Reading in the Early Years

Draw children’s attention to...

• The pictures.• Words in sentences.• Full stops, commas, question marks; all forms of

punctuation.• Identify the sight words and letters they already

know in the text.• Talk about who the main character in the story is.• What the story might be about; make predictions.• Try to re-tell the story.

What we know...• WORDS:- I- Am- Can- See- The- In- It- At- And- to- here- Went- That- like

• LETTERS- S- A- T- P- F- M- E- R- B- I

Strategies to encourage reading...

Stretchy Snake – Stretch it out!•Stretch the word out slowly.•Put the sounds together

Chunky Monkey – Chunk the word!•Look for a chunk that you know (at, in)•Look for a word part (ing, er)Lips the Fish – Get your lips ready!•Say the first few sounds of a new word•Read the end of a sentence and say it again.

Eagle Eye – Look at the pictures!•Look at the pictures for a clue.

Skippy Frog – Skip it, skip it!•Skip the word.•Read to the end of the sentence.•Hop back and re-read it.

Try' in Lion – Try it again!•Try to re-read the sentence•Try a word that makes more sense.

Helpful Kangaroo – Ask for help!• Ask for help (after you have tried all the other

strategies.

Flippy Dolphin – Flip the vowel sound!• Try the other vowel sound if it doesn’t sound

right.• Flip a short sound into a long sound or vice versa.

Reading at St Benedict’s• Teachers listen to the children read during reading

rotations.• Students read to parents on a daily basis at school.• Through guided reading teachers then decide who

is ready to be re-tested; to move up reading levels.• St Benedict’s encourages individual success and

mastery of knowledge at own pace.• St Benedict’s also utilises the “read to, read by,

read with” approach to home reading.• Encourage reading for fun.

Progression• Confident readers, stem from confident children.• Easy text is a GOOD thing. • Home readers are a chance to “Show Off” not a

teaching opportunity. • Comprehension is a key factor.• Assessment of children is as needed and

directed by classroom teacher.• Utilise your local library.• Think outside the box; shopping lists,

environmental print, etc.

Testing / Benchmarking• Reading levels are not an area of

concern unless a teacher brings it to your attention.

• At this stage we hope that our Preppies are reading very basic text (pink or white dots).

• Testing or benchmarking occurs by the classroom teacher or a trained school officer.

• It is based on an accuracy level and comprehension of text.

Things to extend and build on...

• Transfer their gained letter knowledge to writing and play spelling games.

• Practice the strategies on the hand out that you receive today (as spoken to earlier in the presentation).

• Magic 100 words; list attached.• Encourage risk taking with writing words utilising

sound knowledge.• Read stories to your little ones that are more

complex and ask comprehension based questions.

Important things to remember...

• We all gain knowledge and mastery over skills at our own pace.

• Success inspires a willingness to have a go.

• When reading is enjoyable for children they will continue to read – “One is never lonely in life with a good book!”

Frequently asked questions..Q. The reader is too easy? A. Great, your child is applying knowledge of sight words and

strategies in context.Q. The reader is boring?B. Text is around us in many forms and reading of a variety of

topics is essential to our life skills.Q. What dot is higher?C. Each child is catered for individually and dots are simply codes

to meet the needs of all children, as well as assisting organisation in schools.

Q. Who picks the book?D. Children self select according to their area of interest.Q. We have had the same book for three nights?A. Practice makes perfect.