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Reading: it’s a partnership Reading is the key that unlocks the whole world of learning. It is one of the most important life skills that schools teach their pupils. But to succeed, learning to read must be a partnership between home and school. What parents do at home is every bit as important as what goes on in school, says Jo Carr Year 4 teacher at St Nicholas School, Church Crookham. At school, children will have a variety of formal and informal opportunities to read. Careful monitoring and assessment will ensure your child has reading material appropriate for their reading ability. Your child will be heard to read regularly and their progress tracked. The school will have a reading scheme to develop your child’s reading in a structured way and build solid foundations for future reading. New sounds, vocabulary and punctuation will be introduced at each stage. Most days will have opportunities for children to read quietly. This could take the form of DEAR time: Drop Everything And Read. In addition, there will be a ‘guided text’ which the English group will explore in detail and use as a starting point for writing activities. If there’s time, there may also be a class novel, giving the teacher an opportunity to demonstrate effective reading aloud while the children listen and enjoy. As well as introducing the children to longer novels, English lessons will also use picture books which tell a beautifully crafted story in a very few words. This allows narrative structure and the author’s economical choice of words to be explored. There will be opportunities for the children to engage in paired and shared reading activities. Older children can read to younger children or hear them read. Stories will be used to be the starting point of drama activities. They can be adapted into playscripts by the children to perform themselves, improvising the dialogue. Drama techniques can be used to explore a book’s themes and bring them to life so that the children experience first hand what is happening in the story. In ‘hot seating’, for example, a child or the teacher will take the role of a character from a story and the rest of the class asks questions. Or there is ‘conscience alley’, where the children make two lines and a child pretending to be a character from the story walks between them. As he passes, each child offers thoughts and advice to that character. Many schools invite authors and illustrators may into school to share their books with the children, tell stories and lead workshops. It is truly inspiring for children to see these professionals sharing their passion for literature. Each class may have a poem of the day so that the children encounter figurative language and imagery and experience the power a few words can have. World Book Day is an annual opportunity for schools to encourage reading. They can organise a book week; there could be book fairs or book exchanges can be organised. Teachers and children can dress up as their favourite book characters. Teachers can share their favourite childhood books, reading them in site specific locations, by candlelight or out in the school grounds. Children can make zig-zag books to read to other year groups. Alongside teaching the mechanics of reading, teachers will take every opportunity to instil a love of literature in the chil- 26 x R&A HASLEMERE & VILLAGES February 2013
dren they teach. If this is reinforced at home, then children will become proficient and prodigious readers who love books. At home: It’s important to recognise that being a proficient reader is not just decoding words but understanding what has been read. You may think the reading material sent home is too easy for your child but it may mean they need to further develop their comprehension skills. What you can do: • Reading opportunities are all around: don’t miss any opportunity: road signs, the breakfast cereal packet, instructions for a new game. • Let your child see you reading. If they see you enjoying a book they are more likely to follow suit. • The school’s home reading requirement is important but shouldn’t be a chore. It should be a special time to share a book together, not a rushed five minutes in the car. • When hearing your child read, don’t just listen to them saying the words. Ask questions about what they have read. Encourage them to recall, interpret, comment and speculate about what might happen. • Read to your child - the bed time story! • Vary the diet: poems, theatre programmes, newspapers and web sites aimed at children. • Discuss difficult words and challenge them to use them in writing and speaking. • Play words games, on the computer or good old Scrabble! • If your child is not enjoying a book, suggest a change. Encourage them to read a variety of authors. Newspaper lists of the ‘top 50 books every child should read’ are useful. • Keep it fun! www.roundandaboutssh.co.uk KING EDWARD’S ED SCHOOL ARD KING EDWA ARD’S focus on schools SCHOOL A foundation for life An An independent independent boarding boarding and and day day school school for for boys boys and and girls girls aged aged 11 11 to to 18, 18, locally locally situated situated with with a a global global reputation reputation for for offering offering the the best best possible possible preparation preparation for for adult adult life life in in today today today’s ’s world OPEN MORNINGS for 11+, 1 1+, 13+ & 16+ entry 9 February February, , 8 March, 27 April Call 01428 686735 Visit V Visit isit kesw kesw.org ¢¡ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ ¡ §¨ © ¨ ¨ ¡ ¥ ¢ ¤ ¥ ¥ ¢ ¥ “The “ The The pupils’ pupils’ personal personal development development is outstanding” Independent Schools Inspectorate, November 2010 King Edward’s School Witley W itley Godalming Surrey GU8 5SG HASLEMERE & VILLAGES R&A x 27
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