Shared reading is the whole class teaching of reading, specifically modelled by the teacher. Here, the teacher is the reading expert, who shows the children how they are decoding and comprehending texts. The texts are often at a challenging level for the children in the class and the teachers scaffolds their understanding by activating prior knowledge, clarifying vocabulary and teaching skills and strategies to fully comprehend the text.

Guided reading is the planning and teaching of reading with a small group of children, with the texts being at an instructional level (just beyond the reading ability of the children). The teacher supports them in developing reading skills and strategies that have been taught in shared reading, using books at an appropriate level.

The Ready Steady Comprehension units can be placed in a different to order to that which is suggested in the progression documents. Sometimes schools feel they would be better placed at a time where they can enhance another curriculum area. For example, a Y1 class learning about Living History and toys from the past in Summer 1 may decide the Ready Steady Comprehension unit in Autumn 1 would be better moved to the summer. This would ensure that children are making connections with their learning in reading and the wider curriculum. The only time we would not recommend this is with Ready Steady Comprehension Foundations (EYFS). These have been matched closely to the phonics stage children will be at each half term.

If a school was to move the units around, and the Y1 example is a good one to take, they may just note the expectation of the children during the apply sessions. In Autumn 1 the teacher would be scribing the children’s responses to the questions, perhaps in a floor book. However, if this unit was moved to Summer 1, the children may be recording their own answers in a reading journal, or equivalent. Teachers would therefore need to adjust their expectations around the independence of the children.

Ready Steady Comprehension units cover either 5 weeks (if it is a curriculum linked unit), based on the principle of delivering 5 lessons a week. For a reading breadth unit, this is 4 weeks. We have some mini-units that link to science and the environment and these are 2 weeks long.