Reading and Enjoying Together

How you can help at homeSupport with reading

Find time to share reading with your child.

When you are reading with your child you can help them to improve their understanding and meaning by discussing what they have read. Ask them questions about the text, their ideas about what happens next or whether they are enjoying the book.

Let them see you, and join you in, reading magazines, letters, instructions, charts, signs...and remember your child will like to hear you read to them as much as they like reading to you. Any reading is fine, as long as they are enjoying it!

Question/discussion suggestionsReading Focus 2: I can understand, describe, choose or find information, events or ideas from the text/story and refer back to the text to prove it.

Which word tells me that...? Which word means the same as....? What happened at the beginning of the story? Is it true or false that....how do you know? How many...? Can you give an example of how the character was feeling/thinking? Which character...?

Reading focus 3: I can deduce, infer or interpret information, events and ideas from the text.

What does this part of the story tell you about...? Why has that word been used to describe...? What do you think the character is feeling? Why? What do you think the character is thinking? If you made a film of this story, what music would you use and why? Are these characters similar in any way? Why did he feel? Why did the character do that? How did the character feel before...after? Did the character change?Why? How do you know that...? What might the character think about...? do next? What will happen next? How will the story end?

Reading Focus 4: I can recognise and comment about the structure, organisation and presentation of the text.

Can you put the story in order?

How does the writer build up the story? How does the layout make this text easier to understand? Why are there diagrams? What would a suitable caption or label be? Can you think of another good heading? Give me two things that tell you this is a letter/diary/report/play. Why has the author used a new paragraph? Why is this text in bold/italics/underlined?

Reading Focus 5: I can explain and comment about the writer’s choice of language.

Why does the writer use the word...? Why is that a good descrption? Which word/noun/verb/phrase tells you that...? How do these words make you think that...? What words help the reader to imagine..? Which words/phrase bet describe..? Choose a word to describe the character/setting. Why? Which parts of the text tell you...?

Reading Focus 6: I can share my opinion on the writers’ purpose, viewpoint and the overall effect on the reader.

What do you think the writer feels about...? Why? How does the writer show his positive/negative attitude towards...? Which parts of the text are persuasive? Why does this section begin with a question? What is the purpose of this piece of text? Which of these texts/ How does this text inspire/persuade you to...? How does the author make you feel...? How can you recognise the attitude of this character?

Helping with decoding...

Praise when your child reads a sentence or page correctly.

Praise when your child self-corrects.

Praise when your child corrects after a prompt.

If stuck, WAIT to give your child a chance to solve the problem.

then prompt with cues about the meaning of the story or

prompt with cues about the way the word looks or

ask your child to read on to the end of the sentence for clues to meaning.

finally... say calmly, “ the word is...”