Oxford Reading Tree

1. Oxford Reading Tree

2. Reading is one of the most important skills your child will learn in their early years at school. The Oxford Reading Tree, a well-established and popular reading scheme, will support your child with their reading. This Guide for Parents will explain:- how Oxford Reading Tree works- how children progress through the scheme

3. A structured approach The stories are carefully written using simple, natural-sounding language that children can understand. ‘Key’ words are repeated throughout the storybooks so that children gradually increase the number of words they can recognize and read. The components of Oxford Reading Tree are specifically devised to develop: • oral language skills • prediction and sequencing skills • the ability to relate text to pictures • an understanding of story structure • a sight vocabulary • phonological awareness

4. Oxford Reading Tree is divided into stages. Each Stage builds on and extends the reading skills and words learnt from the previous Stage. The amount of text is gradually increased, more pages are added, and new characters are introduced.

5. Oxford Reading Tree has 16 stages – shown on the next chart. Your child will start at Stage 1, and progress up the tree to Stage 16. • Stage 1 teaches children important pre-reading skills. • Stages 2-5 introduce specific reading skills which are • developed as children progress through Stages 6-11. • When Stage 11 is reached, children should be fluent and • confident at reading stories, information texts, and poetry. • For those children that would still benefit from structured • readers, TreeTops extends the tree through stages 12-16.

7. Making progress It is important that your child progresses at his/her own pace, and that s/he has enough reading practice at each Stage before moving on to the next. Children are moved up levels when they are able to fluently read and demonstrate a range of skills at their current level.

8. Sometimes children who are not ready to progress through to the next stage but have read the main Oxford Reading books will be given additional books from other series to read. • For example: • Wrens and More Wrens at Stages 2 and 3. • Sparrows at Stages 3 and 4. • Robins, Jackdaws and • TreeTops All Stars are used after stage 5.

10. The Oxford Reading Tree books are vital in helping children to develop their reading skills but is important to understand that there are many other ways of reading and many other types of books we can all use to help the children to not only develop their skills, but also to inspire a love for literacy in all its forms. Let’s look at some others: Shared Reading: What is Shared Reading? Shared reading is what you’d probably expect – reading aloud to a child or group of children. Typically, shared reading involves a parent or educator reading from a large book with colourful illustrations and bold, easy-to-see typeface.

11. However, to make the process effective as more than a simple way to pass the time, it’s crucial that the educator, mum, dad, guardian, babysitter, or grandparent turn the experience into something more involved. The best way to achieve this goal when shared reading is to plan to re-read the same book on a number of different occasions with a variety of intentions each time the story is read. Example: Day One: Teacher shows children the book . Children discuss the cover picture and talk about what they think will happen inside the book based on the illustration and the title.

12. Day Two: Teacher announces that he/she will be reading the story again. Then, teacher asks students what they remember about the story. During the second reading of the story, teacher pays special attention to words and letters, asking children to identify them. If students know their sounds, they can even help determine some of the words on the pages. After the story, teacher talks more in depth about the story and asks children what they liked or didn’t like about it and why.

13. Day Three: Teacher reads the story again to the class. By this point, listeners know what will happen. Many children may be “echoing” the instructor, repeating his/her words. They may also be finishing the sentences (especially those which rhyme or are predictable.) This should be encouraged to help them verbalise. After reading the story, the teacher tells students they each will write/make up a new ending to the story. (Alternately, they can write a new book starring the main character or another character from the tale.)

14. Benefits of Shared Reading: Shared reading allows children who are learning to read to have a shared experience in a comfortable, non-judgmental setting. Their involvement in reading is on many levels and includes comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, language development, word identification, and pure literary enjoyment. Additionally, youngsters’ imaginations are developed using the shared reading technique. Shared reading has been used in libraries, schools, and homes for quite some time; It’s a fun, exciting way to bring the written word to life for both you and your little learners

15. Guided Reading: The technique known as “guided reading” actually falls between the processes of “shared reading” and “independent reading”. So it’s an excellent “stepping stone” that can be used by teachers and parents. In schools, guided reading is usually conducted in small groups. Each girl or boy spends some minutes reading an age-appropriate book to him or herself. The adult in the room is available to help with questions, but does not read the book for the child.

16. The children can take turns reading aloud if able. Like a coach, the educator, mum, or dad provides encouragement, asks questions and reminds the child of spelling and grammar rules; however, he or she must resist the temptation to simply read the entire text for the youngster. After all, the point of the exercise is to move a child from “shared” reading to “independent” reading.

