At Wolvey, it is our mission to support ALL of our pupils to develop a love of reading; even those who might struggle to read or engage with books. On this page, you will find lots of ideas to engage your child and encourage their interest in stories and texts.
Reading at home shouldn't be a chore. Indeed, we want our pupils to enjoy and look forward to exploring a variety of books. We definitely don't want them to see it as homework that they have to do because the teacher says so!
Some children don't find reading enjoyable because they struggle and find it difficult. Thankfully, there are lots of ways that we can help them to find it easier. Below, are some of the techniques we use in school to support them to gain confidence in their own reading ability. These can be used at home too.
Echo Reading ~ Chunking & Scooping!
In this video, the child is listening to her teacher read a segment of the text, before she echoes it back, using the same intonation and emphasis on words. This is called chunking, because the teacher has chosen to segment the longer sentences into "chunks" that are easy for the child to remember. After they have chunked the sentence, the teacher than reads the whole sentence out loud, for the child to echo back. This is called "scooping". By repeating the text in this way, the child becomes more familiar with sight vocabulary and more fluent in their reading. It also helps with comprehension. Tracking fingers at the ready!
Choral Reading ~ Reading Together!
Sometimes, children are intimidated by having to read out loud or struggle so much, that it is painful to listen to. Choral reading, is when everyone reads out loud, together. This can often be done after you have read the text using the echo reading technique, so that the child feels confident to keep up. Using voices and intonation, when reading, helps the children make sense of the text and therefore, become more confident with their comprehension of stories.
Enjoying Story Time!
All children enjoy listening to stories; indeed, for some of our children, it is their favourite part of the school day! For those children who struggle with reading independently, listening to an adult is crucial to develop their comprehension skills. This might not happen for a child who struggles with reading fluency and therefore, can't understand what they have just read. In this video, the adult is reading to the children and together, they are talking about what is happening and sharing ideas around the characters. It is important for those reading with the children to share their ideas too. The children often have less experience of language and of the world and listening to the adult can help their knowledge and understanding to grow.
Comprehension Questions That Can Be Asked While Reading At Home
Get EpicGet Epic is a website, which is free to join. The free membership option gives children access to a limited library and one free online book a day to enjoy. The website has a huge nonfiction collection.
Books For KeepsSometimes it is hard for parents and carers to know what books are out there for their children to enjoy. Books For Keeps is an online magazine, published monthly, which keeps you informed of all the fantastic authors and books currently available to your children ~ proof that there is a book out there for everyone if you know where to look!
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