Modelled reading (reading to the group) involves children listening to a text read aloud by the adult. The adult models skilled reading behaviour when reading in a range of different types of text and styles of writing. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate reading as an enjoyable activity, and allows children to see a purpose in learning to read.

Modelled reading can be used for many different teaching and learning purposes in the classroom, but within this programme we are using it to demonstrate reading which is fluent, appropriate in its pace and its use of prosodic features (phrasing and intonation). The adult is modelling accurate and fluent reading in order to maintain interest, add to the meaning of the text, build children’s confidence and to take away the decoding challenges in the text.

Given the fluency focus of this programme it is important that the modelled reading demonstrates the skills we want the children to emulate in the all reading they do in the lesson and beyond it. So as well as making sure that the text sounds interesting and engaging, the adult needs to read:

At an appropriate pace

• Taking appropriate account of punctuation
• Identifying other text features which might influence the reading aloud
• Chunking words together, recognising meaningful units
• With expression

(See the previous section of the file for details of the knowledge, skills and understandings that have to be learnt to be a fluent reader.)

The modelled reading phase of the lesson leads into reading with the group and the adult ‘surveying the text’. This is where you will point out to the group the clues you are using to read in the way that you did. It is important to plan and deliver the modelled read in the light of the survey, so you can be confident that your reading really will illustrate the points and features that you will highlight later in the lesson.