Reading Skills

KS2 VIPERS

In Key Stage Two children reading skills are taught and practised using VIPERS during whole class reading sessions.

KS2 Content Domain Reference	VIPER
2a Give/explain the meaning of words in context	Vocabulary
2b retrieve and record information/ identify key details from fiction and non/fiction	Retrieve
2c summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph	Summarise
2d make inferences from the text/ explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text	Infer
2e predict what might happen from details stated or implied	Predict
2f identify/explain how information/ narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole	Explain
2g identify/explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases	Explain
2h make comparisons within a text	Explain

What are Vipers?

VIPERS is an anagram to aid the recall of the 6 reading domains as part of the UK’s reading curriculum. They are the key areas which we feel children need to know and understand in order to improve their comprehension of texts.

VIPERS stands for:

The 6 domains focus on the comprehension aspect of reading and not the mechanics: decoding, fluency, prosody etc. As such, VIPERS is not a reading scheme but rather a method of ensuring that teachers ask, and students are familiar with, a range of questions. They allow the teacher to track the type of questions asked and the children’s responses to these which allows for targeted questioning afterwards.