Reading – Home Learning – Hill Farm Primary School

How can you help your child with reading?

Whenever you read to your child or your child reads to you, make it enjoyable! Get tucked up in bed, comfortable on the sofa, outside in the sunshine with a few biscuits.

Read their school reading book with them every night. Discuss the characters, the story line, what they think might happen next and explain any unknown vocabulary.

Read their school fluency book to encourage them to read speedily. You could play games to see how many words they can read in a minute.

Read their school reading for pleasure book with them. This might be a book that is too challenging for them to read independently but is about something that they are interested in.

Take your child to the library or a book shop so that they can delve into a whole different world full of imagination and magic.

Read your own book in front of your child to show them that reading is for adults too! Talk about reading in a really positive way and introduce your child to books and authors that you liked as a child.

Practise phonics sounds at home. Using the QR codes we send home to videos online, practise recognising and pronouncing the sounds together.

Split words up so children can hear their individual sounds. For instance, break a word apart: chair… ch-ch-ch-air.

When you’re out and about, read everything and challenge your child to do the same. Can they say the letter names on a number plate? Can they read the road signs or an advert on the bus stop?

Please find attached some questions that you might ask your child when reading with them at home, linked to the reading skills that we teach at Hill Farm.

Before reading the book	Halfway through the book	At the end of the book
Why did you choose this book? What do you think will happen in the story? *If non-fiction- What do you hope to find out?	What has happened so far? Who are the main characters? How do you think the main characters are feeling now? Why? How would you describe the story so far? E.g. funny/exciting What might happen next? Non-fiction- What have you learned so far? *What is the most interesting thing you have found out?	Did you enjoy this book? What was the best part of the story? What could be an alternative ending? Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why would you recommend it, or why wouldn’t you? Would you choose more books by the same author?

EYFS and KS1:

Here are some suggested questions to ask your children when reading with them at home:

Before you start: What do you think the story is about? What do you think this character will do at the end of the story? Would you like to read this book? Why?	Retrieval: When/where is the story set? Who is the main character? Can you find the part where…? Can you find the word….?
Summarising: What did we find out at the beginning / middle / end of the story? What did the title have to do with the book? Can you draw/write on a piece of paper what you have been reading? What moment do you remember most from?	Sequencing: What happens at the beginning / middle / end of the story? How/where does the story start? What do you think might happen next? What is the dilemma (problem) and how is it resolved?
Comparing: What is similar/different about these two characters? Can you compare this book to another book you read? Is this as good as…? Can I make a text to world connection?	Understanding Vocabulary: What does this word mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you find a word that means…? What other words/phrases could the author have used here? How/where can we find out the meaning of this word?
Inference: What do you think… means? Why do you think that? Why / how / when / where do you think…? How do you know?	Predicting: What do you think this text will be about? Why? Why did the author choose this setting? What do you think… will do/say next? How do you think the story will end? Why? Can you draw what is going to happen next?

KS2:

Here are some suggested questions to ask your children when reading with them at home:

Skimming and Scanning: What genre of text do you think this is? What do you think the text is about? Would you like to read this book? Why? Who is the main character? When is the story set? Can you find the part where…? Tell me three facts you learnt from this text.	Fact and retrieval: Where in the text would you find…? Which part of the story best describes…? What evidence from the text do you have to justify your opinion?
Summarising: What is the main point in this section of the text? Recap what has happened so far in 20 words or less. Which is the most important point in this paragraph? Is it mentioned anywhere else? Do any sections/paragraphs deal with the same themes?	Inference: What do you think… means? Why do you think that? How do you think…? Where do you think…? What do these words mean and why might the author have chosen them? Can you explain why…? Which words give you the impression that…?
Predicting: Can you think of another story with a similar theme/opening/ending? Why did the author choose this setting? Will it influence how the story develops? How is this character like someone you know in real life? Will they act in the same way?	Vocabulary development: What does this word/phrase/sentence tell you about the character/mood/ setting? By writing this way what effect has the author created/did the author intend to create? How has the author made you/the character feel happy/sad/angry/ frustrated?
Comparing: Explain how a character’s feelings change throughout the story. How do you know? What is similar/different about these two characters? How could this part of the text be improved? What are the clues that this character is liked/disliked/envied/feared?	Authorial intent: What does the word… tell you about…? By writing in this way, what effect has the author created? Which words do you think are the most important? Why? Has the author been successful in their purpose/use of language? What makes you think that?

Reading – Home Learning

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