A different, more challenging curriculum with new assessment foci

Setting

How can I help my daughter? Asking questions about the text your child is reading encourages them to think more deeply about it. Eventually they begin to ask themselves questions about what they have read. What do you know about this character? How does the writer present this character? Can you find a quotation that shows me this? What type of genre is this film? How can you tell just from this shot?

How can I help my daughter? Film can be used to help your daughter practise her use of inference. Simple tasks can be completed whilst watching a film together. You can do this at home simply by pausing films and asking your children questions about what is happening in the paused scene. What can you tell about the characters who are not in the shot? How is she feeling? What will she do next? How do you know? What type of genre is this film? How can you tell just from this shot?

Reading regularly will improve your daughter’s grades! Reading at Home Reading at home will help prepare your daughter for the challenges of the new GCSE curriculum. It will: Help your daughter master language development; Build listening skills, increase their attention span, and develop the ability to concentrate at length; Develop their ability to express themselves more confidently, easily, and clearly in spoken and written terms; Develop and foster their natural curiosity. Reading regularly will improve your daughter’s grades!

Reading at Home At Key Stage Four, both GCSEs will expect students to read and analyse texts from across periods. This ranges from pre-twentieth century to the twenty first century. To prepare your daughters for this challenge we recommend that they start to read more challenging and thought provoking texts. Select authors from the nineteenth and twentieth century to really challenge and prepare them.

Suggestions for at home: When your child chooses a book, look at the cover together. Ask your child what they can infer from the front cover – what can you tell about the genre of book and what the characters/plot might be. Encourage your child to relate to the characters. E.g. How do you think the character is feeling at this point? Why might they be feeling this way? How would you feel if you were in their situation? What words tell you about how they are feeling?

Reading Log – Page 160 Please check in and see how well your daughter is doing – it helps us to see that they’re reading at home too! Encourage them to go for gold Reading lists are available specifically designed to challenge readers in Year 7

Useful Websites www.lovereading.co.uk www.goodreads.co.uk Set challenges and reading goals for the year. Share your reading experiences with friends and family. www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk Read all about Jacqueline Wilson and her characters. www.pottermore.com Delve deeper into the world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts with this interactive website.