17. Benefits of Guided Reading • Guided reading helps boys and girls on a number of different levels, most notably those below. • Children begin to look for “sight cues”. For instance, if a book is about a rabbit and the child is having difficulty with the word “carrot”, the teacher might help guide the child to decipher the term using pictures on the page as a guide.

18. Guided reading provides good practice in reading from left to right. Of course, this isn’t the case in all languages, but in the English system it is. Many kids do not naturally have a tendency to read in this manner; consequently, guided reading can get them accustomed to doing so. • Guided reading offers children the opportunity to begin to memorise and recognise common words. An example would be “the”, which is frequently used in English. Eventually, the child who is learning to read should get to the point when he or she isn’t “sounding out” many words that are familiar, but is merely reading them without pausing.

19. The experience of guided reading can be helpful in understanding the concept of “sequencing.” • Most tales have a beginning, middle, and ending; to adults, that’s completely expected. • However, youngsters have to be taught this technique of storytelling. • Guided reading can provide a fabulous opportunity for such sequential understanding to begin.

20. Children are forced to deal with punctuation when they are involved in guided reading. They learn that exclamation marks indicate excitement and that a full stop ends a sentence. Often, they are confused at first by commas, quotation marks, and even question marks, but with an adult’s help, they can soon become familiar with such conventions of the English language. • Guided reading gives children the chance to correct their own errors. Often, when kids make mistakes, adults quickly try to “fix” the problem. But the point of guided reading is for the coach (a.k.a. mum, dad, or instructor) to empower the youngster to self-correct.

21. Finally, guided reading gives kids the practice and confidence needed to become literate. Without an opportunity to work on their own in a non-judgmental environment, they might not be able to achieve the goal of literacy as quickly.

22. Independent Reading : How often does the child in your life read a book or other printed material simply for the pleasure of opening his or her mind? Believe it or not, that act of independent reading could mean the difference between lifelong reading achievement and a lifetime of struggling with literacy. Experts have begun to realise that a young person’s interest in independent reading by seems to be a prime indicator of long-term success.

23. Many studies have shown a direct correlation between the desire to independently pick up a book and good grades in school. However, not all children will naturally gravitate toward the act of reading for information or pleasure. That’s where you as a parent or educator come into the scene. Encouraging Independent Reading : First, understand that independent reading is not guided or shared reading. You may be present in the room with your son, daughter, or student, but you will not be engaged in reading the book for your child. (But you can absolutely help if he or she is stumped by a word now and then.)

24. Instead, your child should be picking up a book on his or her own, whether or not he or she can read all the words. A good example of this is the three-year-old who cannot read but who enjoys sitting on a chair and thumbing through favourite books.

25. Not only does this kind of spontaneous independent reading increase a child’s imagination, retention, focus, comprehension, word identification, fluency, and vocabulary, but it also allows him or her to build interest in a subject or variety of diverse subjects anything from dinosaurs to Ancient Greece !

26. With that said, it’s important for you as the mum, dad or family member not to wait for independent reading to suddenly appear. Sometimes it will happen on its own, but often it does not. You must therefore take an active role in encouraging it to become a habit. One of the best ways to stimulate a youngster’s interest in independent reading is to become an avid independent reader yourself.

27. Turn off the TV and open the newspaper/a book. Take time at the end of the day as a family to listen to music and enjoy some free reading moments. The more you do it yourself, the more likely your offspring will be to accept it as a proper, regular thing to do. (Kids are wonderful mimics!)

28. You can also begin building your child’s personal “library” . That way, he or she will have many choices of books to peruse during independent reading. Remember that reading achievement is linked to a love of independent reading. So the next time your son or daughter picks up a book, allow him or her to have some private moments. You’ll never regret your decision to embrace independent reading.

29. Independent reading can also take place with not just a single child but a pair or group of children. If you have ever seen children sharing a book of their own choice together you will no doubt have recognised how useful this is for them. Children reading together make comments, point out interesting details, ask each other questions and I have rarely seen this process take place without a lot of fun and laughter involved- which is just what we want ! Therefore if your child has a friend over do encourage them to share books together !

30. In summary then: ORT books are fabulous but remember there are lots of lovely books out there that can be used to inspire a love of reading. Hear your child read aloud on a daily basis to help them develop their skills but also: Let them hear you and other family members read to them (shared reading)

31. Let them choose their own books to read and let them read independently either on their own or with friends. Remember the library book your child brings home once a week is their choice of a book they like. Model reading as a choice of activity to inspire a love of books.

32. If your are a non native English speaker and your child is still learning English then it is important to also have your own native language books at home also. Research has shown that children need to develop their own native language skills in order to be able to develop their skills in another language. Most important of all – have fun and show your child what wonderful worlds lie inside the cover of books !