At Queensbury we strive to develop students as readers. Reading helps your child’s wellbeing, develops imagination and has educational benefits too. Students have 5 half hour sessions each week dedicated to the teaching of reading. The long-term aim for our pupils is that they become life-long readers who read for pleasure and enjoyment. Within the different reading experiences, we want to equip the students with the following skills:
To decode text for meaning – reading the words, by building on their phonics skills, and understanding what they mean.
To retrieve information
To deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts.
To consider the structure and organisation of the text.
To explain and comment on the author’s use of language.
How can parents/ carers support children in their reading at home?
Even though your child may now be a fluent reader, it is still important to hear them read aloud as often as possible.
By continuing to actively share your child’s reading, you are giving it status and importance, continuing to develop enjoyment, and increasing their understanding of more challenging texts.
By listening to your child read for just ten minutes a day has been shown to make up to a years progress with their reading age, according to research.
Your child will benefit from your support. You are in the position to help overcome any misunderstandings by talking about what they read aloud. It is a good idea to share reading aloud as you can model pace, expression and fluency for your child.
Listen to your child read every day, if possible, or at least three times a week.
● Find a quiet place to share books where you can be comfortable.
● Encourage your child to read a range of texts such as comics, magazines, newspapers, non-fiction, plays, poetry and recipes etc. Make use of your local library.
● Talk about the book. You could try cooking a recipe you’ve read together.
● Ask questions which encourage your child to give opinions about the text.
● Play word games.
● Encourage your child to read a series of books from a favourite author or books on topics of interests, especially to keep reluctant readers interested in reading.
● Read the book with a writer’s eye – find examples of effective vocabulary, openers, connectives, adjectives, adverbs etc in the book and discuss how the author has used them.
