Reading at St Joseph’s

Aims of today To explain how we teach reading. To introduce Read, Write, Inc. Sample ‘Speed sound’ session. To share some practical ways for you to support your child’s reading at home. To hear your views.

o Learning to read is like learning a code. The letters are the symbols for the code. If you know what the symbols mean you can crack the code. o Sounds are represented by written letters. We call these phonemes, they are smallest unit of sound in a word e.g. c, n, r. A grapheme is the letter or letters, representing a phoneme e.g. ai, igh, ee. o Children are first taught a small group of sounds, then they learn to blend the sounds to read words made up of those sounds. We also call this sound-talk. Then they are taught more sounds and learn to blend those too. Let’s blend these words; Learning to read

Helping your child to read: phonics | Oxford Owl

o Children also need to recognise and remember those ‘tricky words’ that cannot be sounded out letter by letter e.g. the or said. Many everyday words in English have tricky spellings and can’t be read by blending. Imagine trying to read the word said or does by blending each letter. These words have to be learned by sight. (Word cards) o Children also need to draw on their own experiences, the setting of the story and the pictures to help them understand what they are reading about. Comprehension skills are vital in making sense of what the words say and interpreting meaning.

Phases in Phonics Phase 1 - Listening, oral work (Foundation Stage). Phase 2 and 3 - Learning to read and write first sounds (Foundation Stage). Phase 4 - Learning to blend consonants (Foundation Stage/Year 1). Phase 5 - Learning that there is more than 1 way to write sounds (Year 1). Phase 6 - Starting to learn 'spelling rules’ (Throughout Year 2).

Read, Write, Inc. is an inclusive literacy programme for children learning to read from Foundation Stage up to Year 4. At the core is the lively and vigorous teaching of synthetic phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend for reading (decoding) at the same time as developing handwriting skills and spelling (encoding). This leads onto reading engaging storybooks and non-fiction books with words they can decode so they achieve early success in reading. We began using the programme in January Children have been assessed and grouped and are currently taking part in daily ‘Speed sound’ sessions. What happens in a ‘Speed sound’ session?

Let’s have a go!

Read, Write, Inc. - The children take part in daily Read, Write, Inc sessions. Initially 30 minutes ‘Speed sounds’ each day and then progressing on to daily storybook lessons. This is in addition to their daily Literacy lesson. Reading Scheme – The reading schemes in school are structured, levelled and written specifically to ensure that your child can take steady and progressive steps towards reading success. We currently use Read, Write, Inc., Collins Big Cat and ORT. The children are heard one to one by their teacher during guided reading, by a HLTA or parent helper. They are however exposed to a much wider range of books each day. Guided Reading – Guided reading takes place daily in every class for 20 minutes. Children work one to one with the teacher and on a variety of skills based reading activities. ‘Reading Rangers’ from Year 5 and 6 support the children twice a week. What happens in school?

Reading for pleasure – The children are given lots of opportunities to read for pleasure each day, during silent reading, guided reading, during library visits and at Breakfast and Teatime Club. Children should always have a book available to them that they have chosen themselves. Home reading - The book your child brings home in their reading folder is a book they have chosen themselves for enjoyment. It is vital that you comment in their Reading Record so we can track their progress at home. Comments could include …… Sometimes they may choose a book they have had before or that seems too difficult. If it’s too hard, share it together, talk about the pictures or make up your own story. If it’s too easy, consider that that they may have chosen it because they feel confident with that level of challenge or that its one of their favourites.

Reader of the week - Children who make a special effort to return their folder regularly and have their Reading Record signed have their names put forward to become ‘Reader of the week’! They are presented with a certificate in our weekly Celebration Assembly and receive a special prize! Reading to the children – The children are read too as often as possible. Foundation Stage children will hear up to 5 stories a day! Story Sacks - From this Friday, Foundation Stage children will each be given a Story Sack to take home. Each sack contains a storybook, puppet and activities linked to the story. The children can change their sack each week and they are intended to encourage the children to talk, read and have fun!

 Read little and often!  Talk lots!  Share lots of books!  Let them read their favourites.  Ask lots of questions.  Turn off the television.  Practise makes perfect.  Be positive and praise. Reading at home

Remember! If your child gets stuck on a word; Break up the word, sound it out, blend the sounds. Model the word. Say the word and ask your child to repeat. Use the pictures as a clue. Is it like any other words you know? Read on missing out the tricky word. What would make sense? Does it look like any other words you know? Move on if necessary. Don’t let them struggle.

Any questions?

‘Children are made readers on the laps of their parents’. Emilie Buchwald