Guided Reading in Term 1

In guided reading this term, we will be reading the book 'Water Dance' by Thomas Locker.

We will also be reading 'Wind in the Willows' retold by Rashmi Sirdeshpande.

"I am Toad of Toad Hall. Motor car-snatching, prison-breaking Toad!"

Enter the mischievous world of Toad of Toad Hall, and join Moly and Ratty on their riverside adventures. When Moly gets lost in the Wild Wood, Ratty and kind old Badger are there to rescue him. But when Mr Toad is sent to prison and his beloved Toad Hall is taken over by stoats and weasels, will his friends be able to save the day?

Writing in Term 1

In term 1, we will be writing our own free style poem using 'Water Dance as our inspiration. We will use figurative language to create imagery.

Then we will write a recount of our fieldwork trip to Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens. We will use fronted adverbials for time to sequence events. 

After learning about the water cycle in Geography and Science, we will write an explanation text to explain the processes involved in each stage of the water cycle. We will use technical vocabulary to help us explain.

Finally, we will write a non-chronological report about the Amazon River. We will use co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions to link information and extend our sentences. 

Reading at River in KS2 for Parents

• Parents Reading at River KS2.docx

The document above gives lots of different questions you can ask your children at home when they read with you, this is very important for developing their comprehension skills as well as their word reading skills.

It is really important for children to regularly read their home reading book, returning it to school on the appointed days, so that they can enjoy some of our new school reading books and read a wide genres of texts. 

Reading lots at home also has a really positive impact on the children's writing as hey absorb vocabulary and learn different writing techniques from other authors.  

We encourage the children to read a wide variety of texts both through their reading material at home; visiting local libraries with families or accessing their online resources as well as reading books that are sent home from school.

Use the VIPERS questions at home to help you understand the texts you are reading.

Vocabulary - questions that focus on the meaning of words and understanding why the author has used certain words or phrases.

Infer - questions that focus on using clues from the text to understand character thoughts/feelings/actions and being able to show this evidence.

Predict - questions that focus on understanding what happens next and what role the characters will play in the story. Use evidence from the text to prove your predictions.

Explain - questions that focus on giving a detailed explanation e.g. explaining similarities and differences between events/characters or explaining your opinion about topics.

Retrieve - questions where you can 'grab' the answer from the text.

Summarise - questions that focus ask you to 'sum up' what has happened or putting events in order.

 As well as books from school, you can access some great books in your current book band level at the Oxford Owls Website

Reading activities and games