Connectors Starters
Before using Connectors, which uses a small group peer-led reciprocal reading approach, children need to be familiar with the comprehension strategies and know how to apply these to their own reading. Which is where Connectors Starters comes into play.
Introduce reciprocal reading with Connectors Starters
- Foster reading skills in Key Stage 1 with levelled books for Book Band Blue-Orange
- Encourage children to think and share ideas with engaging fiction and non-fiction texts
- Build children’s confidence and group working skills
- Support children move on to the Connectors reading programme
This brand-new series of fiction and non-fiction books introduces new reciprocal reading texts from Blue, Green, and Orange book bands. Designed to be used with early readers as an introduction to reciprocal reading through the teacher explicitly modelling the reading strategies.
Each book explores a topical issue that gets children thinking and sharing ideas. Children build their oral language and listening skills, develop a range of thinking strategies and gain confidence working in teams.
Introducing reciprocal reading
Connectors Starters introduces the structure of reciprocal reading to a young audience through small group teacher-led reading, where the teacher explicitly models the reading strategies. Children will learn to apply the strategies as they practise them in context and will gain confidence and understanding as they use the books. Once children are able to work independently they can move on to the Connectors series of books.
This approach looks at predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarising, with additional comprehension strategies being introduced in the higher book bands in the Connectors series — giving opinions, making connections, visualising and making an inference.
