Reading for Knowledge

Curriculum areas at Redhill School sequence units of study to help develop reading for knowledge by promoting subject specific vocabulary and prioritising disciplinary literacy. This means pupils are exposed to language-rich lessons carefully planned to introduce challenging vocabulary and continuously build on this through the curriculum and pupils’ learning journey.  

Teachers use learning questions to help pupils identify and frame key disciplinary literacy and lessons include opportunities for independent, paired and whole-class reading to explore new ideas and concepts.  

Subject leaders have designed carefully planned curriculums and lessons, providing opportunities for regular learning checks and retrieval practice to continuously expose and challenge pupils with regards to subject specific vocabulary and disciplinary literacy. We believe language-rich curriculums and lessons are key to developing the love of learning and reading for knowledge whilst supporting excellent pupil progress across the curriculum.   

Reading is being effectively planned for within the lessons and the sequence of learning to ensure that ALL pupils are not only able to continue to broaden their skills as readers, but are also deepening their ability to think, read and communicate as a subject specialist.   

Disciplinary Literacy is an integral part of the learning journey; it goes beyond a set of basic skills and instead is grounded in the specifics of each subject.  There is a clear recognition within the planning and delivery of the lesson that literacy is both general and subject specific and are delivered in tandem, in order to teach students how to read, write and communicate effectively in the subject.