Welcome

1. Starting School and your child’s reading journey Welcome (Insert School and/or Teacher name here)

2. The start of a fantastic journey We all know how important learningto read is: it’s a vital skill for life. But reading can also be exciting and fun! It can open up new worlds - and can lead to a life-long loveof reading. You can help your child take their first steps on their very own reading adventure…

3. Helping your child on this journey Being involved in your child’s reading has a really positive impact on their success There are many simple ways you can help with your child’s reading – from sharing stories to discussing everyday events and activities. Hopefully this presentation will give you some ideas for how to support your child …

4. Advice for parents Starting to read Click to edit Master subtitle style

5. Learning to read: phonicsWhat is phonics? Phonics is an important skill that children learn when they come to school. Children are taught to read letters or groups of letters (graphemes) by saying the sound(s) they represent (phonemes). For example, they are taught that the letter /m/ sounds like ‘mmm’ when we say it. Children can then start to read words by blending the sounds together to make a word (e.g. ‘m-a-t’).

6. Learning to read: phonicsWhat is the Phonics screening check? In England a new ‘check’ is being introduced for 6 year olds to make sure they are able to use phonics for reading new words. This check is to make sure that any children who are struggling are identified early and given appropriate support. You will be informed of your child’s results by their teacher, along with (if necessary) a plan for how to develop your child’s phonics skills.

7. Learning to read: comprehension Children also need to understand what the book is all about – this is called comprehension. Your child will be taught to draw on things like their own experience, or the story setting, to make sense of the book. Comprehension can be at a simple level (this book is about a party), or at a more complex level (the author’s experience, hidden meanings etc).

8. Reading schemes Many schools use reading schemes. Schemes are made up of lots of levelled books - so there’ll be a book at exactly the right level for your child. Reading schemes often feature a core group of characters, who your child gets to know as they read. They give a friendly, familiar feel to your child’s reading, and so help to support them as they progress. Popular reading schemes include Oxford Reading Tree, Project Xand Read Write Inc.

9. Advice for parents Moving on Click to edit Master subtitle style

10. From reading…to writing As children learn to sound out letters to read words, they can sound out letters to write words too. Breaking down words into sounds so that they can write them down is called segmenting. Your child will be encouraged to do some writing very early on. Don’t worry about handwriting or spelling yet – just give them lots of praise and cheer them on!

11. Speaking and listening Speaking and listening are both really important in learning how to read and write. Children need… to listen to sounds within words to hear rhythm and rhyme in stories and poems to talk together and ask questions to build up a bank of words to use in reading and writing …so there will be lots of talk going on!

12. Reading at home – how can you help? YOU to help your child get the best start in reading! We need

13. Reading at home – how can you help? Listen to your child read – ideally every day, but little and often is best. It’s really important also to read to your child - snuggle up with a book at bed-time. Use your local library to find books together. Keep encouraging and praising your child!

14. How can you help? - different types of reading & writing Reading is all about words, not just about books – and you can find words everywhere! You can read signs, labels, posters, adverts or menus when you’re out and about. You can look at websites, play word games and read e-Books online. You can make lists or write birthday cards together.

15. Moving into richer reading • As your child becomes more confident, they will start to read a wider range of material – which may include: • Non-fiction, including encyclopaedias, recipes, instructions, football programmes … • Poems, jokes and rhymes • Comics and annuals • Interactive e-Books • Longer stories and series of books, like Harry Potter, or Beast Quest and Rainbow Fairiescan help build stamina. • The more children read and enjoy reading, the more likely they are to succeed.

16. How can you help? – home-school links Please keep in touch! Come and talk to your child’s teacher if you have any concerns – it may be a quick word at the end of the day, or you can book an appointment if you need more time. Try not to show your child if you do have any worries. Don’t forget to attend our regular parent-teacher consultations. Come along to literacy or curriculum meetings, to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on!

17. Advice for parents Further advice for parents Click to edit Master subtitle style

18. Oxford Owl: • FREE Parent Support Website • Designed to help you help your child’s reading, from 3 to 11 years old • A wealth of practical tips on how to get started with reading: • Handy  phonics guide (including how to say the sounds correctly) • Ideas for motivating boys • Top tips for keeping up with reading in the holidays • Growing to 250 FREE eBooks with linked activities • www.oxfordowl.co.uk

19. Words for Life Expert advice and tips for supporting literacy at home Recommended reads Free activity sheets Practical videos Competitions All brought to you by the National Literacy Trust www.wordsforlife.org.uk

20. Starting School Literacy Wheel A handy resource to stick on the fridge at home Fun, simple yet effective ways to support your child’s literacy Practical tips and advice covering a wide range of literacy skills Available for your school to order at: www.literacytrust.org.uk/resources

21. Love Reading Online independent children’s bookstore Includes FREE extracts www.lovereading.co.uk

22. Booktrust Book recommendations Children’s book news Author and illustrator interviews Blogs www.booktrust.co.uk

23. Jargon buster! phoneme – the smallest unit of sound within a word. A phoneme may be a single letter, or a group of letters, e.g. ‘f-l-a-sh’. grapheme - A written letter or group of letters that represent a sound e.g. the sound s can be represented by the graphemes s in sun, ce, in dance, ss in dress, st in whistle, cy in cycle and so on. high frequency or tricky words – words which can’t be sounded out – e.g. ‘said’ or ‘was’. Your child will need to remember these words. colour coding or book bands – where books are levelled by difficulty in colour bands guided reading – around 6 children read aloud from the same book at the same time, whilst a teacher listens and draws out teaching points.

24. Supporting literacy in the home • “Starting school is an important time in every child’s life. However, the support they receive at home is crucial for their literacy development. That’s why we have teamed up with OUP in order to create the Starting School Literacy Wheel, a tool aimed at parents to help them support their child and provide that vital bridge between home and school.” Jonathan Douglas, Director, National Literacy Trust Oxford is proud to be working in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and their Words for Life website for parents.