Spring Term Reading Books!
Dear Parents and Carers,
As the children have now learnt all the phase 2 sounds and
tricky words, it is time for them to have a go at reading to you!
Your child will now bring home two reading books each week
alongside the four big books they will continue to choose from our
class library.
Here are some tips to help you support your child when listening
to him/her read…
· Always judge the book by its cover: take a moment to look at
the title and the picture on the cover - say something like “I
wonder what the story might be about?...” or “I wonder who might be
in this story and who they might meet?...”
· Use a ‘pointy finger’: remind your child to use his/her finger
to point to each word as they read it - we call this tracking the
words - and it helps the children to keep track of where they are
in the sentence. If they find this difficult, use your finger to
track the words with them and read the words together.
· Be patient: if your child meets an unknown word...be sure to
wait and give them lots of time to have a go at working it out.
· If they are still unsure, you could ask…
· “Can you sound it out?”
· “What sound does it start with?”
· “Is it a tricky word?”
· Read the pictures: you may notice your child looking back and
forth from the pictures to the words - this is a really important
reading skill and should be encouraged! For example, they may be
able to work out difficult words by reading the first few sounds of
a word, say ‘c-a-t’ and then using the picture to ‘guess’ what the
rest of the word might be (perhaps ‘caterpillar’).
· If they make a mistake: wait to see if they
self-correct...sometimes the grammatical structure of the sentence
or the meaning of the sentence helps them to correct themselves as
they read a little further along…
· If they are struggling, don’t insist they keep reading:
· perhaps suggest reading the book together
· or suggest trying again the next day - reading should always
be enjoyable!
· or suggest they help or ‘teach’ you to read instead (remember
to make lots of mistakes so they can correct you!)
· Finally, remember to praise and encourage your child’s efforts
and share in their excitement at being able to read!
Many thanks for all your continued support - do come and ask if
you have questions or concerns - the Reception team
