Home Reading: A Parent's Guide

Dear Parents

This semester the children have been asked to keep track of their home reading. I have suggested that they complete at least 20 minutes of silent or oral reading each night. Attached to their Homework books is a record sheet that must be filled out by your child and signed by yourself.
The children are permitted to select their own books (either fiction or non-fiction).
Below is a guide with suggested reading strategies that you may wish to try with your child at home.

How can I help my child with reading?

• Ensure that your child sees you reading.
  
• Allow your child to select books for parent-child reading.
  
• Ask your child what word would make sense when they become stuck on a word. Encourage your child to ‘have-a-go’ and read on.
  
• If a child makes a mistake when reading aloud, don’t interrupt the reading, allow time for self correction.
  
• Take your child to the local library regularly.
  
• Read to your child every day. Vary the type of book read, e.g. short stories, poems or serialise long stories.
  
• Buy books as presents.
  
• Encourage your child to retell stories. Involve the family in swapping stories, e.g. “I’ll tell you a story if you tell me one.”
  
• Discuss the meaning of any unusual or unfamiliar words that may come up when reading to your child. You may like to help the child look up the meaning of the word in the dictionary. (Be careful not to over do this).
  
• Encourage your child to read to younger brothers and sisters.
  
• Encourage your child to write and draw about the books and stories which they have read.
  

The Five Finger Rule
How to help your child select books which are appropriate to their reading level.
Note: The following method is recommended as a guide only and certain circumstances may warrant parental discretion.

1. Have your child select a book.
   
2. Locate a page of text in the book. (randomly)
   
3. Have child read page (out loud if you like)
   
4. Each time they encounter a word which causes difficulty, have them place one finger on the page.
   
5. Repeat this process for other difficult words on the chosen page.
   
6. Should your child place five fingers on the page, this means that they have encountered language which may be beyond their current level and they may wish to select another, more suitable book.
   
7. Should your child be able to read the entire page without placing all five fingers on the page then the language can be deemed ‘readable’.