Reading at Farnborough Grange
Farnborough Grange sees the enjoyment of reading and the skills involved as a core teaching priority and it is given high status in planning, teaching and the wider learning environment.
Each week, children take home two reading books, the first of which is linked directly to the phonics learning undertaken that week at school. Children are encouraged to apply their phonic understanding and should be able to read this book independently. We encourage the children to read this book at home three times: the first time focusing on decoding the text, the second time focusing on fluency and the third time with a focus on comprehension and understanding. The second book they bring home will be a book they have chosen from the library to enjoy reading with an adult for pleasure and enjoyment. Parents are encouraged to hear their child read regularly and respond to their child’s reading using the home-school reading records which are monitored weekly. Parents are regularly supported to read effectively with their child through parent workshops, support materials and the school website.
Reading aloud is the most important thing that we do and is a daily part of each school day. It slows written language down and enables children to hear and take in tunes and patterns. During this protected time, our children experience and enjoy stories that they might not otherwise meet. During this time, we share the reading with the children so they can tackle texts which are harder than they can read alone.
At Farnborough Grange, we recognise that it is vital for our children to develop a love of reading. Therefore, we promote love and enjoyment of reading in the following ways: 50 Must Reads challenge, termly Author Days, an outdoor reading area, Library Time, high-quality texts available in the classrooms, book corners, text-drive learning enquiries, Reading Champions.
Book Corners
Each classroom has an inviting and dedicated area for the children to enjoy reading a book. The class teacher provides a range of different opportunities for the children to use the book corner and it is filled with a fantastic range of books from a variety of genres.
Helping your child read at home
We know that learning to read is often one of the first things a parent/ carer worries about when their child starts school. Learning to read has changed a lot over the last few years and happens differently in different countries. At Farnborough Grange we use the Read, Write Inc phonics and reading scheme and our teaching of reading follows this.
To help support you at home we have provided a couple of ideas and questions to help your child as they progress below. Please remember that every child's reading journey is different and their class teacher will be able to provide tailored advice to help you support this through the communication in their Reading Record.