How can I support the school reading programme and help my child learn?
Accept where your child is at. The temptation is often to compare reading progress with a sibling or neighbour’s child. We all learn at different rates.
Take the pressure off. As adults, we rarely go to the library to find the most difficult books. We usually find something we are comfortable with. Children learn under similar conditions. We are asking children to make attempts based on available information. Children will only do this if there is a good chance of success. If it’s too hard, they will lose interest.
Allow time for processing. Children need time to process print. If we jump in too quickly we run the risk of children sitting back and allowing us to do all the work! Don’t try to read in a rush. Children will feel the pressure.
Praise where appropriate. Praise your child for making attempts or seeking help. Even if the attempt they make doesn’t lead to the desired response, the strategy of “having a go” is important and needs to be encouraged.
Relax! Occasionally things don’t go well. Stop and do something else. Reading to or with your child is just as useful. You are still helping your child gain meaning and language structure and learn about books.
Keep up the bedtime stories. Now that your child is a big school kid and learning to read on their own, it is still important to keep reading to them and involve them in all those fun ‘pre-school’ activities like bedtime stories, and reading recipes or signs together.
Share the load. It doesn’t always have to be you to listen to your child read. The baby, a big brother, or Grandma may happily take a turn.
How do teachers teach reading?
Reading consists of breaking the English code (decoding) and understanding the message (comprehension). You can’t read if you are only doing one or the other.
Children are ability grouped based on ongoing reading assessments and observations. Teachers use books which children can read 90% – 94% accurately and fully comprehend. This enables children to work with text they understand and provides just enough errors for teaching to take place.
Class programmes include a wide variety of reading related activities such as: group reading, shared reading of books and poems, independent reading, phonics activities, books on CD…
Teachers teach children strategies to tackle reading problems on their own, such as being able sound out or chunk words, re-read and search for more information in the text, cross-check to ensure their attempts make sense and look right, and self-correct their own errors.
Good readers use three main sources of information when reading. Children are taught to check:
• “Does that make sense?” Good readers use the context and ensure their reading makes sense.
• “Does that look right?” Good readers use their knowledge of print and phonics.
• “Does that sound right?” Good readers use their knowledge of grammatical structure / syntax.
What do I do with the home reader?
Find a time and a place to read the book together. It helps if these remain the same each day, so that reading becomes part of your evening or morning routine.
Most days the book will be one that your child has already read at school that day with their teacher, but they may still need some help reading it. Some days the book may be an easy book chosen by your child that they can read without much help. It may be a book they have brought home before. Repetition is important for early reading development.
Beginning readers:
Discuss the cover and title together. Discuss the pictures and story as you go. Ask your child to use a “pointing finger”. Get them to look at each word and point under it as they read it. Read the cover and title page. If they don’t know the title, tell them. Don’t cover up the pictures or ask your child to “sound it out”. At this level reading is mostly about memory, and using the pictures to make logical attempts.
Fluent readers:
If your child is not adding or omitting words, they shouldn’t point with their finger anymore. They may read silently and can choose to read only part of their book to you if it is a longer text.
Children learn to read by reading. The best readers read the most books. Children should be reading every day. Readers must be returned every day so that a new book may be sent home. Encourage your child to take responsibility for their own reading bag.
Help! What do I do when…
My child is stuck on a word:
Wait and give them a chance to figure out what to do before you jump in. Prompt them to “have a go”, “read the sentence again”, and / or “look at the letters”. When they have made an attempt you may need to prompt them by asking “Does that make sense?”, “Does it look right?” If they still can’t figure out the word, tell them.
My child will not have a go by themselves:
Tell them to look at the word and ask “What do you think that word could be?” Wait patiently. Count to 5 in your head. Remind your child that it is their turn to do the reading, and that you will help them after they’ve had a go. When they do have a go give them heaps of praise for trying (even if it is wrong), then tell them the word. Make sure they say the word before carrying on.
My child said a word that is wrong:
Let them keep reading and wait to see if they will realise by themselves. If they don’t, tell them to stop. If their try didn’t make sense ask, “Did that make sense?” If their try did make sense, point to the word and ask, “Does that word look like ----?” and “What letters / chunks in this word do you know?” If they say a word that is close, praise them. Tell them what it says and show them how it’s different from the word they said.
My child adds or omits words, or they make the story up:
This is common for very new readers. They are still learning that the words they say have to match up with the words in the book. Let them look at the pictures first then remind them to look at each word as they read, and to point carefully with their finger under each word as they read. You may need to read the first page with them and point along too. They may need to be told to slow down as children often add or omit words when they rush.
Happy reading!
