At ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø there is a considerable emphasis on Guided Reading, which is a technique teachers use to support children with reading. Children put into practise their developing reading skills and understanding in a structured situation. Small groups of children, working at a similar stage of reading acquisition, work with an adult to read an unfamiliar text that has been chosen to reinforce, challenge and further develop their independent reading strategies.
Guided Reading is just one of the many ways that children are exposed to reading at ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø. Other strategies can be seen when shared reading in Power of Reading lessons, independent reading when choosing books from the library and in other English/Language Arts lessons. Reading is a vital skill that all children should be practicing to become more rounded communicators as part of ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø’s Schoolwide Learning Outcomes (SLO’s).
Your child’s reading experience is much more than the reading book which comes home from school. Reading is happening all the time in a classroom and in the school. It is taught in specific reading and English lessons, but children are practising and using their ‘reading’ constantly across all subjects too.
Parents can support this ‘reading journey’ through regular reading at home. Reading to and with your child every evening for at least ten minutes can make a dramatic difference to a child’s achievement within school. A recent report from the Oxford University Press highlighted the importance of parents reading with their children. ‘Children who read outside of class are 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age’.. The report also offers six tips for reading with your child at home, including:
- Make time to read- even ten minutes a day
- Choose different types of books
- Take turns to read
- Talk about the book- asking your child questions
- Pay attention to the language and finally,
- Enjoy reading!
