Reading is a lifelong process – from when we’re born to when we’re a grown adult, it’s a constantly evolving process of learning new words and recognising new sounds, and how they relate to the world around us. It doesn’t just start in the classroom either- by the time we’re ready to start pre-school or nursery class, many children will already have some experience of books and the role they play in our lives.

As everybody develops differently, it’s a little difficult to create a reading timeline of when certain skills should be emerging by – somebody who at the age of five can match each letter to the sound it represents might have classmates who are going far beyond this, or they might have classmates who are still working on it. But taking a look at where a child is relevant to a set of wider ‘milestones’ is also a key part of recognising somebody who’s struggling with reading. By identifying a struggling reader very early on in their literacy journey, it allows parents and educators to intervene at a point where they can do the most good, and identify neurodiversities like dyslexia that need specific support.

Infancy

From a very early age, babies are surprisingly switched on when it comes to the objects that surround them, and it’s usually expected that before the age of 1 they might…

· Respond when spoken to

· Direct their attention to a person, sight or object

· Begin to reach for soft books, or sound boards

· Help to turn pages

· Respond to storybooks by cooing or making sounds

Toddlers

This is where reading truly begins to kick in, and where most learners will first start associating an object with its corresponding name. They’ll also probably be able to…

· Develop a ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ relationship with different stories

· Recognise the covers of their favourite books

· Recite simple words from their favourite books

· Pretend to read by turning the pages, and making up sounds and simple narratives

· Know familiar and very simple words from pictures- such as ones like cat, dog, car, cup and baby.

Preschool / Nursery and Reception

Preschool is where reading becomes a learning mechanism, and learners truly start being able to glean simple information from the reading process. They could also…

· Match each letter to the sound it represents

· Listening to longer books that are read aloud

· Recognise the first (or in some cases, all) the letters in their name

· Recognise very simple spoken rhymes

· Re-tell some aspects of short and simple stories verbally

Kindergarten / Year 1
This step up is one of the biggest in terms of reading and learning development, and by the age of 5 it’s not uncommon to see students that can…

· Understand more complex rhymes, and make them themselves

· Match some spoken and written words

· Write some numbers, letters and simple words

· Sound out three- or four-letter words

· Ask and answer ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘why’ -style questions when reading together

· Read simple words in isolation (the word with a definition)

· Read simple words in context (the word in a sentence)

· Tackle simple books with assistance

First Grade / Year 2

In terms of reading development, this point usually represents the budding abilities needed to become more independent when it comes to reading. At this age, learners usually begin to…

· Read longer books with familiar stories

· Write simple sentences with recognisable structure

· Use pictures and context to figure out unfamiliar words

· Start using common punctuation like full stops and capital letters

· Self-correct when they make a mistake when reading aloud

· Connect what they’re reading to personal experiences, other books and events

· Begin to develop real ‘taste’ in books, and request topics and characters that interest them

Second and Third Grade / Year 3 and Year 4

Much like the development seen in the previous few years or grades, this step is one that sees most learners move from semi-assisted to truly independent reading, and develop the subtleties of the skill- like the ability to…

· Read aloud with proper emphasis and expression

· Write more complex sentences and start paragraphing

· Use context to assign meaning to unknown words

· Understand jokes and humour in texts

· Read longer books independently

· Correctly spell many common words

· Correctly use more complex punctuation like commas

· Understand the difference between formal and informal address

Fourth and Fifth Grade / Year 5 and Year 6

This is where reading becomes a case of honing rather than developing skills, and most learners use reading to explore topics and pull information from written passages with ease. It’s also likely to be around the point where they…

· Explore different kinds of texts like non-fiction and poetry

· Understand the meanings of persuasive, narrative and informative text…

· …And also understand what style is required in their own writing tasks

· Read to extract specific information, such as in a history textbook

· Highlight useful information for use in tasks and answers

· Identify and summaries more complex narratives

· Identify devices like simile and metaphor

· Read and write on specific topics for fun sometimes

Sixth Grade / Year 7 and Beyond…

Reading, by now, is in most cases an ingrained presence in the learning landscape and forms the basis of how information is gleaned. From this point, learners will often develop greater creativity and confidence in reading, and start looking for leisure reading materials that fall into the ‘young adult’ category, with more complex themes and stories. Throughout the next few years of middle or high school, they’re also likely to…

· Expand vocab and develop style in creative writing

· Develop more niche interests, favourite styles and types of narrative

· Analyse how characters develop, interact and advance the plot in fiction…

· …and be able to write about this confidently in exams and tasks

· Use the ‘point’, ‘evidence’, ‘explain’ method of answering questions

· Identify imagery and symbolism, as well as make connections with other texts

· Understand sarcasm, irony and bathos

Whilst these milestones might be the case for many learners, it’s important to realise that they won’t be the same for everybody. Some grades focus on different skills, and some children simply develop faster or slower due to their hobbies, attitudes and learning environments. It’s not an exact system, and there are other things we can look into too when it comes to identifying if a young reader needs support. Some children might feel anxious when asked to read, or want to disengage from books entirely whilst remaining confident and developing skills in other subjects.

It’s simply a case of using all the information we have about reading development to make the best informed decisions, recognise the need to screen individuals, and find them support strategies that work. Reading is something that all learners should be able to enjoy, and making sure that they’re in a position to do so is one of the most important parts of the education journey.