At Alderman Cogan’s CE Primary Academy, we want our children to be the best that they can be. We want to give them the best possible chances in life and one important way we can do this is to encourage every child to be a reader.
Read Write Inc.
We are excited to be part of a nationally funded Read Write Inc. project, one of only 60 schools in the country. Read Write Inc. has a long history of proven success and we have seen the positive impact on our children’s confidence to read from day one.
Read Write Inc. is more than phonics, it is integrated comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling vocabulary and handwriting.There is role-play and drama with every child participating in the lesson. Story time and poetry time develop the children’s knowledge of traditional tales and a wide range of poetry. The simple assessment, clear tracking and straightforward grouping ensures that every child learns rapidly at the right level.
Please click on the links below to answer any Read Write Inc. questions.
HOW WILL MY CHILD BE TAUGHT TO READ?We start by teaching phonics to the children in Foundation Stage 2. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well. We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters. Ask them to show you what these are. The children also practise reading (and spelling) what we call ‘tricky words’ (red words), such as ‘once,’ ‘have,’ ‘said’ and ‘where’. The children practise their reading with books that match the phonics and the ‘tricky words’ they know. They start thinking that they can read and this does wonders for their confidence. The teachers read to the children, too, so the children get to know all sorts of stories, poetry and information books. They learn many more words this way and it also helps their writing.
HOW WILL I KNOW HOW WELL MY CHILD IS DOING?We will always let you know how well your child is doing. We use various ways to find out how the children are getting on in reading. We use the information to decide what reading group they should be in. Your child will work with children who are at the same reading level as him or her. Children will move to a different group if they are making faster progress than the others. Your child will have one-to-one support if we think he or she needs some extra help to keep up. We also use a reading test so that we can make sure that all our children are at the level that they should be for their age compared to all the children across the country. In the summer term, the government asks us to do a phonics check of all the Year 1 children. That gives us extra information about their progress. We will talk to you about how well your child has done, and especially if we have any worries at all.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO LEARN TO READ WELL?By the end of Year 2, your child should be able to read aloud books that are at the right level for his or her age. In Year 3 we concentrate more on helping children to understand what they are reading, although this work begins very early on. This happens when the teacher reads to the children and also when the children read their own story book.
HOW DO I KNOW THE TEACHING WILL BE GOOD?All of the staff have been trained to teach reading in the way we do it in this school. We believe that it is very important that all the teachers and teaching assistants work in the same way. Senior teachers watch other teachers teaching to make sure that the children are learning in the way we want them to learn. If you are worried about the teaching or you have any questions, please come to school and talk to us.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?You will be invited to a meeting so that we can explain how we teach reading. Please come and support your child. We would very much like you to know how to help. Your child will bring different sorts of books home from school. It helps if you know whether this is a book that your child can read on their own or whether this is a book that you should read to them. The teacher will have explained which is which. Please trust your child’s teacher to choose the book(s) that will help your child the most. Help your child to sound out the letters in words and then to ‘push’ the sounds together to make a whole word. Try not to refer to the letters by their names. Help your child to focus on the sounds. You can hear how to say the sounds correctly at this link: http://www.ruthmiskintraining.com/teacher-support/61/index.html Sometimes your child might bring home a picture book that they know well. Please don’t say, ‘This is too easy.’ Instead, encourage your child to tell you the story out loud; ask them questions about things that happen or what they think about some of the characters in the story. We know parents and carers are very busy people. But if you can find time to read to your child as much as possible, it helps him or her to learn about books and stories. They also learn new words and what they mean. Show that you are interested in reading yourself and talk about reading as a family. You can find out about good stories to read to your child here: https://www.facebook.com/miskin.education
DOES IT MATTER IF MY CHILD MISSES A LESSON OR TWO?It matters a lot if your child misses school. The way we teach children to read is very well organised, so even one missed lesson means that your child has not learnt something that they need to know to be a good reader.
WHAT IF HE/SHE FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO LEARN TO READ?We want children to learn to read, however long it takes us to teach them. We will find out very quickly if your child is finding reading difficult. First we move children to a different group, so that we can make sure that they have learnt what they need to know. If they still struggle we give them extra time with an adult, on their own. These adults are specially trained to support these children. Your child will still be in the same group with the other children and won’t miss out on any of the class lessons. If we have any serious worries about your child’s reading, we will talk to you about this. Some children take a bit longer to learn to put sounds together to read a word, e.g. c-a-t to make the word ‘cat’. At our meeting, we will explain how you can help your child to do this.
WHAT IF MY CHILD IS DYSLEXIC?The way we teach reading is especially helpful for children who might be dyslexic. This is because we use a very well-organised programme that has a strong focus on phonics. This is very important for children who find learning to read difficult. If you are worried about your child, please come and talk to us.
