Reading at Randwick

Randwick Loves Reading!

 

Reading for Pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success.

OECD 2002

 

Reading for pleasure is surely the entitlement of every child – makes such a big difference and we absolutely love it here at Randwick. It is such a wonderful pleasure; you can be transported to distant lands, marvel at amazing illustrations or discover monsters hiding between the pages.

All the staff and library volunteers have a considerable knowledge of children’s literature and other texts. We have created wonderful spaces for reading in our classrooms and our “Book Nook” in the playground, we reading aloud daily (in our most animated voices), we talk about books and stories and have independent reading time. Our teachers are readers and are part of the Reading Teachers: Reading Pupils Scheme in partnership with Cheltenham Festivals

 

Randwick Reading Children

 “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading” Jane Austin

The children at Randwick agree with Jane Austin, there is a special place for books and literature in the school.

 

“I love reading first thing in the morning”  Year 6 girl

“When Mrs Donaldson read The Colour Monster it was lovely” Year 1 child

“Our class reader is Kensuke’s Kingdom. I love Stella the dog” Year 5 child

 

Reading is better together.

Parents and the home is where it all starts, and hopefully never ends. Sharing a good book is the greatest pleasure and a shared experience will always be worth it for everyone involved.

 

Randwick’s Top Tips to get Reading with a Child of Any Age

 

Time

Always hard to find, but that 10 minutes will be so enjoyable that it will be worth it

Find somewhere quiet without any distractions (mobile phones away) Cuddle up together knowing that for 10 minutes they have your full attention.

 

 

  Child Choice

 Sharing books they have chosen shows you care what they       think and that their opinion matters. Even a choice between   3  books makes them feel responsible and means they are   more likely to engage with the book.

 

 

 

  Cuddle Up

 Encourage your child to hold the book themselves and/or turn   the pages. It should feel like a special time of the day!

 

 

 

Pictures

If there are pictures, relate them to something your child knows. Ask them to describe the characters or situation or what will happen next. Encourage them to tell you the story by looking at the pictures.

 

 

 

 

Talk, Talk, Talk

Talking about the characters and their dilemmas helps children understand relationships and is an excellent way for you to get to know each other or discuss difficult issues. Give your child plenty of time to respond. Ask them what will happen next, how a character might be feeling or how the book makes them feel.

 

 

Fun, Fun, Fun

It doesn't matter how you read with a child, as long as you both enjoy the time together. Don't be afraid to use funny voices – your child will love this!

 

When does it start?

The love of books and stories, sharing adventures and reading skills starts from day one as they enter Reception and this continues all the way through to Year Six.

 

Throughout the rest of the school we teach reading in a variety of ways. We hear children read individually (not just listening to them saying the sentences, but also asking questions to assess whether they understand what they are reading), have weekly guided reading sessions, reading comprehension sessions, shared reading during whole class guided reading sessions – this can be through any area of the curriculum, not just in English, exploring different text types through reading and discussing the features of each one, independent reading – where children choose books to read on their own, or with peers, from the classroom or the library and reading books are sent home for children to practise and consolidate their skills.

The children are assessed on a regular basis, using a variety of methods. The children will then have access to books, and activities in class, that reflect their individual needs.

 

Books we love at the moment

 

    See the source image    

 

“The monster had to get into bed, it was very funny!”

 

“How Podkin loses his ear is remarkable”

 

“The pictures are strange and mysterious”

 

(Click the passport to see the full book list for each year group)

We have created a Reading Passport to inspire children to read the best literature available to them. Over the course of the year we would like your child to read 7 of the books from the list of 10 for their year group.

If they manage to read all 7 by the end of the year (or when they complete them) they will need to bring them back into school to receive a £5 book token. They of course can read other books throughout the year and we definitely encourage this as much as possible.

We have copies of the books in school, which children are welcome to borrow, the local library has many copies too.

The books and stories are amazing, the best the world has to offer; they could read them independently, they could be read to, they could listen on audiobook or a combination of all 3. The important thing is that they understand them, can talk about them and hopefully will enjoy them!

 

They will keep their passports with them all through school hopefully finishing year 6 having read 42 amazing books

    

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