A READING GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Rationale Reading is a major part of the curriculum and along with writing, speaking and listening, makes a significant contribution to the development of children as thinkers and learners. Reading involves a set of complex skills that will not develop without structured teaching and practice. At Holy Cross Prep School we begin to teach the skills of reading through synthetic phonics, where children learn to read the forty-two phonemes that make up the English language together with recognition of key words. As they progress through the school we aim to develop a love of books and reading in our pupils. The girls begin to see the value of books and reading through enjoying a very wide variety of genres as part of their everyday experience.
We have a high expectation of reading and we work hard to achieve high standards from all children, within a positive ethos. Reading skills empower individuals to unlock their potential as independent lifelong learners. They have a significant impact on self-esteem, motivation and aspirations for the future. Being literate equips young people to be proactive in their own learning and to explain their thoughts. In this way, they grow in an understanding of themselves as individuals and as members of society. To this end, Holy Cross Prep School places raising achievement in literacy, at the centre of its Raising Standards agenda.
At Holy Cross Prep School we aim to:
have a positive reading ethos throughout the school so that the pupils develop confidence and pleasure in reading
teach the introduction of synthetic phonics in a structured way to ensure progression, continuity and consistency
teach reading individually, in groups and as a whole class
enter into a learning partnership with our pupils and their families, recognising the important role that parents and carers can play in the learning process.
Skilled reading entails two processes which are of equal importance. Firstly the development of a set of word recognition processes and secondly, the development of increasingly sophisticated language comprehension processes. Both sets of processes are necessary for reading, but neither is sufficient on its own. Recent recommendations suggest that ‘high-quality phonic work’ should be the prime approach when initially teaching children to read. At Holy Cross Prep the learning journey in reading begins with phonics, more specifically, synthetic phonics together with a love of books.
What are synthetic phonics? All phonics teaching involves letter-sound correspondences. The adjective ‘synthetic’ refers to the fact that children are taught to ‘synthesise’ i.e. put together or build up, pronunciations for unfamiliar written words by translating letters into sounds, and blending those sounds together. Synthetic phonics initially involves teaching words containing only the simplest letter-sound correspondences e.g. s-a-t and p-i-n. As the pupils learn these, they are introduced to more complex combinations. In synthetic phonics the sounds of the letters, not the names are used in the early stages. For example the letter ‘s’ is ‘sss’, like a snake hissing rather than ‘es’. At Holy Cross we recognise the importance of supporting all learning styles –visual, auditory and kinesthetic. For this reason we use the tried and tested (DFES endorsed) Letter and Sounds scheme, which focuses on activities to promote speaking and listening skills, phonological awareness and oral blending. The use of synthetic phonics also supports the children with spelling as, once the sounds have been learnt as a reading tool, they can then be encoded as a writing tool. Supporting your daughter in the early stages with reading at home: Before you start, ensure that you are both comfortable, relaxed and can see the book. ‘Warm up the text’ by looking at the cover, the title and the illustrations, discussing what the book may be about. As she reads, encourage your daughter to put her finger underneath the text and to sound out any words that she does not recognise on sight. There are, however, many words in the English language that cannot be sounded out. These ‘key words’ such as ‘what’ and ‘said’, have to be learnt on sight.
Helping your daughter to develop more sophisticated comprehension processing skills: Good comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge (in particular of vocabulary and grammar) and on knowledge of the world. All pupils must be encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live. Reading widely and often, increases pupils’ vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds pupils’ imaginations and opens up a treasure-house of wonder and joy for curious minds. (New National Curriculum, 2014)
Building comprehension To ensure that your daughter understands what she has read, always discuss the story and ask questions that will encourage her to reflect. As your daughter becomes more proficient in reading, it is important to spend more time discussing the text as well as reading it. Here are some examples of the type of questions to ask:- ‘Was there a problem in the story?’ - ‘What was it?’ - ‘Were does the story take place?’ - ‘Why do you think he said that?’ - ‘How do you think the character felt?’ - ‘What do you think will happen next?’ - ‘Can you think of another title, or ending, to the story?’ - ‘What new information did you learn?’ They will indicate your daughter’s understanding of the text more than a general question such as:- ‘What happened in the story?’ Providing a good role model for reading: a) Read to your daughter Children enjoy listening to stories read to them by adults and older siblings. Reading to your daughter will provide her with a close and enjoyable experience and, simultaneously encourage her to read with expression and enthusiasm as she copies your model. It is also a way for her to begin to recognise the important role of punctuation in the reading process. b) Show your daughter that you enjoy reading Nothing will provide your daughter with a greater incentive for reading, than seeing how much pleasure you appear to get from books and reading. Whenever you can, read in her presence, whether it is fiction, non-fiction, a newspaper, magazine or reading from an iPad/tablet. Share with her your opinion on the plot or preference for a character. Alternatively, if it is non-fiction, tell her something you have learned from your book.
Your love of reading will instill the same love in your daughter.
