In school we are promoting both reading and ‘talk.’ Across school all the children participate in guided reading sessions at the same time, allowing ‘buddy’ reading to take place. The younger children adore sharing books with the older pupils and it is wonderful to see the children enjoying and discussing books with each other.
Research has shown that if a child can ‘talk’ a story they can then translate that story into their own writing. Therefore it is crucial for us to get back to the basics, get back to the discussions around the dinner table, get back to talking and having conversations with each other. It is so easy in today’s society with phones, televisions, computers and video games for us to switch off from each other. We are so busy with our after-school activities, that often we find ourselves racing from one event to the other with hardly a moment to catch our breath. But having ‘conversations,’ asking questions and providing opportunities for children to develop their language can help them to achieve highly across all subjects – it doesn’t cost money and is one of the easiest ways to stretch and challenge your children.
As a school we are encouraging all children to share a book at home at least four times a week. Sharing a book means that either they read to an adult or an adult reads to them. Sharing a book may mean that you only actually read one or two pages because you spend the rest of the time talking about the pictures or making up the rest of the story together. This is the best time for conversations to take place, for building up vocabulary, or discussing the ‘what ifs.’
Soon we will be offering parent workshops about our guided reading sessions in school. These will be useful for both parent volunteers in school who come and read with groups of children but also for parents at home looking for ways to share a book with their child. During these talks we will provide you with some key questions that can be used while sharing books at home as well as some activities that may help foster a love of reading for both you and your children.
We would love to hear what workshops you would like to see offered in school. If there is anything that you would like training or support in, please let us know so we can try to plan it in. As always, thank you for your support!
