English

What Parents Need to Know About Reading at Home

• Reading Space

Create a comfortable and quiet reading space that you and your child will enjoy being in.

• Phonics and Syllables

Early reading begins with an understanding of phonics and syllables. Children first learn the letters and sounds of the written language and then combine the sounds to make syllables.

• Decoding Strategies

Decoding refers to one’s ability to look at a word and sound it out or break it down to decipher its meaning. When children are learning to read, and even as they are practicing as they get older, decoding is an important skill to help make sense of written language. Here are some helpful hints for you and your child to use as you decode.

• Ask yourself if what you read makes sense. If it doesn't, try reading the word again.
• Use picture clues to help you figure out an unknown word.
• Look for sounds within the word that you already know.
• Reread the word.
• Skip the word and read on for context clues.

• Fluency

Fluency is the word teachers use when talking about how quickly and accurately a child can read. A fluent reader recognizes high frequency words by sight, uses decoding strategies efficiently for new words, and reads smoothly, heeding all punctuation. A fluent reader also reads accurately. This means that your child should not just rush through reading, but instead should make sure that they are self-correcting any errors and reading with expression in their voice.

• Vocabulary

As children learn to read they are also learning new words. As parents it is important to work with your children to make sure that they understand the meaning of the new vocabulary they encounter as they read.

• Comprehension

Being fast and accurate are not the only important characteristics of a good reader. Students must be able to understand what they are reading. As teachers and parents it is our job to stop and check that children are making sense of what they read. We should ask them questions about their reading and engage in frequent conversations about the stories we enjoy.

Adapted from Scholastic ‘Partnering with Parents. Literacy activities and resources’.