At West Didsbury CE, we have developed our Read Aloud reading spine from Doug Lemov’s work “Reading Reconsidered”, Pie Corbett's Reading Spine with the addition of other key texts.  Reading time is timetabled often at the end of the day when the children listen, wind down and enjoy stories being read aloud.

Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine is a core of books that create a living library inside a child’s mind. It is a store of classics and essential reads that help children engage at a deeper level and enter the world of the story.

Doug Lemov in his book, points out that there are five types of texts that children should have access to in order to successfully navigate reading with confidence. The idea is that in each year, a child will cover all 5 plagues of reading so that, by the time they reach year 6 and beyond, they have a good understanding of all of them and are able to access more complex books expected of them in secondary schools. The 5 plagues of reading are: Archaaic, Non-linear, Narratively complex, Symbolic/figurative and resistant. 

At West Didsbury CE, we have used Doug Lemov's plagues to categorise the suggested reads from Pie. We have also added additional categories of diverse texts, which feature characters which are traditionally underrepresented in children’s books. They also these reflect and celebrate a wide range of heritages, and they include a range of captivating and inclusive stories by creators of colour.

Books which reflect and celebrate a wide range of heritages and feature characters that are traditionally underrepresented

Please see the link below for the read aloud texts for each year group.

We have an established wide selection of non-fiction texts per year group, per half-term linked to history, geography and science. These books support the development of background knowledge and provide additional reading for those children who enjoy non-fiction texts. These books will support the teaching of specific subject areas, whole class reading, or they could be accessed independently by the children.