Embsay
North Yorkshire
BD23 6RH
Dear Parents
One of our school development areas this year is reading. We will continue to use the ‘Collins Big Cat’ and ‘Rising Stars’ phonic-linked reading books in Reception and Key Stage 1, to ensure that children are reading books that match their phonic knowledge.
All children will be heard read in school by their Class Teacher each week. Additional reading may also be carried out by the class Teaching Assistant or by a trained volunteer if we feel your child has a particular reading need. All staff members are extensively trained in hearing children read and teaching assistants and volunteers feed back to the class teacher.
Your child will be sent home with three books each week, two of which are phonic based reading books and the third which is a ‘Reading for Pleasure’ book. They may find this ‘Reading for Pleasure’ book a bit more / too difficult to read independently and we would suggest sharing and discussing this book instead.
Reading Books should be read more than once to encourage fluency and, then, comprehension. Staff will change books once we are sure that the book has been read (at least) twice. It is really important that you write in your child’s Reading Record book when you have heard them read, as this enables us to monitor the frequency your child is reading. We expect that you hear your child read, where possible, on a daily basis. Even five minutes makes a huge difference to your child’s reading ability!
Tips for reading with your child at home:
- Make time to read and try to provide a calm, quieter space for your child to read in, away from the distractions of TV and busy lives!
- Take turns to read the book with your child
- Talk about the book
- Ask your child questions. (There may be some prompts at the back of the reading book to help support this)
- Pay attention to the language
- Enjoy reading together – reading should be fun!
If you have any further questions about reading, please contact your child’s class teacher.
With best wishes,
Fiona Prest