Each skill represents a vital strand.

Science of Reading

This year, Medbury has embraced the development of Science of Reading school wide. Many of you will be familiar with the term Structured Literacy. It can be defined as an educational approach that focuses on teaching literacy skills in a systematic and explicit manner. It is designed to help our boys develop strong foundational skills in reading, writing, and spelling. The term Structured Literacy, from the Orton-Gillingham approach, has been used for many years to support individuals with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Work from renowned scientist Stanislas Dehaene, combined with the advancement of technology has given insight into understanding the brain and how we learn to read. We now know that while we are prewired to speak and listen, we are not wired to read.

Learning to read is, in fact, a complex process that involves several key skills and stages. Pre-reading skills: Before formally learning to read, our boys develop skills that form the foundation for reading readiness. It is vital for our boys to understand that print carries meaning and to develop their phonological awareness (the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in spoken language.

Alphabetic principle: Phonics is a fundamental part of learning to read. It teaches the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes). We learn to associate individual letters or groups of letters with specific sounds. We have 26 letters in the alphabet, making 44 different sounds.

Vocabulary Development: Building a strong vocabulary is crucial for reading comprehension. We can support the expansion of word knowledge through multiple exposures to a wide range of spoken and written language. This includes reading books, engaging in conversations, and participating in languagerich activities.

Fluency: Fluency refers to the ability to read with accuracy, speed, and expression. Fluency develops as our boys practise reading regularly, building their word recognition skills and comprehension abilities. Reading aloud, paired reading, and repeated reading are all ways we can help improve fluency.

Comprehension: Reading comprehension involves understanding and making meaning from text. Boys learn to extract information, make inferences, identify the main idea and connect ideas within and across sentences and paragraphs. Comprehension skills are developed through explicit instruction, guided practice and independent reading.

Reading Engagement:

Encouraging a love for reading is vital for continued growth as a reader. Providing access to a variety of reading materials, such as books, magazines and online resources, helps foster a lifelong reading habit. Encouraging discussions about books, modelling reading behaviour and creating a positive reading environment can enhance engagement.

In order for our boys to be successful, the above skills need to be fully accessible to each child. As shown in Scarborough’s Reading Rope, each skill represents a vital strand. Once acquired and woven together tightly, our boys will be able to fully decode and encode.

Some boys make neural connections with only a few repetitions. Their neural pathways develop quicker. For others, they need many repetitions of sounds and spelling concepts to develop their neural connections.

At Medbury, our Structured Literacy instruction follows a sequential and cumulative approach, breaking down language skills into smaller, manageable parts.

By using this approach at Medbury, we are ensuring that no boy’s learning is left to chance and every opportunity is sought to unlock their full potential. Medbury we are ensuring th