Learning to read is a vital life skill that our children need to acquire at a young age. Children progress through different reading stages and all children will progress through these stages at different rates. Sometimes children progress slowly, sometimes fast and sometimes they plateau for a short while they consolidate their learning. It is often helpful for children to overlearn/repeat their learning to ensure their skills are secure before moving onto next stages. This helps them to build confidence in their abilities.
Reading is not only about segmenting and blending words to actually say a word aloud. It is also about really understanding what they have been reading about. Often, we ask children to repeat reading scheme books so that they can work on their comprehension skills rather than simply reading the words and sentences. If your child repeats a book, please focus upon their comprehension skills. Do this by asking questions that look for simple answers within the text and then more complicated answers which ask their opinion about something that happened in the book, the way a character may be feeling or predict what may happen next. Without these comprehension skills, foundations to their reading ability will be missing and they will find it very difficult to move through later reading development stages inhibiting them from becoming a fluent reader.
We recognise that reading development is a joint effort between the school and parents, and we hope these resources help you to support your child's learning at home. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or need further support.
We believe that home reading is a vital component in developing reading skill, confidence and fostering a love of reading. We encourage our children to read their home reading books every day and these are discussed and changed regularly.
From their earliest starting points our children are encouraged to develop good home-school reading routines. Each week children in EYFS and KS1 select a ‘reading for pleasure book’- together with an adult- from a wide selection of books in class libraries. Parents are encouraged to read these stories to children as part of a bedtime story routine.
Children will be moved up through the stages when their teacher feels that they are fluent with the words within that stage and they are confident that the child is making meaning from the text.
In KS2 some pupils will continue to have a leveled book where appropriate. These books have been carefully selected to match your child's reading ability and can also be accessed alongside a reading for pleasure choice from our local libraries.
We then ask that reads are recorded using our Boom Reader (Previously Go Read) App. Every time a child read 4 or more times a week and has it recorded on Boom Reader they will win a raffle ticket for the half termly prize draw.
Boom Reader Slides for families
A message from Boom Reader below: 27th January 2023
Children are individuals who progress, develop and grow in a range of ways. As they do, and whether consciously or otherwise, the wide-ranging life skills children gain from books of all types can never be underestimated. While reading independently, sharing a book or listening to someone read to them, children can:
and so on…
Once children begin to master the many skills of reading, gaining fluency and independence, the ability to understand and take meaning from texts broadens. In other words, they progress from learning how to read to reading for learning (sometimes described as becoming an ‘effective’ reader). It is still, nevertheless, very important to continue reading to children as it enables them to access and experience texts that they may not necessarily choose themselves, for example, longer books that require high levels of concentration and stamina, those with complex sentences and a wider range of vocabulary etc. And, of course, reading to children can be a very pleasurable shared activity, whether it’s with brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents…
If your family can read in a language other than English, it’s just as good to read to your child in that language. Experience in listening to stories and rhymes is great in any language and children cope very well with two (or more) languages.
Independent readers will continue to require support while their comprehension and understanding of texts develops. This can be achieved through: talking about texts and asking questions; encouraging children to make connections between the text and their own experiences; see resources below for ideas on questions and discussion points. All of these help children to become effective readers.
As well as being an enjoyable shared activity, reading to children and listening to them read, can provide the motivation to further their own reading whilst also exposing them to a wide variety of genres and texts they may not necessarily choose on their own.
Whether a parent, carer, sibling or well-known personality, role models have the power to inspire children to read. If your child sees you (or other people they admire) enjoying a book, online text, magazine or comic, laughing at the characters, hearing you enthuse about the story and valuing books, they will be inspired and more inclined to do the same themselves.
With such a rich and varied choice of children’s literature available (and in a variety of formats) knowing which texts to choose might seem a daunting task.
Choice of reading material is, of course, a personal matter. Many adults like to read something light and undemanding: entertaining as opposed to a heavy novel or ‘classic’ that requires concentration. Children deserve to be offered the same opportunities for choice when deciding what to read so, when selecting books, let your child choose as well. Studies have shown that children develop greater motivation to read when they can choose their own reading matter. Whether from the school collection, your local library, a book shop, or a charity shop, take time together to look through, consider and choose books, or other materials, that they find inviting; and, most of all, interesting!
