Power of Reading in Team Cole...

Today in our Errol’s Garden Power of Reading lesson, we talked together about what plants look like and what plants are. The children shared their ideas about the shapes of leaves, the colours of flowers and the different sizes of plants.

To support the children’s early speaking skills, we used simple sentence stems such as “I notice…” and “I can see…” when discussing real life plants we had at school. These stems help children practise speaking in full sentences and build confidence when sharing their ideas. Developing these early oracy skills is an important part of learning, as strong speaking and listening skills support children with reading and writing later on.

After looking closely at the plants, the children created their own observational drawings of plants. As they drew, they were encouraged to look carefully at the details and think about the different parts of the plant. Some children labelled their drawings using their phonics knowledge and a support sheet, while others talked about what they could see.

In Power of Reading lessons, illustrations are used as an important starting point for discussion. By looking closely at the pictures, the children begin to understand the story more deeply while also developing their vocabulary, observation skills and confidence in explaining their thinking.

How you can help at home

You could encourage your child to look closely at plants or flowers when you are outside. Ask them questions such as:
• What do you notice about this plant?
• What can you see?
• What shape are the leaves?