Te Mata School

LEARNING TO READ in the Junior School

At Te Mata School we are committed to equipping every child with the ability to read, and to read well. We want every child to be successful and love reading!

Our reading programmes are part of our Structured Literacy approach, using current research and evidence-based teaching to support children’s literacy development. Through explicit instruction in class, small-group and individual settings, we ensure every child builds essential skills in decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary while developing a love of reading and learning.

Learning to read is a complex skill. When we learn to read we need to develop our ability to 'crack the code'. This means children need to understand the alphabet through gaining knowledge of letters and their related sounds. Once a child understands this, they are able to apply this knowledge to words by blending the sounds together.

Did you know that English has 44 speech sounds and 150 ways to read and spell them? This is what makes learning to read so complex.

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM?

Fun with shared stories, poems, rhymes and alliteration
Development of alphabet knowledge; letter shapes, names and formation
Explicit teaching of blending sounds for decoding and segmenting for spelling
Multiple opportunities for children to read and spell words successfully
Children applying skills to read decodable books and write dictated sentences

DECODABLE READERS

Our early readers will be working with decodable readers. These are books that only include words that the children can decode (sound out) according to the skills they have been taught. This ensures the child is given the opportunity to practice their phonics (letter and sound) skills and be successful in their ability to read the words on the page.

HOW YOU CAN HELP AT HOME

Your child will not bring home a book every night to read however there are many ways to support your child's early reading development

Read picture books together and talk about the story
Practice reading and writing the sounds and words that your child brings home

Learning to read is a fun time for you and your child. Always remember to be their cheerleader and praise and encourage them for what they can do.

WILL MY CHILD COME HOME WITH A BOOK ON DAY ONE?

When your child starts school we will take time to find out what they know and design their literacy programme from there. For most children who start on their 5th birthday they will start with literacy activities rather than a book. These activities are focussed on teaching your child the Stage 1 Alphabet Sounds (m, f, a, s, t, p, c, i) and essential heart words (I, the, The, my, My). When they are understand and can blend these sounds, letters and words, they will progress to decodable books that practise these words. For more capable learners they may move on to books if they are ready.

READING AT HOME: Yrs 3-6

Reading time at home should be a pleasurable and memorable time for you and your child. It can be a time for your child to show you what they can do or has been learning in class independently.

Reading is an important time to:

Share, discuss and learn about common interests
Explore imaginary worlds or events; having a fun time guessing what could happen next or what it would be like to live in that world
Learn new information about topics they have been learning about or something that has got them wondering
Have fun together instilling a love of reading
Do this by:
- Reading books to your child
- Visit the local library together
- Talk about books that you read as a child
- Enjoying regular reading times before they go to sleep at night.

HOME LEARNING FROM SCHOOL

If your child is sent home with a reading book, code spelling activity, literacy game etc support them to practice and complete this learning. Make it enjoyable and quick. It is important to note home learning is designed for practice only and is not new learning for them. It is learning they have had previously in class or need reminding or quick revision of.
Home learning activities are designed to be quick with the total time no longer than 15-30 minutes depending on their age (ie: 30 minutes for older children will incorporate 15-20 minutes of personal reading time).

If you have questions about home learning and supporting your child with their reading please contact your class teacher or our leadership team.

READING FOR ENJOYMENT AND FOR LEARNING.

Once your child has learned to read, you can help my child improve their comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

Helping your child to comprehend is an important skill to master.

It only needs to take 5 -10 minutes of talking with your child about what they are reading and listening to them. As you are talking you are checking that they can confidently understand the story plot, key information, and vocabulary in the text they are reading.

You can help your child by asking them to:

Retell the chapter or story they have just read in their own words; while encouraging them not to tell you the story word for word.
Talk about the characters, settings, and plot. Can they compare them to any other books they have read. What do they think about the story or style of writing?
Look at the book and find any tricky words they may have read and ask them to explain what they mean.
Ask your child to put themselves in the role of the different characters...How would you feel if...? What would it be like to live in...?
Non-fiction texts—Share your own personal knowledge about the subject, ask questions about the topic they are learning about or go online to extend their learning further.