MY CHILD HAS DIFFICULTY PRONOUNCING SOME WORDSThis isn’t a problem for learning to read as long as we know what sound the child is trying to say. This is not something to worry about. Many children have a few sounds that they can hear clearly but find it difficult to say, particularly the l-sound, r-sound, w-sound, th-sound, s-sound, sh-sound and j-sound. Often they say a t-sound for the c-sound; "tttssh" for the s-sound; "w" for the r-sound and "r" for the l-sound. You can help your child by encouraging him or her to look at your mouth when you say the sound. Whatever you do, do not make your child feel a failure. They can easily learn to read, even if they find one or two sounds difficult to say. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns. We are here to help.
Please follow this link for videos to help you support your child at home: http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/
Read Write Inc. Fresh Start is a phonics intervention that gets the struggling readers and writers at the expected level for secondary school.
- It gets children reading and writing fluently in 33 lessons.
- It uses rigorous assessment so every child is taught at the right level.
- It engages older children with age-appropriate comic strips, quizzes, amusing stories and edgy non-fiction texts.
- It uses simple and effective spelling strategies to increase confidence when writing.
- In our school we have two small Fresh Start groups working for an hour every day.
READING BUDDIESReading Buddies is a program in which two children read together. In our school Year 5 children read with Year 3 children twice a week. A Reading Buddies program can help model good reading. As with any skill, reading needs to be practiced on a regular basis and with this practice, as well as modelling, children can improve their skills. A reading buddies program allows older pupils the opportunity to develop fluency as well as a sense of pride in their accomplishments. It can not only promote good practices but raise self-esteem. In addition, they often come to see the value of reading. Repeatedly reading easier books has been shown to improve reading abilities in poor readers, and this program provides children with a reason to read easier books. Reading to younger pupils can help children develop a love of reading and a greater motivation to read. Younger pupils should also read to their older buddies each week, as this allows younger readers to feel a sense of accomplishment while they build fluency. Because the program provides success in literacy, children often become more positive about their ability to read and may also improve their reading skills. Ideally, buddy visits will be ongoing, and older and younger pupils will become familiar with one another and nurture a mutual interest in reading. The reading buddy session lasts for about 15 min. It consists of a phonics game, sharing and discussing a book and a short activity. Reading buddies are carefully paired and they work together for a full term. At the end of the term they celebrate their achievements and Big Buddies hand their Little Buddies a certificate during worship.
INFERENCE GROUPSInference training is a group intervention for pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 who are able to decode but struggle to get full meaning and enjoyment from their reading. Children who struggle with comprehension may:
- focus on individual words/sentences
- attach most importance to decoding each word
- read without taking all the meaning in
- not always expect that the text they read should make sense and don’t know how to check understanding as they go along
- read fewer books and don’t always understand story structure
- not use what they already know or have seen to help them understand
- have a less efficient working memory
- know that understanding is the goal of reading
- use background knowledge, experiences and working memory as they read
- make inferences to get the gist of the text
- have high expectations of the text making sense
- make predictions, ask their own questions and watch out for “answers” as they read
- can picture what is happening in the story when appropriate
- monitor meaning, as they read and notice when the meaning is lost and use strategies to make the test make sense again
- read frequently and enjoy reading
- think about what they already know, apply it to their reading and use title cues to predict
- identify key words and elaborate on them to enhance meaning, and develop vocabulary
- generate their own questions and answer them
- generate inferences and build meaning into the text as they read to build a gist
- summarise a short text extract by picturing the scene or event, using quick pictures, picto-words and a 10 word or less headline
- retell an extract to emphasise the gist
READATHONReadathon does something amazing! We get children reading for fun through our sponsored read in schools. The money raised provides children's hospitals with regular storyteller visits, plus a mobile bookcase jam-packed full of brand-new books, which are replenished every six weeks. Our school took part in Readathon for the first time in 2016. It was a great success and we raised £1219.69! Our school received book vouchers worth 20% of the money raised and they have been used to buy some new book for our school library, e.g. the series of “How to Train Your Dragon”. Thank you very much for your support!
READING IN SCHOOLWe use lots of different names for different types of reading within school – here is a jargon buster to help you understand what your child tells you about reading in school. Guided Reading – Your child will read or complete reading activities on a daily basis. The class teacher will place your child in a group with children working at the same level as them and focus on the next steps in the group’s learning. For at least one of these sessions per week the group will work with the class teacher. During the other sessions your child will be given the chance to work on these objectives independently. In Key Stage 2 the emphasis is on comprehension. If you would like to know more about what your child is learning please speak to their class teacher. Shared Reading – This involves sharing the reading between the class teacher and the pupils. The texts chosen are slightly above the level at which the child can read alone, which is where the sharing comes in. By reading together in this way, teachers can model reading with expression and children can work together on their comprehension and their de-coding. Parts of the text are often re-visited to get the most of the writing. Paired Reading – In some classes, children share a book with their reading partner at a specific time in the day. The emphasis here is on reading for pleasure. Reading Buddies – Younger children are paired up with older children, at least once a week, to read their home reading book. Home Reading – This is the reading that your child does outside of school. Your child will bring home a book which is a reading level below their guided reading book (unless it is a book they have been reading in Reading Recovery). They can read this book or any other book/article/website at the correct level for them. For more details about home reading, please look at your child’s reading journal. Book Fair – The book fair arrives at school at least twice within the academic year and is, in effect, a travelling book shop. Pupils have an opportunity during the school day to look at the books on offer with the rest of their class before the book fair begins. They also bring home a catalogue which shows the books that will be available at the book fair. News of forthcoming book fairs will be in your green newsletter. Library – Children have the opportunity to take out a book from the school library every week during their library time. Children can keep a book for more than one week but will need to return it before taking out another book. Children can also borrow DVD’s from our digital library.
