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Reading - Parents Guide

16 September 2021

Reading - A Parents Guide

Reading is a key part of the national curriculum; it is an essential skill for everyday life. Research has shown that children need to be read with (or read to) every day for them to become confident readers. This will help them to include reading in their routine and begin to enjoy reading as part of their day. It is important to read books that are age appropriate to ensure your child’s confidence grows. 

Benefits of Reading 
Reading has several benefits for children, not only does it increase their imagination but it also enriches language and vocabulary while improving brain function and development.
Regular reading also increases knowledge and information, helps literacy skills and develops creativity. Reading is a great way to reduce stress, improves concentration and help to sharpen your child’s memory.

Reading Levels
Reading books in school are split into reading levels/stages. Usually, your child will be given a reading level at school once they have been assessed but you can also use this simple test to assess from home. 

Book bands and levels are usually the same across all the publishers including Oxford Reading Tree, Bug Club and Collins Big Cat. This means wherever you shop you can ensure you are purchasing appropriate level books for your child to read from home. 


Here is a brief explanation of each level along with the book band and level colours. 

Remember: The ages below are guidelines, every child will learn to read at different paces. 


Expected reading levels at the end of year groups in key stage 1;

Year R - Yellow

Year 1 - Turquoise

Year 2 - White/Lime


Lilac and Pink – Starting to use letter sounds to read simple words. 

Red and Yellow – Using letter sounds to start reading simple words and sentences.

Blue and Green – Reading more words and longer sentences with less help. 

Orange and Turquoise – Able to read alone and to read lots of everyday words. 

Purple Onwards – Becoming an independent reader. 
 Our Reading Tips
1. Making reading a daily habit – Whether it’s a quick 10 minutes after bath time or 30 minutes before bed, reading can become part of your daily routine from an early age. Your child is likely to grow up looking forward to their reading time if they become used to it being part of their routine. 
2. Create a reading space – This could be a corner chair in their bedroom or a cosy room. Ensure you pick a spot that has enough light and room to keep a few books nearby. Using a reading space will help your child to connect reading to comfort and pleasure from an early age. 
3. Reading in everyday life – This could be a shopping list, road sign or a birthday card. These are simple everyday reading opportunities. 
4. Re-read favourite books – Most children will discover a book they love and often they will want to re-read it lots of time. This gives them the opportunity to see new pictures or words they didn’t before as well as starting to connect words they see with words they hear. The more they read it, the more likely they are to begin to read it themselves. 
5. Let your children pick what to read – Whether it’s a library shelf or scrolling through amazon, children love the feeling of having the freedom to pick their own book. Children are more likely to want to read something they have picked out themselves. If you child is reading a certain book level, give them a section they can choose from. 
6. Read around your child – Books, magazines or recipes, try to let your child see you reading. Children often learn from things they observe from adults around them. Show your child you are excited to read, pick a cosy corner and let them see you reading. This is a great way for your child to see your enthusiasm. 

Reading Tips
Children will often enjoy reading books that are based around certain topics they are interested in e.g. cars, animals, dinosaurs. It is important to recognise a child’s interest to help choose books related to these. This will help the child to be engaged for longer and excited to read. Children will still need to read books about other topics to broaden their knowledge but a mix of both is often a good option. 

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Revision

4 May 2022
The exam period can be an unsettling time, the stress mounts up and the nerves become real. Here we will look at tips to settle nerves, ways to remember information and the best ways to get the most out of your revision sessions. Stress affects us all in different ways, some important things to do in order to keep yourself calm around exam time is; ● Ensure you get a sufficient night’s sleep ● Eat healthily ● Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing and calming exercises ● Follow a good revision plan It is recommended that students do 15- 20 hours of revision per week which is 3-5 hours per day with weekends off. When revising, it’s important to break topics down into bite size chunks and set manageable goals. Keep your mind focused and remove any distractions. Different revision methods suit different students. Take a look at some examples of ways to revise for your exams. Learning/Revision Techniques Map It – Create a mind map of the key points. Journey It – Remember lists of information by placing images on a journey. Index It – Transfer the key points to index cards. Story It – Create a weird and vivid story using the key points. Mnemonic It – Use the first letter of key words to create a sentence. Click It – Create a presentation about the key points. Timeline It – Place key points along a line in date order. Sing It – Set key points to some familiar music. Record It – Record yourself explaining the key points and play it back regularly. Post It – Write key words on Post It notes and stick them around your room. Comic It – Create your own comic strip using the key points. Once you have decided on which revision technique best suits you, draw up a timetable and allocate set times to each subject so you know exactly what you are doing and when. This is a valuable tool which will help you stay on track with your revision. We have created a One Future downloadable revision timetable for you to try out! Before you begin your revision, here are some final important points to remember: • Use your revision planner as a guide • Set an alarm and start early • Find a nice quiet space to revise in • Be ready and prepared to revise • Limit distractions (remove phones, turn off televisions) • Revise, Repeat, Remember • Prioritise your time • Set a target for the day • Use a variety of revision methods (mind maps, post it notes, rhymes) • Question the Question (Why, what, how, when) Remember the more effort you put into your revision the more you will get out of it. Stay Positive and try your best. Good Luck! Useful Websites: www.passgcsescience.com unimitsubishipencil www.innerdrive.co.uk The life skills company Routledge Taylor and Francis group ScarboroughTec.ac.uk Biglifejournal.com Revision Timetable - download here

Well-being & Mindset

by Learn Fresh • 16 October 2021
Supporting your child’s mindset is extremely important. Children experience feelings just the same as adults, they have feelings of frustration, excitement, nervousness, sadness, jealousy, fear, worry, anger, embarrassment and many more. The past year has had a huge impact on many people’s mental health, making some increasingly more anxious. Looking after your child's mental health There are a number of ways to look after your child's mental health. Below are 6 important steps that will help you to do this. ● Start conversation early and be open ● Watch for changes in behaviour ● Try doing things to encourage conversation ● Lead by example ● Promote healthy screen time habits ● Consult an expert if you need to Children love routine and structure so whilst it is important that we look after their fragile minds, it is also important that we remember to recognise and reward good behaviour as well as recognising and disciplining poor behaviour.

Learning Times Tables - A Parents Guide

by Learn Fresh • 17 November 2020
Times tables are a key part of the Maths curriculum, children who know their multiplication up to 12x12 will inevitably find many areas in Maths much easier. Division, fractions, percentages, ratios and proportion are just a few areas of the Maths curriculum that require you to know your times tables. Similar to reading, parents are often asked to assist their children at home with learning their times tables. We know that is easier said than done, so we have written a guide to give some ideas to support parents in effectively helping their child to learn their times tables. General Expectations It is important to understand clearly the expectations within the National Curriculum from Year 2 upwards. All children learn differently and at different speeds, so note that this may not be the same for every child.
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