Reading With Your Child
At Princes Hill Primary, we believe in the importance
of fostering a love of reading. All children are encouraged to read regularly
at home. Children at the school can borrow books from the library where library
books and take home books are stored.
Library Books
Library books may be borrowed from the school library
during class library sessions, before and after school on most days and during
some lunch times. Children choose their own books from the library collection
and these may be borrowed for up to two weeks.
Take home books
The Junior School take home books are located in
the library where the school’s book collection is housed. The Junior School
books are grouped by reading ability. Coloured dots stuck to the back of books
denote what level of reading experience a child might need to be able to read
them easily.
Blue is for those
students at the very first stages of reading who are happy to have a go but
generally need help making sense of the text.
Green means you have
some understanding of the meaning of the text, the sight vocabulary and some
knowledge of sounds and letters.
Orange means you are developing as a reader and whilst
you cannot read everything you are starting to understand what strategies to
use when you come across something unfamiliar in the text.
Yellow means you are
very fluent but you are still refining some of your reading strategies.
Red means you are
an independent reader who requires little if any help
understanding the text.
Selecting your book
It is important that children choose their own
books.
1.
It is well established that children who have choice
over their learning do better at it than those who have no choice.
2.
Having control over decisions gives children a sense
of self determination which can alleviate stress and promote a feeling of
competence.
3.
If we want children to take responsibility for their
own learning we need to give them opportunities to do exactly that.
However children
may at times need support from teachers and parents and we understand that for
the sake of sanity and time, sometimes you may need to grab books on behalf of
your children.
Getting the books
Every library and take home
book needs to be scanned when
it is borrowed and scanned when it is returned. This is so we can keep track of
where books are at any given time. The computers for scanning are located
inside the front door of the library, and are designated for either Borrowing
(closer to the wall) or Returning (closer to the door). The computer for
Returns has a tub beside it so that parents and children can drop off their
returned books, and have them scanned later in the day.
Scanners are attached to both computers and they
are used to scan the slim rectangular Princes Hill Barcode, which may be
located in the top corner of the back cover, or perhaps on the inside of the
front cover.
Borrowing
Enter the first two or three letters of the child’s
first name or family name in the space provided and press enter. This will give
you a choice of a number of students. Select your child and press Enter. The
machine will then show you what your child has currently borrowed, the date of
borrowing and the due date. You can then scan in the new titles.
Returns
On the Returns computer screen, scan the Princes
Hill Barcode and you will see your child’s name and the details of the book
appear.
Be aware that sometimes what you have
returned will have not immediately disappeared from your child’s record on the
borrowing screen – the technology sometimes takes a while to catch up.
Don’t worry, just continue. Sometimes it will ask for a password which Leigh
can enter for you.
.
Now that you have a book…
The prime purpose of reading at home is for your child
to enjoy fiction and nonfiction texts with a significant person in their life,
whilst developing their own reading skills. We hope that reading together will be a
special and regular part of your family time. The following are some suggestions to make
your reading time pleasurable and rewarding.
Talk about the book
If it seems appropriate, talk about the book a little
before you start reading.
You could ask “What do you think this book will be
about?” or say “Let’s look at the pictures before we start”.
Start to read
You could read the book -
•To your child
•Together, page by page
•In turns
•Leaving out “key words” for your child to read
•Or your child could read to you.
Remembering that is important not to spoil a good
story so it is always best to read a book from beginning to end
before you use it to ‘teach’ reading skills or explore the meaning of the text.
Making mistakes
Because reading is about making meaning from print
some mistakes don’t have to be corrected. If your child makes a mistake and it
makes sense, allow your child to continue.
If your child makes a mistake which doesn’t make
sense:
•Wait and allow your child to read to the end of the
sentence.
•Ask “does that make sense?” Encourage your child to
re-read the whole
sentence.
•Encourage self-correction but if necessary tell your
child the word to keep the meaning and the story flow.
Getting stuck
If your child gets “stuck” on a word wait and give
your child a chance to work it out. Then try one or two of these supports:
·
Use the meaning of the sentence or story to encourage
your child to “predict” what the word might be.
·
Perhaps the story relates to an experience you child
has had so talking about that might prompt some insight into what the word
might be.
·
Ask, “What word would make sense here?”
·
Encourage the re-reading of the sentence to put in a
word which makes sense. (Several words might make sense and this could lead to
a discussion about how many words have similar meanings).
·
Point out familiar groups of letters or sounds which might
help your child work out the word by sounding it out. Have you heard or seen
the word before?
·
Finally, it’s
okay to tell your child the word.
The value of familiar reading
If your child selects books which have been borrowed
before or which you think are too “easy” for your child, remember:
·
Children build up their confidence by re-reading
familiar books.
·
Rereading the story can help build on what they
already know about language, plot, and character.
·
Home reading is designed to offer practise and
enjoyment over challenge and “teaching” new skills.
If the book seems a little hard
It may be that:
·
Your child is tired or
·
Your child has been a little over-ambitious in his or
her choice of book. (Sometimes children select more difficult books because the
content appeals to them or they want the challenge).
If so, reading together or reading to your child may
be required.
The Reader’s Notebook
All children are given a Reader’s Notebook book at the
start of the year. This is designed to allow you and your child’s teachers to track
regular reading at home. It also allows for comments from parents about their
child’s reading and allows children to provide insights and reflections. They
could:
·
Draw a picture of something that happened in the book.
·
Copy the title or write something they liked about the
book.
·
Respond to the book in some way for example, a book
about cooking might inspire them to make a cake.
Remember
Children learn to read by reading and by being read to.
·
Read with and to your child often
·
Read a wide range of material
·
Enjoy reading together.
·
Offer lots of encouragement.
·
Be patient and positive.
·
Let them choose what they read
And
most importantly of all have fun!
