview

LKS2 Curriculum Overview

Common exception words

Year 3-4 - Common exception words

Top tips for reading

7 top tips to support reading at home for Key Stage 2

Reading for Pleasure

One of our most important priorities in school is teaching children to read. Reading is a key life skill that is vital to children’s development and also their success in later life.

Parents and the home environment are essential to the early teaching of reading and fostering a love of reading; children are more likely to continue to be readers in homes where books and reading are valued

This year, we are encouraging the children to read for pleasure. We want them to enjoy reading, to get lost in a book, to want to read more and to develop an interest in a range of books and a range of authors.

Research shows that an important factor in developing reading for pleasure is choice; choice and interest are highly related.

We have created “Reading for Pleasure” book maps for the children in each phase of the school – KS1 (Years 1 and 2), LKS2 (Years 3 and 4) and UKS2 (Years 5 and 6). These maps aim to give children a choice about the different books that they could read and enjoy.

Here is the LKS2 Reading for Pleasure book map. The children have a large copy of their book map in their classrooms and there are some large book map displays in some of the corridors.

The map shows a range of books linked together by themes – this has been based on the London underground tube map. It encourages children to move from station to station along the same theme/line or jumping to another theme/line at a connecting station.

We are encouraging children to read as many books on the map as possible as this will develop their range of reading and hopefully, their enjoyment of books.

Every half term, we are focussing on a particular theme and looking at the books on that line in more detail. Children are given the opportunity to read books from the chosen line and discuss them with their teacher, other children in their class and during assemblies. Teachers are also reading some of the books to the children during class novel time at the end of the day.

Please help to support reading for pleasure at home with your child as much as you can because reading and sharing stories makes a real difference.

• It’s the most important thing you can do to help your child succeed. Research shows that involvement in your child’s reading and learning is more important than anything else in helping them to fulfil their potential.

• Books contain new words that will help build your child’s language and understanding. Children who are familiar with books and stories are better prepared to make the most of the literacy teaching in school.

• Reading together is fun and helps build relationships. Reading with children, or talking about what they have read, is a wonderful way to show that it is an important and valued way to spend free time.

• The impact lasts a lifetime. Readers are more confident and have greater job opportunities.

• Children learn by example, so if they see you reading, they are likely to want to join in.