In addition to reading throughout the school day, the value of reading at home cannot be underestimated and is noted as vital in building our pupils’ vocabulary, love of reading and future aspirations.
Reading at home can take shape in a variety of ways:
• Bedtime stories
• Audiobooks
• Turning on the subtitles
• ePlatform
• Going to the local library – Bispham and Blackpool
• Reading in the local environment
• Reading to a relative over the phone or via zoom
Pupils will bring reading books home weekly for them to read and return. Pupils will bring two books home - one that is chosen from the reading scheme to help them developmentally with reading and one they have chosen to read for pleasure. Books will come home daily and are expected to be in school daily. Reading diaries will be checked weekly by the class teacher.
Reading is a skill we continue to develop throughout our lives, but starting this process as early as possible has significant benefits for our continued success as readers. This is why, as parents and carers, you play a vital role in supporting your child in becoming a fluent reader who is confidently able to apply their reading skills across all areas of their lives.
The teaching of reading and reading comprehension within the classroom is only part of a child's learning, and the value that is given to reading at home is equally important.
Research suggests that children who read regularly outside of school achieve significantly better academic achievements in school and so your support at home is essential in ensuring that your child makes the progress they are capable of.
You can help your child to achieve their full potential by listening to them read daily (for 20 minutes), reading regular bedtime stories and by encouraging them to enjoy reading and sharing books together. Reading widely through all of these approaches will help develop your child’s vocabulary, which in turn will make them more confident when reading more challenging books.Giving your child a choice over what they read is an important factor in boosting their enthusiasm for reading and children are more likely to be interested in books they have selected for themselves. Your local library is an incredibly useful resource in providing regular reading material for your child and best of all – it’s free!
Reading Fluency
What is fluency?
The ability to apply and identify the correct pronunciation of written words immediately and without conscious effort.
It involves smoothly and effortlessly decoding words while also comprehending and interpreting the text.
Fluent readers demonstrate automaticity in recognising words, allowing them to focus on comprehension and deeper understanding of the content.
Ensuring every child has the necessary skills they need to read is an essential component of literacy education. It enables children to not only learn across the curriculum but also to access numerous aspects of daily life, influencing the opportunities that they have available to them in the future.
Ways that you can help build fluency at home
1. Read Aloud to Your Child to Improve Reading Fluency.
Even if your child is old enough to read by themselves, it’s helpful for them to hear someone more practiced reading to them. Read aloud to your child to provide an example of how fluent reading sounds. Let them get a better sense of rhythm, intonation and, if you pick a variety of different genres, will develop an appreciation for all types of books.
2. Work on Phonemic Awareness Skills
Many children have trouble with reading fluency because they have trouble understanding how the pieces of words (such as chunks, digraphs, and blends) are manipulated to make new words. Help your child decode words well, help him or her build speed and accuracy by:
- Reading aloud and having your child match their voice to yours
- Having your child practice reading the same list of words, phrase, or short passages several times.
- Reminding your child to pause between sentences and phrases
3. Build Sight Word Vocabulary
Sight words, sometimes known as core words, are the foundation of a child’s reading and writing skills. If they can’t quickly recognise common words, your child is more likely to stumble as they try to sound out everything they read.
4. Paired Reading
Paired reading can mean alternating sentences while you read with your child, or reading aloud together. Just come up with a signal to indicate when your child wants to read a sentence by themselves or is stuck on a word.
5. Echo Reading
Echo reading is a great strategy for children who have great technical reading skills, but for whom expressiveness is a problem. If your child struggles to read with expression, try reading a section and then having them “echo” you, using the same intonations and emphasis you used.
Take a look at our Reading Fluency Menu to find all of the ways that you can help to support your child’s fluency at home. How many ways can you try? Which one is your favourite?
Reading Fluency Menu