OUR SCHOOL LIBRARYWe are fortunate to have a multi-purpose library with lots of fascinating books in it. There is space to sit both in a comfy area with cushions and at a table. There are fiction and non-fiction books, some even in other languages. We also have DVD’s and audiobooks. Children have the opportunity to take a library book home every week if they wish, either to read independently or to have read to them. Children need to return a book before they can take out another but can keep a book for a number of weeks if they are enjoying it. Pupils on the upstairs corridors also use the library for group reading and other work throughout the week. We love to keep our book stock as interesting and appealing as possible. If your child has any books which they have enjoyed but outgrown and they are in a very good condition, why not think about donating them to the school library? The library day for Key Stage 2 is on a Tuesday, during lunchtime. Six children from Year 5 are library monitors. Don’t forget! If there are any books you cannot see in the library that you would like to read, please let Miss Chapman or Mrs Devaney know. We cannot promise to get a copy for the library but we will look into it.
TIPS FOR READING TO YOUR CHILDReading to your child does not have to mean reading a book – it could be an article from one of their magazines, or a newspaper with older children. Likewise, telling your child stories does not mean that you need to have a book in front of you – made-up stories can be just as much fun! To involve your child in the story, you could even get them to tell you 3 objects they want to be mentioned in the tale. They can then have fun trying to spot where they come into the story. Below are some videoclips with tips on reading to your child. Follow the links to find out more. Bedtime stories – Michael Rosen (We’re going on a bear hunt): http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/michael-rosen-tips-reading-bedtime-stories The British Council shows examples of how to read with your child: http://www.britishcouncil.org.sg/en/features/reading-your-children Reading to your child by reading specialist Anne Glass: http://www.howcast.com/videos/460482-How-to-Read-with-Your-Child Also, check out these pages from the Reading Recovery website for children aged 3-7: http://readingrecovery.ioe.ac.uk/advice/27.html If you have any questions about reading to your child, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Chapman. Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any content posted on external sites. Please make sure an adult is always present when your child is on the internet.
TIPS FOR LISTENING TO YOUR CHILD READEvery day your child will bring a Home Reader home from school. This is a book that is at the correct level for them to enjoy and practise the skills they have been learning in class. Please do not feel that this is the only text your child should read, though – they can read other books, magazines, newspaper articles, websites (with adult supervision), and anything else that is available and appropriate. The most important point is that they read and enjoy it. It is really important to listen to your child read as regularly as possible, no matter what their level of reading is. It is also important to ask them 2-3 comprehension questions at the end of their reading, too, to make sure that they understand what they are reading and to help them to develop their comprehension skills. If you have any questions about listening to your child read, please speak to Mrs Chapman.
WALKING THROUGH A BOOKWhen children pick up a book, it is important that they know what the main ideas are before they attempt to read it – just like we, as adults, suss out a book before we decide to read it by reading the blurb (information on the back of the book), looking at the front cover and maybe having a quick look at the way the pages are laid out inside. With younger children, walking through a new book would consist of:
- telling them what the title of the book is
- identifying the names of the main characters (pointing to the characters in the pictures and finding the names in the text so that they are not thrown when they come across these words)
- discussing what is happening in the pictures
- working on 2-3 words together that may be hard for your child but that, with help, they can work out
- picking out 1-2 phrases to practise reading with expression – model the phrase yourself first using your story voice and then get your child to practise
VOLUNTEER ADULT READERSWouldn’t it be great if we could listen to every child read every day of the week – both at home and at school? We are fortunate to have a number of dedicated volunteers who listen to children read on a weekly basis but would love to have more in order to get closer to our goal. If you feel you could dedicate anything from one hour, one afternoon or one morning per week to help us with this task, please contact Mrs Chapman or Mrs Kirlew. All adults who volunteer and work in our school have received enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) who prevent unsuitable people from working with children.
YOUR LOCAL LIBRARYGoing to the library can be a fun and free way to spend quality family time together. Why not get in to the habit of going together regularly and choosing lots of books to read as bedtime stories as well as on your own? Our nearest library is in the Freedom Centre on Preston Road. Follow the link below to find out about this and other libraries in our area and their opening times. http://www.hullcc.gov.uk Did you know…? You can also use the internet for free for up to an hour a day at all Hull libraries! Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any content posted on external sites. Please make sure an adult is always present when your child is on the internet.
Any Questions or Suggestions?
Mrs Chapman can be contacted via the school office. Alternatively, you can email her at firstname.lastname@example.org
Mrs Chapman will contact you as soon as possible.
Links to Other Websites
We are not responsible for any content posted on external sites. Please make sure an adult is always present when your child is on the Internet.