Assistant Principal Report

Why is reading so important?

Reading for pleasure makes a big difference to a child’s educational performance. Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day develop a broader vocabulary, increase their general knowledge and a have a better understanding of their environment and the global world. 

Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out what’s printed on the page. Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital when they are beginning readers.  

At GWPS we use the CAFÉ menu which has 4 key components of reading: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expand Vocabulary. Many of you will have seen these menus on display in your child’s classroom. Your child will have a goal they have identified with their teacher. The goal will be to develop the skills and apply the identified CAFÉ strategy in their reading. 

At home you can support your child to become a proficient reader by following some of the steps below.

• Discussing theirreading goal, talking about the strategy they are focusing on and how they are using it when they are reading
• Reading aloud with your child, for the beginning readers, talking about the words and pictures, and sharing ideas about the book, discussing the front cover and the clues as to what the book might be about. 
• Reading together, for the more advance readers talking about expression and its importance; how the author has created a visual image in the readers mind through imagery, word choice and punctuation. 
• Expose children to different types of text, encourage your children to read a variety of texts, fiction and non-fiction, magazines, newspapers, etc.  
• Reading yourself – children who see adults reading, and enjoying it, are much more likely to want to read themselves