Woodslee Primary School Reading

Aims of this session To share our expectations for teaching reading at Woodslee Primary School To understand that a diet of good quality reading enables children to read for meaning at all times and this in turn makes them more confident writers. To identify strategies for supporting your children with reading at home. To share resources, ideas and strategies to support children's reading at home.

Understanding Texts

WHY IS READING SO IMPORTANT? The ability to read fluently and with meaning develops and enhances many skills including: Vocabulary/spelling attention span; Grammar sense of well-being; Pronunciation; Understanding and interpreting; Memory; Communication; Imagination; Knowledge of the world; Grammar sense of well-being.

THE TEACHING OF READING There are two aspects of reading that we teach and which are inextricably linked: The ability to decode print – (to read the word on the page); The ability to understand and make meaning from the printed word; Generally it is this second aspect of reading that we focus on in greater depth as the children move up the school.

What is Phonics? Phonics is one method of teaching children how to read and write; It is all about sounds. There are 44 sounds in the English Language; Some are represented by one letter like “t” and some by two or more ck; Children are taught sounds first and then how to match them to the letter, and finally how to use the letter sounds for reading and spelling.

How do we teach Phonics? We use letter sounds not there names; Jolly phonics and Letters and sounds programmes are used; We play lots of games using the sounds; When children are confident with sounds we start to introduce blending and reading.

What can you do at home? Use the letter sounds, not the name; Ask your children to teach you the songs that they have been learning; Encourage your child to recognise letters in their environment- street names, signs, packets. Play phonics games on websites such as cbeebies.

Starting Reading The process of reading begins with activities such as book browsing and sharing stories; As the children become more confident they will want to extend these activities by telling their own stories; Once they are ready the children will use their sound knowledge to build and read simple words; This will develop as the children begin to recall familiar and common words.

What can you do at home? Make sure your child sees you reading; Read with your child everyday; Make up stories together; Remember bed time stories are an important time together; Visit the library; Remember not all reading is from a book- newspaper, internet, shopping list; Complete your child’s home reading record.

Woodslee Primary school’s reading curriculum includes: Weekly Guided reading sessions; Daily Phonics in KS1 and Y3; Regular independent reading: individual group and paired Home/school reading; Hearing books read aloud on a regular basis; Selecting their own choice of texts; Reading text in other subjects.

How does a guided reading session look? Pupils grouped by ability, need or focus Teacher plans the session, following an ‘instructional sequence’ Teacher/TA works with group for 15-20 mins Children should read independently Follow-up tasks and targets are set to ensure continuity and progression

Watch the following clip, to see what a session looks like in school. Guided Reading Video

THE ASSESSMENT OF READING Individual assessment made during guided reading and phonics sessions; Benchmark testing carried out termly; Ongoing assessment during literacy lessons and other curriculum subjects; Children have individual reading targets, which they are assessed against; End of key stage assessments (Year 2 and Year 6) Formal reading comprehension tests.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD? Choose a quiet time; Make it an enjoyable experience enjoyable; Maintain the flow; Be positive; Success is key – (books sent home should be consolidation texts i.e 95% accuracy); Visit the library; Little and often is best; Talk about the books they’re reading, using AFs questions that we will send home; Read to your child (you’re never too old to be read to!); Fill in your child’s home reading record.

Home School Reading Records It is really important to comment in your child’s reading record a a way of communicating between home and school about some of the following: Whether they enjoyed or disliked reading that time; What you discussed during the session; What they found easy or tricky. Susan loved reading this book with me. We talked about how the princess felt when she was lost. Tricky words: palace, eventually. Read to page 28.

ANY QUESTIONS? Thank you for coming this evening!