Reading At Home

Reading At Home 

How can you help your child read at home?

How it begins

Once your child joins our Reception class, they are taught letter sounds (phonemes) through the use of the Harmony Trust Phonics Framework, which is aligned to Letters and Sounds. As these sounds (phonemes) are taught they are sent home so that you can support your child with extra practice.

During this early stage, “talkabout” books (books with few or no words) are also sent home. These are for you to share with your child, discussing the pictures and talking through the story. These books are an important way in which your child can learn very early book skills and also begin to enjoy the routine of sharing more formal learning experiences with parents and carers.

Early Reading

As your child starts to know some phonemes (letter sounds), he or she will be taught to blend these sounds from left to right in order to read simple words. When this skill is in place, your child will be given a reading book containing words which can be sounded out. You can help at home by running your finger under each sound in turn to encourage this blending.

These books will also contain words which cannot be blended, such as ‘I’ and ‘he’, these are called 'common exception' words, and in class we teach your child to recognise them on sight by using flash cards.

Now is the time to enjoy your child’s steps to success, but don’t forget to keep talking about the story and have fun sharing the book together!

Top Tips for Reading at Home

• Try to make reading time fun. Aim to do little and often, but not when your child is tired.
• Encourage your child to look at any pictures in the reading book to get an idea of what it is about. Talk to your child about the pictures.
• Your child will try to work out unknown words by using sounds and this should be encouraged. For words that cannot be blended, help your child work out words by looking at other words in the sentence.
• Talk about the book as much as possible. Ask your child to explain what happened or ask questions about the story.
• Draw attention to punctuation marks and help them to read with feeling, e.g. “Hooray!” they shouted.

Online Reading: MyON

We subscribe to MyON which is linked to Accelerated Reader.  Here you will find over 6,000 digital books which you and your child can choose from.  Attached at the bottom of this page is a help guide to get you started. 

Here is a link to the MyON website: https://www.myon.co.uk/

Reading is Fun!

At Lakeside, we want to ensure that all our pupils learn to read, read to learn, and above all else, learn to love reading!

At school, your child has access to a well-stocked library, engages in entertaining story times and enjoys English events throughout the year, all of which contribute to the development of a love of reading.

You can help your child at home by reading all sorts of books together and by using the local library.

Remember, not only is reading interesting and fun but – children who read succeed!

School Systems

Your child will be given a reading book and Home School Record Book, both of which should be brought to school every day in their book bag or school bag. The Home School Record Book is for comments from everyone who listens to your child read, including adults at home. All our children are encouraged to read at home every day.  This can be recorded and initialled by parents/carers and if completed then your child will receive 3 dojos as a reward. The Home School Record Book is signed weekly by the class teacher/teaching assistant, where a child is not reading at home, parents/carers will be spoken to or messaged on Class Dojo about this as a reminder.

Moving on- reading for understanding

In Key Stage One, children continue to progress through the reading book bands as directed by the teacher. In Year Two, children will move on to the Accelerated Reader programme. Children complete an online Star Test to assess their reading age, and are then given a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) number that they can choose their reading books from. If a child is not yet ready to begin the Accelerated Reader programme, then they will read an ability-appropriate book in school, with adult support, every week. After each book, the children will complete an on-line reading quiz and this will register how much of the book they have understood. Readers will then move through the levels on their individualised reading programme, where they are placed appropriately on the programme in line with their level of understanding. 

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