The National Curriculum states that children should read a range of texts across their primary, including; stories, poetry, myths, legends, plays, non-fiction and text books/reference books.
If you're wondering what to read at home with your children, check out these book lists:
Consider:
Asking your child questions whilst reading together will help them to gain a better understanding of the text, develop a broader range of vocabulary and enhance their creativity.
Parent Reading presentation KS1
Parent Reading presentation KS2
Talking and asking questions during and after reading is immensely valuable. Not only does discussion reveal a child’s understanding and interpretation of the text but it gives an opportunity to explain reasons and form opinions.
Whilst reading and sharing books, asking open questions such as ‘does that make you think of anything/anyone else?’ or ‘why do you think that character did/said that?’ allows a child to share their thoughts and develop a deeper understanding of the text.
Children always like to share their ‘favourite’: a picture, character, even a favourite page, particularly in information books. Encouraging them to expand on their choices develops their vocabulary and offers opportunities to make links to real-life experiences. Ask them why they like – or dislike – a particular character, section or page.
Try including discussion and questions about the author (and illustrator); ask your child if they would have used a different word at certain points of the text, or what they think the author meant by creating certain characters. When appropriate, try to link your topic of discussion with your child’s own life and experiences.
Asking a reader to predict what will happen later in the story opens up further opportunities for talk as well as giving valuable insights into the reasons behind their expectations.
Talking also facilitates an interest in words; collect new, tricky and interesting words in a notebook or use fridge magnets; challenge each other to use one of your newly-discovered words during the day.
Asking questions can reveal not only what children understand but what they have inferred from a text, for example how they have interpreted what the author has said. Recognising simple inferences can give an indication that a child is not only an effective reader but an efficient one too;
You may like to use a selection of the questions below when reading with your child:
Fiction
Non Fiction
Further reading
Below, are further lists of books that your child might like to read or you might like to read to your child. Each reading list has a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and poetry books. There are books belonging to many different genres: humour, adventure, fantasy, sports, myths and legends and books from favourite authors.
Years 1 and 2
Funny bones The Jolly Postman |
Allan Ahlberg |
A Bear Called Paddington |
Michael Bond |
Mister Magnolia |
Quentin Blake |
We're Going On a Bear Hunt |
Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury |
Where the Wild Things Are |
Maurice Sendak |
Amazing Grace |
Mary Hoffman |
The Cat in the Hat |
Dr Seuss |
Leon and the Place Between |
Angela McAllister, Grahame Baker-Smith |
Avocado Baby |
John Burningham |
The Little Red Hen |
Paul Galdone |
Katie Morag Series |
Mairi Hedderwick |
Charlie and Lola |
Lauren Child |
The Princess and the Pea |
Minnie Grey |
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch |
Ronda and David Armitage |
Three by the Sea |
Mini Grey |
T.Rex |
Vivian French and Alison Bartlett |
Friends |
Kim Lewis |
The Dunderheads |
Paul Fleischman |
Cat and Mouse Story |
Michael Rosen |
The Magic Finger |
Roald Dahl |
The Diary Of a Killer Cat |
Anne Fine |
How the World Works |
Christiane Dorion |
One Night in the Zoo |
Judith Kerr |
Pirate School: Just a Bit of Wind |
Jeremy Strong |
The First Encyclopaedia of Science The First Encyclopaedia of the Human Body |
Usborne Books
|
The Guard Dog Emily’s Legs |
Dick King-Smith |
The Frog Prince |
Sally Gardener |
Little Wolf’s Book of Badness |
Ian Whybrow |
The Lonely Beast |
Chris Judge |
Years 3 and 4
Flat Stanley |
Jeff Brown |
Alien tea on planet Zum-Zee |
Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees |
Bill’s New Frock |
Anne Fine |
Captain Underpants series |
Dav Pilkey |
Please Mrs Butler, Seriously Silly Series |
Allan Ahlberg |
Billy The Bird |
Dick King Smith |
The Dinosaurs Diary |
Julia Donaldson |
Tongue Twisters and Tonsil Twizzlers |
Paul Cookson |
Rescuing Dad, How to Train Your Parents, My Friend’s a Werewolf |
Pete Johnson |
The Big Match / Time Rangers series |
Rob Childs |
Charlottes Web |
EB White |
Horrid Henry series |
Francesca Simon |
Ms Wiz series |
Terence Blackman |
Explode |
Jeremy Strong |
Robin Hood |
Marcia Williams |
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark |
Jill Tomlinson |
The Iron Man |
Ted Hughes |
Stig of the Dump |
Clive King |
Revolting Rhymes |
Roald Dahl |
The Hundred-mile-an-hour Dog |
Jeremy Strong |
Just William |
Richmal Crompton |
The Demon Headmaster |
Gillian Cross |
The Worst Witch |
Jill Murphy, Julia Eccleshare |
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
Lewis Carroll, Philip Pullman |
George’s Marvellous Medicine, The Twits |
Roald Dahl |
Orchard Book of Aesop’s Fables |
|
Mouse Noses on Toast |
Daren King |
The Sheep-pig |
Dick King-Smith |
Why is Snot Green? |
The Science Museum Question and Answer Book Glenn Murphy |
The Butterfly Lion |
Michael Morpurgo |
Years 5 and 6
Tudor Terror |
Terry Deary |
Malory Towers |
Enid Blyton |
The Invisible Detective series |
Justin Richards |
Dragon books |
Cressida Cowell |
Goosebumps |
R. L. Stine |
A Time of Fire |
Robert Westall |
Angel for May |
Melvin Burgess |
Flour Babies |
Anne Fine |
Horrible History |
Horrible Geography series |
Matilda, BFG, Danny the Champion of the World, Boy, Witches |
Roald Dahl |
Goodnight Mr Tom |
Michelle Magorian |
Dragon Rider |
Cornelia Funke |
Thief! |
Malorie Blackman |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (The last straw) |
Jeff Kinney |
The Jungle Book |
Rudyard Kipling |
Tracy Beaker, Best Friends, Secrets, Midnight |
Jacqueline Wilson |
A Christmas Carol |
Charles Dickens |
The Borrowers |
Mary Norton |
Peter Pan |
JM Barry |
Skellig |
David Almond |
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase |
Joan Aiken |
The Runaways |
Ruth Thomas |
Stormbreaker |
Anthony Horowitz |
Harry Potter |
J. K. Rowling |
Superfudge |
Judy Blume |
The Indian in the Cupboard |
Lynne Read Banks |
Super Soccer Boy |
Judy Brown |
Friend or Foe, Mr Nobody’s Eyes |
Michael Morpurgo |
Ballet Shoes |
Noel Streatfield |
Narnia |
C. S. Lewis |
Enter text...
Online Texts
Although you can't beat the feel of a good book there are now a huge wealth of online reading resources that your child may wish to access/ find engaging as an alternative.
Help your child’s reading by visiting Oxford Owl which has 250 e-books for you to share with your child: http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading-owl/reading
For phrases you might hear your child's teacher mention.
Alphabetic code
The code shows us the relationship between the sounds of our speech and the written letter(s) of the alphabet and how these are used to match those sounds.
Baseline Test
Many school already carry out a short test on entry to Reception, but it is compulsory from September 2016. Children are tested in the core areas of literacy and numeracy so that they can be supported to reach their goals by the end of the year. The test information will be used alongside a wide range of other activities such as home visits, observations of children and reports to create a helpful and accurate picture of your child’s potential and progress in terms of ‘expected’, ‘emerging’ or ‘exceeding’.
'Buddy' reading
Children read in pairs. The buddy is often an older child.
Blending
To say the individual sounds that make up a word and blend them together to hear the whole word for reading e.g. s-a-t becomes sat. We say you blend to read and segment (see below) to spell.
Book Bands
A system of grouping books in bands of colour to represent different levels of reading difficulty.
Catch Up
It is often used as a term for an intervention programme but it is also a not-for-profit organisation that provides training techniques to support teachers to help children identified as underachieving.
