Home Readers

Today, your child will receive their new home readers.  

Inside their home reader bag you will find a home reading log book, which is used to keep track of their reading at home. Each day students will receive a new book, so it is important that the bags are brought to school everyday. Readers are about enjoying reading, so they should not be too difficult for your child.  The focus for home reading is to help your child remember what has been read, to understand the text, begin to read fluently and finally to enjoy the experience.

Here are some pointers when listening to your child read at home:

• Try to set a regular time when you are both relaxed
• Get your child to do a picture walk (look at all the pictures) before reading the book.  Discuss the pictures and what they think the book may be about.
• Tell your child the title of the book and any names of characters, places etc…
• Remind your child that reading should sound like talking (smooth and joined).
• Only draw attention to an error if it affects the meaning – otherwise come back to it at the end of the story.
• Praise all good reading behaviours (fluency, expression, use of punctuation, self-correction).
• Encourage your child to try a strategy when having difficulty i.e. what sound does the first letter make? Can you see a clue in the picture? What word might make sense here? Does it sound right?
• If your child cannot solve the word fairly quickly, tell them the word so that it does not affect fluency.
• After reading ask them about how the book sounded, and what it was about.

If you have any questions or concerns about home reading, please do not hesitate to contact any members of the Prep Team.

Kind Regards,

Miss Jennah, Kellie, Freya, Jeff and Mary