Reading at Lane End 

 

We aim to encourage a lifelong love of books and reading.

 At Lane End Primary School we believe that parents have a very important part to play in helping their child to read.

This section of the website is to briefly explain how we promote the teaching of reading at Lane End. We believe that reading is an enjoyable and enriching activity and we have resourced the school well in order to support children’s learning of reading and love of books. We want to work in partnership with you to give your child the best possible start to reading.

Even before they start to read themselves, sharing a book with your child is an invaluable way of showing that books are there to be enjoyed, as well as building your child’s vocabulary and sense of security and it should be done every day. You are modelling the reading process and teaching them the foundations of a love of books which we hope will be with them for life.

Once your child begins to learn to read, you should read with them and hear them read, but also continue to devote some time to reading to them so that they can experience a wide range of books and share that precious time with you.

 

Colour Bands

The school operates a scheme where each book is assessed for its level of difficulty and colour banded accordingly. We use the National Curriculum colour bands and have books from a wide range of reading schemes including: Oxford Reading Tree, Songbirds, Collins Big Cat, The Book Project, Fireflies and Project X.

Each colour band contains a wide range of reading materials containing fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays from these recommended reading schemes to give the children added breadth to their reading.

These books will vary in a number of ways, including layout, size, vocabulary and length, to give the children a rich diet of literature.

The difference between each colour band is very gradual, so that children do not experience great difficulty moving up through the scheme.

We also have a large range of good quality fiction and non-fiction books for the children to choose from in our school library. The library book is each child's own  choice and the children can log these in and out of the library with the use of our library computer and the Junior Librarian software. We have teaching assistants and volunteers who assist with the library and we also take trips to Cheadle Hulme Library so that children have a full understanding of how a library works.

Children take home a reading scheme book and a library book.  Reading scheme books are changed three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We ask that parents/carers sign-off in their child's reading diary that they have heard their child read before we change the book. Library books are changed once a week or more often for children who have progressed through the colour bands to 'free reader'.

 

Support from School and Home

When the Reception Class teacher feels your child is ready she will send home a colour banded book for you to share with them at home. It is important that you enjoy the book together - discuss the book with your child, asking questions as you go, as well as listen to them read.

The books will come home in a named plastic wallet and your child will have their own individual reading record book for you to sign and add any relevant comments. In addition the school will hear your child read and keep individual reading records for your child. The books will be changed every two days or when the child has finished the book with an adult in school.

It is important to remember that every child is individual and will progress through the colour bands at different rates. If any child experiences difficulties this will be discussed with you and future strategies planned to help overcome any problems. There are a number of extra resources available in school to help with any problems.

 

Synthetic Phonics

At Lane End Primary School, we use synthetic phonics to help teach the children to read and spell. Synthetic phonics is about how we break up and blend sounds in order to read and spell, for example: c – a – t, blended to together reads cat, or th – i – n, blended together reads thin.

The use of synthetic phonics goes alongside looking at whole quality texts which promote the enjoyment of reading.

The Reception Class teacher will hold a reading meeting in the first half term to discuss the teaching of reading and our approach to synthetic phonics in more detail and answer any questions you may have. (Link to Our Approach to Phonics)

 

A Word of Warning

You will be doing your child no favours if you rush them through books. It is not a race. Children learn at different rates just as they learn to walk, dress themselves etc. at different rates. Reading must not be treated as a competition. If children are rushed through the books they will not achieve the enjoyment and understanding necessary - take the time to talk to your child about what they are reading and ask them questions to help develop their understanding.

 

Comments to Put in the Reading Records

1. Comment on enjoyment or otherwise.

2. Anything that made you laugh.

3. Why you liked it.

4. Any problems you encountered.

5. Anything new that you have noticed about your child's reading.

Just a few words will do. Your child might like to draw a happy face/sad face. Later on in school, children who are a bit older, write a little bit about the book themselves.

 

Things to Remember

 1. Do hear your child read every day.

2. Little and often is more beneficial than a long session once a week.

3. Think about how long you are reading for - the amount of reading time shouldn’t exceed your child’s span of attention.

4. Pick your timing carefully - it’s best not to embark on a reading session when your child is tired.

5. Every child is an individual - try not to compare your child’s progress with other children or with brothers and sisters.

“Parents can instil a love of reading long before a child goes to school and deepen that love of reading as the child grows up.”

 Enjoy reading with your child and help them become lifelong readers.

Click here to link to our recommended reading lists for each year group

 

 

Encouraging older children to read

As children get older, there's no need to stop enjoying sharing books and reading together.

Research has shown that children who enjoy reading and spend more time reading for pleasure have better reading and writing skills, a broader vocabulary, and an increased general knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

 

But with so many other activities competing for children’s time as they get older, how can you continue to encourage your child to read for pleasure? Here are some tips for encouraging reading in your home with older children:

  • Ensure that your children see you reading. It doesn't matter if it's the newspaper, a cookery book, romantic novel, detective mystery, short stories, computer manual, magazine - anything!
  • Encourage children to join in - ask a child to read out a recipe for you as you cook, or the TV listings when you are watching TV
  • Give books or book tokens as presents, and encourage others to do so
  • Visit the local library together on a regular basis, and enjoy spending time choosing new books
  • Encourage children to carry a book at all times so they can read on journeys or in spare moments – you can do this, too!
  • Keep reading together. There are lots of books that both adults and young people can enjoy. Try The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the Harry Potter series, or The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Read books you can all talk about but make the talk light-hearted, not testing or over-questioning.
  • Go to libraries or bookshops when authors are visiting. Children and teenagers love meeting their favourite writers - Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Horowitz always have signing queues that are miles long!
  • Make sure your home is a reading home - have a family bookshelf and make sure there are shelves in your children's bedrooms as well.
  • Don't panic if your child reads the same book over and over again - be honest, we've probably all done it!
  • Encourage your children and their friends to swap books with each other. This will encourage them to talk and think about the books they are reading.