Levelled readers are used throughout the school. The PM series is the core scheme
used but is also supplemented by The Oxford reading scheme and The Big Cats
guided readers.
Ensuring children are placed on an appropriate instructional level (teaching level) of reading is of utmost importance. Children are placed on levelled readers and placed into
reading groups in each class level. Teachers assign books for the specific needs of
their students in these reading groups.
Running records are used to ascertain that children are reading books of an appropriate instructional level and results school wide are monitored.
Familar reading (books previously read) are practiced to enhance fluency and are sent home for homework. Fluency, phrasing and expression are key to comprehension
and rereading of books many times is an essential practice.
In Junior Infants children will begin on decodable readers and quickly move to PM
levelled readers.
Word solving strategies (chunking- what part do you know? What
small word can you see? using visual information, meaning and syntax etc.), concepts of print and high frequency words from readers will be taught and teachers will model and teach fluency and phrasing from the beginning of reading instruction.
(Children are discouraged from relying solely on ‘sounding it out’ when it
comes to an unknown word as they progress through the levels).
Best practice dictates that children read familiar books (two levels below their
instructional level) at home. Instructional texts will be read in school during reading
groups.
Children who read all 30 PM levels will read novels during guided reading sessions in class.
