Reading across the curriculum is a way in which we help children to build on their fluency and their comprehension.   There are two types of reading across the curriculum: content area reading and disciplinary reading. 

Content area reading

In his book, 'The Art and Science of Teaching Reading', Christopher Such defines content reading as 'any reading that supports the children's grasp of the body of knowledge related to a given subject.'   At Front Lawn Primary Academy, every curriculum subject starts with a short text that children read with the children to practise their fluency and comprehension.  This text also goes home with the child on the back of the subject's child knowledge organiser so that children can read this at home with their parents therefore developing their fluency as well as their knowledge on the subject studied.  

Disciplinary Reading

Such defines disciplinary reading as 'involving content area reading, but going beyond this to engage the children in a deeper understanding of the subject itself.'  At Front Lawn Primary Academy, where it is appropriate, teachers will explore with children what it means to read a piece of text as a Historian, or a geographer, or a scientist.  For example: In History teachers will model how to interpret past events whilst reading from a range of evidence; explicitly explaining to the children how they do this in order for the children to independently apply this when they are reading historical documents.  

Below is a Year 1 example on Guy Fawkes - this is the text that is used to practise fluency as well as learning the selected knowledge on the subject area - and a Year 5 example on Ancient Greece.