​A class reader is a book that we read and analyse together, in the class, over an extended period of time. The whole class reader, whether it’s a longer novel or a picture book, is an essential part of the primary school classroom. It is one very important way that we can model our enthusiasm for reading and for books and create magic and excitement around the special joy of reading a good book.


Every day, when we read to the children, we are all transported to a world, in which we can all connect in a different way. For some it might offer escape and relaxation; for some it might show them that there is a different world and ways of life beyond the one they live in; or it may trigger emotions close to the heart, as the characters grapple with difficult adventures, friendships and hardships. By sharing these experiences together, we build a sense of community.


As well as creating a positive, pleasurable experience, there are many benefits of reading a whole class text:

• Encountering new words and enriching vocabulary
• Helps children appreciate the beauty and rhythm of language
• Children can enjoy and understand texts beyond their own reading ability.
• Enhances imagination and observation skills
• Improves critical and creative thinking skills
• Expands a child’s general knowledge and understanding of the world
• Empathy is developed as they make connections with the experiences of the characters in the text and with each other
• Fluent, expressive reading is modelled
• Enables them to make meaning from more complex texts
• Conditions the brain to associate reading with pleasure
• Plants a desire to read

As Sally Betteridge, of The University of Nottingham, states: “The joy and wonder on their faces as you capture them in the imaginary world of the story – they are hooked on your every word and you hear that unanimous sigh as you announce that it’s time to stop reading. You know that it has captured them as they discuss it with you at playtime, or any opportunity they have. The shared community that is created and that sense of belongingness is magical.”