Ioan and Finny have been crossing days off their calendar ever since Christmas, in anticipation of World Book Day. The both love reading and getting immersed in imaginary worlds, based on the books they read.

Ioan has been Tin Tin mad, ever since he got his first (of many!) Tin Tin book for Christmas. Similarly, Finny has read three different versions of Animals of Farthing Wood, his favourite character being Fox. Cian was feeding off their excitement and was more than happy to take part, especially if it meant reading Bing books all day.

Resources

  • The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann
  • Bing books by Ted Dewan
  • Tin Tin by Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé

We have always spent time reading together as a family and World Book Day is one of their favourite days of the year. According to them, it is up there with Christmas, Easter and birthdays. But when you enjoy reading and writing books, what’s not to love about spending the day celebrating your favourite hobby.

Cian: DfES Outcomes for EYFS (2013)

Communication and language

Listening (16 to 26 months)

  • Listens to and enjoys rhythmic patterns in rhymes and stories.
  • Enjoys rhymes and demonstrates listening by trying to join in with actions or vocalisations.

Understanding (16 to 26 months)

• Selects familiar objects by name and will go and find objects when asked, or identify objects from a group.

Speaking (16 to 26 months)

  • Copies familiar expressions, e.g. ‘Oh dear’, ‘All gone’.

Physical development

Moving and handling (22 to 36 months)

  • Turns pages in a book, sometimes several at once.

Making relationships (16 to 26 months)

  • Plays alongside others.

Literacy

Reading (16 to 26 months)

• Interested in books and rhymes and may have favourites.

Finny: DfES Early Learning Goals (2017)

Literacy

ELG 09 – Reading:

Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.

Ioan: DfES Outcomes for EYFS and National Curriculum (2013)

English Year 2 programme of study

Reading – comprehension

Pupils should develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:

  • listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
  • discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related
  • becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales
  • being introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways
  • recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry
  • discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary
  • discussing their favourite words and phrases
  • continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear

Pupils should understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:

  • drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
  • checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
  • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
  • answering and asking questions
  • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
  • participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say

Pupils should explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those that they read for themselves.