

Why is Reading Important? • It helps children learn about the world in which they live. • Good writing starts with good reading. • It is a key skill needed to progress in all other subjects. • Children learn how language works. • Children develop a love of reading.
Three Aspects of Reading in Reception • Whole word recognition • Prediction • picture • grammar • story • Phonics • Beginner readers will be practising one or more of these aspects until all three are used
Phonics • A phonics approach focuses on learning to associate printed letters and combinations of letters with their corresponding sounds. Phonics instruction gives children strategies to unlock or decode words.
Letters and Sounds/Jolly Phonics • Introduces new sounds starting with s, a, t, p, i, n • Learn the names and the sounds the letters make. • Practise blending these letters to make words. • Practise segmenting these letters to make words. • Practise letter formation (small and capital).
Letters and Sounds/Jolly Phonics • As the scheme continues more sounds are introduced. • There is time to revise the skills using previously learnt sounds. • Continual practise recognising, reading, word building and letter formation with new sounds. • Apply knowledge in word games and in sentences.
Naming the letters • The alphabet song or alphabet game is sung/played at the end of most sessions. • This helps children to learn the names of the letters. • This also helps children to find the letters with ease for word building. • Clearly identifying a ‘letter name’ as opposed to a sound.
At home please focus on the sounds the letters make and NOT the name.
This is essential for blending words. b - u - s = bus sh - o - p = shop c - oa - ch = coach
At home don’t be worried about giving a part of a word (like the oa in coat) and then letting the child sound and blend.
Example games: • Sound bingo • Sound snap • Hunt for the sound • Magnetic letters for letter finding and word building • Buried treasure https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/BuriedTreasure2.html • Chopped up sentences
Reading tricky words (non phonic) • Some words are impossible for children to sound out. • These are learnt through visual recognition. • Your child will receive sets of eight look and say words/ HFW (high frequency words) • All children are assessed on sight words and reading throughout the term and will be given the next set when they are ready.
Reading books • At Mobberley Primary School we do not use one reading scheme, we believe it is essential that children experience a wide selection of books. • In Reception, a member of staff listens to individual readers once a week. Children will also read to an adult helper. • Children read once a week in small groups from the guided reading scheme. • There are four formal English lessons per week in which the children will learn about various fiction and non fiction books.
Reading books • We will assess your child’s reading on a regular basis. • Each stage on the reading scheme is a coloured book band which is labelled on the side of the book. • Children in Reception usually start on pink books and progress to red then yellow books. • Children leaving Reception on blue books or beyond will be exceeding within reading. • Children can be moved up a level where necessary. No need to read every book! Please come and see us if you feel your child is ready to move up a level.
Reading books • We encourage children to read a range of different library books at home for variation including poems, non-fiction and comics. • It is also beneficial to read a range of books to your children to immerse them in different language and vocabulary. • The breadth of their reading helps them develop their speaking skills which also plays a key role in their ability to progress well with their writing.
Reading at home • For early readers, daily reading practise at home is vital. • Reading from child’s reading scheme book is important for progress. • It is also of great benefit to read to your child from a book that is at a higher level than their own reading ability (library books) • Word games e.g. Scrabble, Boggle, BBC Bitesize. • Audio CDs.
Tips when reading with your child • Discuss front cover and locate and read title. Predict what this book might be about. • Walkthrough the book using the language used in the book. • BE YOUR CHILDS READING FRIEND! USE PICTURES! • Use a reading finger to track the words (pink and red books) model by tracking above the words as they track below. • Tell your child the tricky word or sound if they cannot remember. • Encourage them to use their phonic skills to sounds out the words you know they will be successful in blending.
Tips when reading with your child • Notice the initial sound in words and encourage them to cross check this to the picture. • Ask your child questions about the book (characters, events, setting, what might happen next.) • Give children ‘Find It’ questions and ‘Prove It’ questions. • ‘Find It’ questions are literal questions – what colour was the ball? • ‘Prove It’ involves inference and deduction – why was the boy sad? • Please sign your child’s reading diary.
All children start at different levels and will learn at different rates but your interest in their progress is crucial to their motivation.