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Phonics/ Reading

At St Mark's we are now following the Sounds Write phonics programme.  This is a systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme that we chose from an approved Government list.  Mrs Price, Mrs Poole and Ms Kelsey undertook the training in the summer term and Mrs Price and Mrs Poole are now implementing it in their classrooms.  Although mostly aimed at Early Years and KS1, we will be rolling it out across the whole school with Miss Button to undertake her training after half term.  Teaching assistants are also receiving trainin and it will be used as an intervention for KS2 children as well.  It is a thorough and effective scheme that Mrs Price and Mrs Poole are already seeing results from!

For more information and for the presentenation on how Sounds Write works, please follow this link.

Sounds Write at St Mark's

St Mark’s Reading Spine

We have created a St. Mark's Reading Spine based on good quality books for staff to read aloud to each class.  Some are based on our curriculum projects, others are just wonderful books which will enrich children's love of reading.  We will be reading these to the children in school so by the end of their time at St. Mark's, they will have had exposure to lots of different types of books.  We will continue to add to this list as more books are published/discovered.

Bluebell

Books to have read to you before Year 1

Suggested Project texts

Supertato

You Choose

The Tiger who came to Tea

Dogger

Pumpkin Soup

We’re going on a Bear Hunt

Little Red Riding Hood

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The Three Little Pigs

The Little Red Hen

The Gruffalo

Stanley’s Stick

Handa’s Surprise

Oi Frog

 

Knuffle Bunny (Why is it good to be me?)

Knuffle Bunny Too (Why is it good to be me?)

Knuffle Bunny Free* (Why is it good to be me?)

Knock knock* (Why is it good to be me?)

Super Duper You (Why is it good to be me?) Funnybones (Why is it good to be me?)

 

Owl Babies (Why is it good to be me?)

So Much (Why is it good to be me?)

Dear Father Christmas (why is it good to be me?)

The Emperor’s Egg (How can we make the world a better place?)

The Great Explorer* (How can we make the world a better place?)

Lost and Found (How can we make the world a better place?)

Ernest Shackleton – Little People, Big Ideas (How can we make the world a better place?)

The Bog Baby* (How can we show kindness to people and places?)

Fern

Books to have read to you before KS2

Suggested Project texts

Beegu

Ruby’s worry

Not no Bernard

The Man on the Moon

Chocolate Cake

Gorilla

Fantastic Mr Fox

The Fantastic Book of First Poems

Something Else

Dave and the Tooth Fairy

 

Willow Wildthing and the Swamp Monster

Once upon a Tune

Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure

Flat Stanlely

Amazing Grace

Grace and Family

Emily Brown and the Thing

Traction Man* (What is play?)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (What is play?)

That Rabbit belongs to Emily Brown (What is play?)

Dolphin Boy (Do we value what we’ve got?)

The Little Red Hen (Where does our food come from?)

The Gigantic Turnip (where does our food come from?)

The Storm Whale (Do we value what we’ve got?)

The Snail and the whale (Do we value what we’ve got?)

 

 

Bramble

Books to have read to you before you get to Laurel

Suggested Project texts

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Into the Forest

The Sheep Pig

The Lion the witch and the wardrobe

Hansel and Gretel by Anthony Browne

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

 

The Firework makers Daughter

Why the whales came

The Girl who Stole an elephant

Charlotte’s Web

The Infinate

 

The Highwayman*

Long walk to Freedom*

Journey

The Village that Vanished (What is Justice?)

Mamma Mita (What is Justice?)

Lila and the Secret of Rain (What is Justice?)

The Garbage King (What is Justice?)

The Lion and the Unicorn (What is worth fighting for?)

Rose Blanche (What is worth fighting for?)

One Plastic Bag (What is Justice?)

Carrie’s War (What is worth fighting for?)

Fly Eagle Fly (What is Justice?)

The Great Kapok Tree (Rainforest)

Wolf Brother (what does it mean to be human?)

Stig of the Dump (What does it mean to be human?)

Laurel

Books to have read to you before you leave us!

Suggested Project texts

The Iron Woman

King Kong – Anthony Browne

Tom’s Midnight Garden

Pig Heart Boy

There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom

Farther – Grahame Baker-Smith

Varjak Paw

 

Clockwork

Holes

The Hobbit

Skellig

Wonder

Noughts and Crosses

Street Child (What are rights? What are responsibilities?)

Odysseus (What is a democracy?)

The Iron Man (Is exploration always good?)

Kensuke’s Kingdom (What is Friendship?)

The Arrival (What does it mean to be free?)

Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology (Where do we come from?)

Viking Boy (Where do we come from?)

Monster Slayer (Where do we come from?)

Seasons of Splendor (What is a City?)

Greek Myths, Marcia Williams