Reading Advice for Parents

Reading is at the core of our curriculum at Newcroft. Being able to read unlocks the curriculum and the world beyond school for our children, and we firmly believe working together in partnership with parents is fundamental to developing children's reading ability and enjoyment for reading.

Reading is divided into 2 key areas; word recognition (the ability to read words fluently) and word comprehension (understanding of the words that are read in isolation or in context). Both of these elements are what we teach at Newcroft. Find out more about how we teach reading and early reading and Phonics here. 

Supporting readers of all ages

Listening to your child read and reading to them is extremely important, as is asking high quality questions about what they are reading, as this is where their understanding is developed. As children get older, towards the end of their primary stage, many read to themselves but it is just as important to hear them read or to hear an adult read/ 

You will find key questions, appropriate to your child's age, in the front of their home school diary. Do use these to support you in asking high quality questions, which can be challenging on the spot, with a text you have never read before you sit down to read!

• Build enthusiasm about the text by asking your child to predict what might happen in the story or what might the text be about. Discuss what appears on the front cover. Do they know the text type? Can they tell you the author/writer/poet? Encourage them to read the blurb to find clues.
• Ask your child to read aloud and encourage them to use expression when a character is speaking and change the tone of their voice. Model this for your child.
• If your child comes to a word they are finding tricky to read, break the word down for them by hiding some of the sounds and slowly revealing them to the child so they can segment the word and then blend it together.
• Always encourage your child to use a dictionary or an online resource to find the meaning of new words they read to extend their understanding of vocabulary.
• After reading with your child ask them if they enjoyed the book and why. What did they like/dislike? When discussing the book could they refer to any experiences in their own life that related to the text.