Comprehension
The understanding of a text; at its simplest this may be an understanding of what the text makes explicit (e.g. the story is about a pumpkin) and at its most sophisticated, it is an understanding of what lies beneath a text (e.g. the authors' experience, historical context, themes and so on) which is often referred to as the deeper levels of meaning, inferential comprehension or higher order reading skills.
Decodable (books)
Books which have been specifically written, using a cumulative structured introduction of phonics, so that children can practise their developing reading skills.
Decoding
To read a word by saying the sounds then joining, or blending, those sounds together to form the word.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills. For further information visit www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
EYFS
The Early Years Foundation Stage sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old.
Flashcards
Cards to use in games to help children practise recognizing, at speed, a letter, group of letters, words and/or pictures.
Group reading
Similar to guided reading, but children take it in turns to read aloud from the same book whilst the teacher listens and supports.
GPS
An abbreviation often used in schools for grammar, punctuation and spelling. Also sometimes referred to as SPAG.
Guided reading
About 6 children, grouped by reading ability, read aloud from the same book at the same time whilst the teacher listens in and draws out teaching points. At junior levels children may read a book, or part of it, away from the session and then focus on particular aspects of understanding.
High frequency words
These are the words that occur most commonly in the English language. Some are 'decodable' like much (see above) whilst others are 'tricky' like the (see below).
Home books
Reading books sent home from school for your child to read. These may be from a reading series so your child can practise early reading skills or from the library so you can share and discuss.
Individual reading
Reading 1:1 or alone as it suggests.
Information books
Books that contain facts or information including reference books such as dictionaries, atlases and encyclopaedias.
Levelled books
Books from a reading series that have been written in levels of difficulty to enable a child to take small but steady steps to reading success. As children's skills increase so children read more and the need for such control lessens.
Mnemonics
Memory joggers such as a rhyme, a phrase or a shape. For example, seeing a dinosaur in the shape of a letter d to help your child to associate the dinosaur with the letter and sound d.
Non-fiction
A broad category of texts that includes anything that isn't story (information books, reference materials, newspapers, biography, Wikipedia etc.).
OFSTED
The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills and is the organisation appointed by the government to inspect schools in England.
Phonic book(s)
see decodable books.
Phonics
A method of teaching children to read and write the English Language. It teaches children that the sounds of English are represented by letters or groups of letters (see also synthetic phonics).
Phonemes
The smallest unit of sounds in a word represented by letters or groups of letters.
Picture book(s)
Books in which the pictures play a major part in the story and the text is not levelled by difficulty e.g. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Picture books are not necessarily just for the very young and they can support the understanding of quite complex ideas e.g. Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing.
Quiet reading
Children read by themselves for a short time.
Reading age
This is an average reading level we would usually 'expect' for a child of any specified age. It is only a guide.
Read at Home/Take Home
The books that the children bring home to practise reading with you.
Reading fluency
When children are reading easily with confidence and intonation and at pace.
Reading Recovery
Reading Recovery is a short-term teaching programme of one-to-one tutoring for children identified as underachieving at 7 years of age.
Reading stamina
A child's ability to read substantial and often more challenging books for a longer period of time or in one sitting.
Segmenting
To write or spell a word by listening for the sounds in the word and deciding which letters represent those sounds. We say you blend to read and segment to spell.
Shared reading
A teacher reads and discusses a text with the whole class, demonstrating how to be a good reader.
Sight words
Words you need to learn by sight because they cannot be easily sounded out. (see also Tricky words).
Sounding out
To say the individual sounds that make up a word (sometimes also called Fred Talk or Robot Talk).
Special Needs
A term used to cover a wide range of needs that may need additional support whether a child is falling behind or far exceeding normal expectations. Also sometimes referred to as SEN (special educational needs).
Story time
The teacher reads a story aloud to the whole class.
Synthesising sounds
Blending or merging the sounds in a word together in speech so you can read the word.
Synthetic phonics
Synthetic Phonics is a way of teaching reading. Children are taught to read letters or groups of letters by saying the sound(s) they represent – so, they are taught that the letter m sounds like mmmm ... when we say it. Children can then start to read words by blending (synthesising) the sounds together to make a word.