Power hour is a literacy programme for first and second class which lasts for ten weeks. The Learning Support team come into the classroom twice a week for station teaching. There are five stations in total. There are two reading stations (familiar reading and new reading) and two writing stations (phonics and grammar). There is one individual station where the children do a task unaided. During the hour the children will get 10 minutes at each task. After 10 minutes the buzzer will go off and the teachers will move onto the next group.

The books are from the PM series. They are short, interesting and pitched at the child’s own level. When they receive a new book they read half of it with the teacher and revise that part only for homework with parents. The following session the children will read the rest of the book in the new reading station and the part they already read in the familiar reading station. The new section will then be their reading homework.

This programme has proven to be very beneficial for improving literacy in young children in a short space of time. The children really enjoy the hour and love getting a new book every week!

Room 15 1st Class Power Hour