Reading

Reading at Castle View

At Castle View School we are passionate about reading. We want all of our students to read a wide variety of literature, regularly.

We believe that developing a love of reading has a huge impact on their future success as well as teaching them about the wider world in which we live.

Aim: At Castle View, we understand the correlation between a child’s ability to engage with a text and their progress at KS4 and beyond. We believe that all teachers are teachers of reading and together we have an obligation to ensure that all students are reading and supported in doing so. It is also our aim to ensure that by the time students leave Castle View, they have fostered a love of reading and have the ability to access a wide range of texts for both their academic advancement and their personal enjoyment.

We are currently working with the Thinking Reading Programme which is a rigorous, systematic and highly impactful reading intervention programme that will help us to ensure that students leave our school with a reading age that is in line with their chronological age. For more information on Thinking Reading, please contact the school or click on the link to their website Thinking Reading for an overview.

Strategy 2022-23

For all other information about how to support your child with reading, please see below.

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Accelerated Reader

At Castle View School we are passionate about reading. We want all of our students to read a wide variety of literature, regularly.

We absolutely believe that developing a love of reading has a huge impact on their future success as well as teaching them about the wider world in which we live.

At its heart, Renaissance Accelerated Reader is simple. A student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to make progress with their reading skills.

All students in years 7 to 11 are expected to have a reading book at all times. They will be set novels to read as part of their English curriculum and are expected to quiz on these as part of their homework. Teachers will check that students have completed these and passed each quiz with at least 60%. Quizzes can be taken in school using the Library facilities or at home via the link on the school website. Parents can also check on how they child is doing using Home Connect.

Other subjects will also set regular academic reading (a shorter text linked to the overall subject or a topic they are studying). Similarity, students are expected to quiz on these texts using Accelerated Reader to check their understanding of the text. This practice is an excellent way of building a wider understanding of topics and subjects as well as issues or themes that may be related to it but that are not discretely taught. This all adds to the development a well-rounded young person.

Click the logo below to access Accelerated Reader.

How can I help my child with reading?

If your child doesn’t like reading, there could be many factors at play. Here are some ideas to try to encourage your child to have a new outlook on reading:

Read with them. At any age, reading aloud can be fun and a good way to find topics and genres you have in common
Model reading yourself and talk with your child about what you’re reading
Begin with audiobooks and encourage your child to read along with them
Encourage reading any material on any Make the most of e-reading apps, online articles, magazines, comics, or manga in addition to books. If your child is a gamer, suggest books on her favourite video games
Take an interest in what interests your child and read about it. Share articles on their favourite sports teams or pull out a cookbook and explore recipes together

Reading becomes rewarding when you provide opportunities for your child to explore the things they like or you enjoy an adventure together.