Reading
Expectations
I would like to begin with a quote from The International Reading Association
(Moore et al., 1999, p. 3):
‘Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century, will read and write more than at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives. They will need literacy to cope with the flood of information they will find everywhere they turn. They will need literacy to feed their imaginations, so they can create the world of the future. In a complex and sometimes even dangerous world, their ability to read can be crucial.’
Here at Edgar Stammers Primary Academy, we want to encourage your child to foster a life-long love of reading; not just as a necessity, but for enjoyment too. As well as reading in class with the teacher, we expect your child to read at home. As a school, we believe that ALL children should read at least three times a week.
As of the week beginning 10th September, we shall be expecting your child to read at home. Your child will have a book-banded book from their class teacher, or they may be a ‘free reader’.
As well as reading their school books, it would be fantastic if they can add to their reading by:
-
Reading a library book
-
Reading one of their own books
-
Reading leaflets from days out/holidays
-
Reading maps
-
Reading cookery books
-
Reading on an Ipad, Kindle, laptop, etc
-
Reading shopping lists, cereal boxes, food ingredients
-
Any other reading material they have/you can think of
What do you need to do?
-
Read with your child AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK, even if it’s just one page, paragraph, etc.
-
Try to aim for at least 10 minutes.
-
Give details, in their reading diary, of what they have read (no matter what they’ve read), and either make a comment or initial to show you’ve listened to them.
-
Return your child’s reading diary to school EVERY day.
What does your child need to do?
-
Read AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK.
-
Hand their reading diary in EVERY day, and tick their name off the class list to indicate that they’ve read (reading diary must have parent’s initials).
-
Change their home reading book on the days their teacher has told them to.
-
Read other material – not just school books.
What will class teachers/support staff do?
-
We will read aloud to our class, EVERY day.
-
We will discuss books and authors we are familiar with, but also expose them to ones they might not have discovered otherwise.
-
We shall provide your child with plenty of opportunities to read for pleasure, and will make sure they know how to select books from our school library.
-
We will set time aside to recommend books, by discussing them and writing book reviews.
-
We will make sure your child knows which days to change their home reading book and will remind them to do so.
-
We will remind them to tick the class list if they’ve read at home, and their diary has been signed.
-
We will check and sign their reading diaries every week.
NOW FOR THE REWARDS!
Every Friday, the children who read at least three times that week will receive a sticker on their bookmark. Once they have filled up the Bronze section with stickers, they will be rewarded with a certficate and a small prize. They will then move onto Silver, follwed by Gold. Once their bookmark is complete, an exciting prize will be heading their way!
The prizes are:
-
A cookery session
-
A film night
-
Double golden time
-
Picnic
-
Visit to local park
Also, the names of children that have read at least three times a week will be entered into a prize draw at the end of every half term. Last half term one of the children won a Kindle!
One final note
We hope you will continue to support your child, and us, at this crucial time in their lives. With the requirements in the National Curriculum being raised much higher than they’ve ever been, learning to read and reading for life has never been so important.
We are very much looking forward to the ‘buzz of excitement’ this will now create for reading, as well as a little healthy competition between classes!