Sparx Reader
It is our expectation at Trinity Academy Leeds that students complete 90 minutes of home learning each evening, comprising of: 30 minutes of reading; 30 minutes of knowledge organiser work; and 30 minutes of maths practice. Students will be complete part of their reading home learning using an online platform called Sparx Reader. Like Sparx Maths, Sparx Reader is an innovative, personalised platform that has been developed specifically to match students with books to read that reflect their reading level.
Sparx Reader, therefore, is designed is to ensure: every child does meaningful, independent reading every week.
How does Sparx Reader home learning work?
Sparx personalises each child’s home learning, offering four e-books for students to read independently matched to their level. Students are encouraged to read carefully and rewarded for accuracy in their reading, not speed. After students read a section of their e-book, then will be told to stop and answer a series of multiple-choice questions to check their understanding. The earn Sparx Reader Points (SRP) based on their reading accuracy.
How can I help my child with their home learning?
We appreciate that you will want to support your child with their home learning but please try not to help them with a question until they’ve had a go first! It is important that they complete their homework independently so that the algorithm can provide suitably-pitched e-books and comprehension questions in the future. Students are aiming for 300SRP per week, which roughly equates to 30minutes of careful, meaningful reading per week.
Why does my child need to achieve 100% compulsory homework completion?
We know the ability to read is a fundamental life skill. It is essential to us all if we are to participate fully in society and the workplace. Students with poor reading struggle to read independently, and so read less. As a result, they do not accumulate the background knowledge and vocabulary they need to improve their comprehension. It is therefore harder for them to access the curriculum in secondary school, because the required levels of literacy rise rapidly beyond primary school.
How does my child log in to Sparx Reader?
Sparx is moving towards a single sign-on (SSO) method this year. As such, students should use their TAL email address and TAL network password to log in to Sparx. In order to do this, they will need to visit the Sparx website, click on the ‘Log in to Sparx using Microsoft’ button (below) on the log in screen and enter the information shown below. Sparx is optimised to work on laptops, mobile devices and tablets.