Home Reading

As part of their daily diet of reading, each child is asked to read in some way at home at least 5 times per week. Each teacher will send home a book that is appropriate for your child's current reading stage and a reading diary that should be filled in each time your child reads at home. These will be checked weekly by a member of staff to ensure this is happening and your child will be asked to change their book regularly. However, this will not be everyday. As a school, we believe that re-reading a book can be a powerful tool in a child's confidence in their journey. Please allow a few days of reading a book and re-reading pages to see the difference that it makes.

Your child can also read any other appropriate reading material such as comics, magazines, newspapers, websites, poems, songs, recipes and so on. These can all be useful experiences in print having meaning.  

Fluency

Fluency is an important part of a reader's early journey. It's a key to many things.

Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression. Re-reading texts, memorising/reciting familiar text and using paired reading strategies can help your child to read well and confidently. All children in KS1 and 2 will be given a reading target once initial assessments are completed.

Paired Reading

Lots of parents have been asking us for ways to help with home reading. We have a method that we use in school to support our emerging readers or reader that have lost confidence. It is called duolog or Paired Reading.

What is Paired Reading?​

• Paired Reading was initially devised by Professor Keith Topping of Dundee University.​

• Paired reading is a very effective, evidence-based method of helping children progress in their reading. ​

• It is like a child learning to ride a bike. In the early stages you give the child encouragement, confidence and control, by holding the bicycle. Your own instinct will tell you when to let go. So you can gradually disengage for longer periods until your child is able to ride without help. ​

• The same applies to Paired Reading. It is an ideal way of helping our children to become independent readers. ​

• It works on building up the positives and successes rather than concentrating on mistakes. ​

• It helps to: ​

             Develop a child’s love for reading and books ​

             Encourage a child to read independently with confidence ​

             Build up trust between the reader and reading partner​

Reading aloud to kids is important for so many reasons, but one of the best is that it teaches kids what fluency sounds like. Adults can model expression, phrasing, pace, and so much more when they read to kids. You can even get Tom Hardy to do it for you!