There’s something magical about starting the day with a good book—and here at Bushey Meads, our Friday mornings have become a special time to celebrate just that!

Every Friday, our teachers set aside the first part of the morning to read aloud to their students.

Ms Druce, Lead Practitioner for Literacy explained why it is so important that students experience being read to on a regular basis:

• It improves comprehension and vocabulary –  Hearing complex texts read aloud helps students access content they might struggle to decode independently (Fisher & Frey, 2018)
• To model fluent, expressive reading –  Teachers demonstrate prosody, phrasing, and interpretation (Rasinski, 2014)
• It supports engagement and motivation – Read-alouds can make texts more accessible and enjoyable, increasing interest in reading (Lammers et al., 2020)
• For equity and access – Helps close gaps for students with varying reading abilities by ensuring access to grade-level or challenging content (Ivey & Johnston, 2013)

A variety of thought provoking texts have been provided for each year group to enjoy with their CDC.