A guide to parents and carers on how to support with reading (Year 2 – 6)
How can I continue to support my child with reading?
Our Top 3 Tips
1.
Ensure your child is engaged with their reading. This means ensuring they are
reading books (or comics, magazines etc.) that they understand and enjoy.
2.
Ensure your child comes to school with the book they are currently reading. This
may be a book from school, from the library or their own – it doesn’t matter
where! What matters is that they are engaged in reading.
3.
Ensure you are involved. Talk about reading and try to gauge your child’s level of
engagement. If you are concerned about this, speak to your child’s teacher and
try some of the suggestions in this booklet ...
Further ways to support at home..
1.
Read with them and talk about the ideas in information books, stories, newspapers or
magazines about hobbies, music, TV, sport.
2.
Value your own reading and be informed about that of your child, widening one
another's horizons.
3.
Provide real purposes for them to read 'everyday ' print in DIY manuals, TV guides,
catalogues, recipe books.
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4.
Read some of the books your child reads so that you can discuss them together. Ask
questions like: 'I wonder what would have happened if ...'; 'How did you feel when...
happened?'
5.
Read aloud to them if he/she enjoys it. It will encourage them to read more for
themselves.
6.
Continue to listen to your child read aloud for short periods e.g. a page from a
chapter book.
7.
When reading for information, encourage jotting down key words as they read to
help them to remember what they have read.
8.
Read selections of stories which are related in some way, e.g. same author, theme, so
that you can discuss them by making comparisons.
9.
Read books which have been made into films or videos so that you can talk about the
differences.
10. Encourage your child to agree/disagree with the author.
11. Respect that some books are for sharing and some others are for private reading.
12. Respect that your child's choice of reading material. There may be times that they will
choose to read 'easy' books and other times they may prefer more challenging books,
just as adults do. Both are equally important.
13. Reading can be relaxing - encourage your child to read for enjoyment and help them
to develop the habit of reading at bedtime.
14. Get your child signed up to Manor House Library! There is a wealth of reading
material and we are lucky to have such a good local library.
15. Provide opportunities for reading aloud by encouraging them to read to a younger
brother/sister.
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My child can read quite well now. Should I still be hearing him/ her read aloud?
Sharing books with an adult will help to widen their vocabulary and help to broaden their
reading skills. Sometimes they might want you to read some of the book to them.
Reading aloud gives children the chance to read fluently with expression in order to keep
the listener’s attention. It also draws attention to punctuation, which impacts on writing.
e.g. If children are encouraged to observe commas in reading, they are more likely to use
them correctly in their writing.
Remember that reading is not a test. By being read to, they can concentrate on the flow
of the story and the language being used.
Children develop their reading skills in different ways. Some may want to get every word
exactly right, while others may race to the end of the story. Other children may read
hesitantly. Try to respond to your child's needs and let them read at their own pace. You
will know in which ways your child needs more help.
Make the most of the books that your child brings home from school or from Manor
House Library. Read them, or parts of them, yourself so that you can talk about them
together. You can help to develop your child's understanding by asking them what they
think about a particular character, predicting what might happen next, etc.
If your child makes a mistake when reading aloud, don't interrupt until the end of the
sentence, as they may correct themselves. Allow time for self -correction. If the mistake
doesn't alter the meaning, let it go.
What do we do in school to support with reading?
Once children reach the stage where they can sustain concentration and participate
effectively in reading activities within a group, they take part in ‘guided reading’. For
most children, this will begin in Year 2 or Year 3.
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What is Guided Reading?
During guided reading, the children work in groups on various activities. There are four or
five groups in a class, each group at around the same level in their reading. The teacher
organises guided reading with each group once a week on a rota basis. This is an
opportunity for the teacher, teaching assistant or other adults, to give individual help and
to assess each child’s progress and needs. This assessment informs planning for future
teaching.
There is a mix of reading aloud and discussing part of the book that has been read
previously in preparation for the session. While the teacher is working with one group,
the other groups are getting on with their work independently, working with a teaching
assistant or engaged in independent ‘quiet’ reading.
Children with Special Educational Needs that may affect their ability to read fluently are
included where appropriate e.g. by giving a copy of the group book to share at home /
read with an adult in school before the group session.
Activities could include reading aloud in the group, continuing comprehension activities
started the previous day, summarising a passage to the rest of the group, predicting what
happens next, completing a character analysis, research reading or working on a focused
grammar activity. While the children are reading and discussing, they are also analysing
the layout of the book and will use the good points in their own writing.
How do I communicate with the class teacher if I have a query or concern about
reading?
The best way to communicate is by talking with the teacher. This could be done before or
after school or by making an appointment if more time is needed. If this is not possible,
then a message could be put in the child’s PACT book. Teachers check the PACT books
weekly and use them to give appropriate feedback on guided reading sessions (and any
other reading activities in class).
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