READING WITH YOUR CHILD USING HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONING TO SUPPORT HOW WE TEACH READING AT SCHOOL AND HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT AT HOME.

THE IMPORTANCE OF READING AT HOME…. The best predictor of reading achievement is the amount of time students spend in independent reading (Anderson, Wilson and Fielding) Reading 20 minutes a day = 1.8 million words a year = 1000 new vocabulary words The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school (National Commission on Reading, 1985) Importantly, research has shown that children’s reading is more sensitive to parental influences than any other school subject.

WHY ARE GOOD READING SKILLS IMPORTANT? To enable children to cope in a literate society. find information enjoy and be entertained by books compare and rationalise their own life experiences with those they read in books and learn the difference between fantasy and reality develop effective writing skills

HOW DO WE TEACH READING AT SCHOOL? Do you remember how you learnt to read? We talk about books Encourage exploration and imitation of books Making reading exciting and an enjoyable activity Offering a range of books

HOW DO WE TEACH READING AT SCHOOL? Teaching decoding and comprehension strategies. Shared reading is a powerful tool in the teacher’s repertoire of strategies. Big book or a text on an overhead or interactive whiteboard. It will usually involve reading a text that is a little challenging for most of the children in the class, so that the teacher can demonstrate, consolidate and help children to practise the skills we have just looked at. Enables teacher to point out features of different types of texts- how they are presented and how they are written. We also use shared reading to ask questions designed to help the children to understand and to find out what they understand.

HOW WE TEACH READING IN SCHOOL… Guided reading –a group of children sharing a book that is matched to their reading needs. The teacher might spend a few minutes introducing the book and talking about the skills they will be working on and then the children will read the text at their own pace while the teacher homes in on individuals, listening and questioning to move them forward in their learning. Before the session ends, the children will have an opportunity to talk about what they have been reading and learning in that session.

HOW WE TEACH READING IN SCHOOL… Independent reading – there are many times in the day when children have an opportunity to read by themselves, perhaps when they come in to the classroom in the morning or after lunch, certainly during their lessons in different subject areas and, of course, at home. The final point is an important one – the teacher takes regular opportunities to find out how the children are doing. Mostly the teacher carries out this assessment by observing the children, listening to them when they are engaged in shared, guided and independent reading and by asking questions and making a note of what knowledge and skills are in place and what the next step might be.

HOW TO SUPPORT READING AT HOME… Making reading fun, sociable comfortable. Choose a mutually acceptable time and sit comfortably Demonstrate good reading Look at, talk about and enjoy the pictures Read the books your child chooses and let him/her decide when to turn the page Value the books your child has brought home Talk and ask questions Relate reading to your child’s own experiences Encourage and praise Stop when s/he has had enough Make the most of other reading opportunities Letting children have control

BOOK TALK… Use the ‘technical’ language of books: page, chapter, index, etc. Talk about what has happened so far or what information has been given. Make comparisons Ask a variety of questions, particularly to help your child gain a deeper understanding; Why did that happen? How is the character feeling?

HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONING… "Good learning starts with questions, not answers." ~Guy Claxton~ Bloom’s Taxonony – Higher Order Questions Questions that increase in complexity and broaden children’s thinking skills.

PURPOSE OF QUESTIONING…  To interest, engage and challenge  To check on prior knowledge  To focus thinking on key concepts and issues

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF QUESTIONING….  Knowledge – describe, identify, who, when, where  Comprehension – translate, predict, why  Application – demonstrate how, solve, try it in a new context  Analysis – explain, infer, analysis  Synthesis – design, create, compose  Evaluation – assess, compare/contrast, judge

AN EXAMPLE…THE THREE LITTLE PIGS…  What would you have done?  Can you think of a different ending?  What happened in the story?  What would you have built your home from?  Give examples of how the third pig showed his cunning?  How did the wolf manage to blow down the two homes?  Why did the three little pigs have to leave home?  How would you defend the wolf’s action?  Which part of the story did you like best?

WEBSITES TO HELP INSPIRE….