Reading at MGPS
"Caution: Entering a space where the real world takes a backseat to ink and imagination."
At Mappleborough Green Primary School, we believe reading is a critical life skill and the foundation for all learning. We are passionate about fostering a love for reading and helping children become confident, fluent, and independent readers.
Our Library: The Heart of the School
Our jam-packed library is quite literally and metaphorically at the very heart of our school. It serves as a central hub where children can explore a vast collection of books and discover the joy of getting lost in a story. This welcoming space is fundamental to nurturing a lifelong love of reading and inquiry in all our pupils.
Our Core Approaches to Reading
We achieve our reading goals through the following methods:
- A Strong and Varied Curriculum: Our structured and progressive curriculum, combined with the extensive resources in our library, exposes children to a wide variety of literature, from classics to contemporary works. To encourage exploration, each year group engages in a "Reading Challenge" featuring a list of ten exceptional books.
- Enthusiastic Engagement: We empower children to become enthusiastic and reflective readers by teaching them to understand and respond to different texts. They have opportunities to read aloud with confidence and clarity, and they actively participate in selecting new books for the library through a Class Book Club.
- Celebrating Success: To motivate and encourage continuous progress, we reward children based on the number of words they read. A significant milestone is the "Millionaire Readers" award; those who reach one million words receive a book token to celebrate their achievement.
- Personalised Learning with Accelerated Reader (AR): We utilize the Accelerated Reader program to guide and monitor your child's independent reading journey. A STAR assessment determines their reading level, or "ZPD" (Zone of Proximal Development), within which they select appropriately challenging books. After reading, a short online quiz checks their comprehension, providing immediate feedback that allows us to track progress, set personalised goals, and foster effective reading habits.