‘Reciprocal reading is a structured approach to teaching strategies (questioning, clarifying, summarising and predicting) that students can use to improve their reading comprehension’ (Education Endowment Foundation, 2019)

Reciprocal Reading is a tried and trusted teaching method that can be used to introduce pupils to whole texts in any subject area.  Starting with a ‘picture walk’, pupils look at any images, titles or headlines to help them situate the text in their prior knowledge; they begin to predict what the text may be about.  From here, they are encouraged to clarify any aspect of the text that is unfamiliar to them, paying special attention to vocabulary – this continues throughout the reading process, with pupils highlighting parts of the text they do not understand.  From here, they are encouraged to question what they are reading, identifying literal and inferred meanings, authorial intentions and making deductions.  Finally, they summarise their findings to share with others, and maybe repeat the process by prediciting where the text might lead them next.  This metacognitive approach, in which pupils are supported to manipulate and interact with text, rather than passively ingest, offers a clear and methodical approach that creates a sense of security in readers, and as such is one that we aim to embed across LGS.

Further information for Parents and Carers:

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/reciprocal-reading

https://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/resources/articles/teachtechnique/reciprocalteaching/index.php