The Power of Reading for Pleasure and Purpose Being Reading Detectives - A Meeting for Parents Thursday 27th February 2014 The Power of Reading for Pleasure and Purpose

TV.  If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open a child's imagination. Open a book. Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life. Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time. To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting. The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one's encounter with it in a book.  Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed with profit.  

Why is Reading still important? Diamond Ranking Activity: Most Important Least Important We asked the parents to rank nine reasons why Reading is still important. The discussion generated came to the conclusion that it is our own values that determine why we all feel Reading is still important. The results follow:

Why is Reading still important? 8th= Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. Teaching children to read helps them develop their language skills. It also helps them learn to listen. Everybody wants to talk, but few can really listen. Lack of listening skills can result in major misunderstandings and other disasters - small and great. Reading helps children [and adults] focus on what someone else is communicating.

Why is Reading still important? 8th= Good reading skills, especially in a phonics reading program, improve spelling. As children learn to sound out letters and words, spelling comes more easily. Also, reading helps to expand the vocabulary. Reading new words puts them in children’s minds for later use. Seeing how words are used in different contexts can give a better understanding of the word usage and definitions than the cold facts of a dictionary.

Why is Reading still important? 7th- Reading is fundamental in developing a good self-image. Non-readers or poor readers often have low opinions of themselves and their abilities. Many times they feel as if the world is against them. They feel isolated [everybody else can read - which isn't true] and behaviour problems can surface. They can perform poorly in other subjects because they cannot read and understand the material and so tend to "give up."

Why is Reading still important? 6th- Reading is important because it develops the creative side of people. When reading to children, stop every once in a while and ask them what they think is going to happen next. Get them thinking about the story. When it is finished, ask if they could think of a better ending or anything that would have improved it. If they really liked the story, encourage them to illustrate it with their own drawings or to make up a different story with the same characters. Get the creative juices flowing!

Why is Reading still important? 5th- Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. There are reports and memos which must be read and responded to. Poor reading skills increase the amount of time it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills.

Why is Reading still important? 4th- Reading is important because it is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are great learning tools which require the ability to read and understand what is read. A person who knows how to read can educate themselves in any area of life they are interested in. We live in an age where we overflow with information, but reading is the main way to take advantage of it.

Why is Reading still important? 3rd- Reading is important because it develops the imagination. TV and computer games have their place, but they are more like amusement. Amusement comes from two words "a" [non] and "muse" [think]. Amusement often focuses on non-thinking activities. With reading, a person can go anywhere in the world...or even out of it! They can be a king, or an adventurer, or a princess, or... the possibilities are endless.

Why is Reading still important? 2nd- Reading is fundamental to function in today's society. Many simple tasks are difficult if you can’t read. There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a scary thought - especially for their children. Filling out forms or applications becomes impossible without help. Reading road or warning signs is difficult. Even following a map becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that many people take for granted become a source of frustration, anger and fear.

Why is Reading still important? 1st- Reading is important because words - spoken and written - are the building blocks of life. You are, right now, the result of words that you have heard or read AND believed about yourself. What you become in the future will depend on the words you believe about yourself now. People, families, relationships, and even nations are built from words. Think about it!

Why is Reading still important?

Reading opportunities at home? The parents were now invited to discuss and generate on paper the opportunities that exist for reading at home, such as: Reading themselves (preparing for work the next day, checking a recipe for evening meal, sorting the important post from junk mail, etc.) Reading with child (during evening, bedtime) Reading a good book (though the pressures of life often constrain this opportunity!)

A National Survey on Reading with Children Parents play a pivotal role in their children’s education and literacy is one of the areas where parents have the relatively simple facilities, such as books or other reading materials, to become involved and to make a significant difference. In addition to reading with their children, parents can also show them that they value reading as a worthwhile activity by encouraging them to read and by reading themselves.

A National Survey on Reading with Children This report shows that what parents say, and what they do, can have a considerable impact on young people’s reading enjoyment, confidence and attainment. Parents can get involved with their children’s reading in a variety of ways. One simple but effective way is to encourage them to read.

A National Survey on Reading with Children Young people who get a lot of encouragement to read from their mother or father are more likely to perceive themselves as readers, to enjoy reading, to read frequently and to have positive attitudes towards reading compared to young people who do not get any encouragement to read from their mother or father.

A National Survey on Reading with Children 48% of young people who read above the expected level for their age say that their mother encourages them to read a lot. Only 29% of young people who read below their expected level also say their mother encourages them to read a lot. Similarly, young people who read below the expected level for their age are four times more likely than those who read above the expected level to say that their father does not encourage them to read at all.

Reading opportunities at home Reading for Pleasure Reading opportunities at home Reading for Purpose Reading is important because it develops the creative side of people. Reading is important because it is how we discover new things. So it is important that children read for both pleasure and purpose!

Becoming Reading Detectives Parents can get involved with their children’s reading in a variety of ways. One simple but effective way is to encourage them to read. The act of Reading (or decoding) is only one part of the fascinating jigsaw that makes up what we read! So we must also encourage children to become ‘reading detectives’ and to delve deeper into what they are actually reading!

What is Reading? In school, we encourage children to read for pleasure as often as possible We also work with every child in a Guided Reading group at least once every week to develop a broader range of reading skills  Reading (or decoding) is only one seventh of the reading skills that we can help children to develop and it is those other six sevenths that we would like us all to work on with them, Here are the seven broader reading skills…

What is Reading?

How does Guided Reading differ from other types of reading? All children take part in a Guided Reading session during the week. These are timetabled out of the English lesson. During the session, a range of texts including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and ICT may be used. The sessions are structured, five part sessions; the teacher or TA will use a consistent structure to enable the children to practise skills supported by the text. The group (of around six children) will all have the same text, pitched just above their independent reading level.

What makes Guided Reading so important? As the children are working in a small group of similar ability, it affords the teacher or TA the opportunity to engage in a quality discussion with them. The quality of this interaction between the teacher/TA and children enables the children to really think about the books they are reading, and to delve beneath the surface of the words. It promotes many higher order reading skills. Thus, the children develop as proficient readers with an ever-growing range of reading skills.

What is the structure of a typical Guided Reading session? Book Introduction Strategy Check Independent Session Return/respond to the text Follow up task *

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? How could we maintain the pleasure of reading whilst also developing children’s natural inquisitiveness? First of all, reading with your child is still really important, whatever their age or reading ability! We read this passage with the two of us taking on the roles of the two characters, Mr Tom and the Billeting Officer.

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? After reading the passage together, Mrs Colledge (in the role of ‘mum’!) asked her child (Mr Gaston-Nash!) some questions about it. So what sorts of questions would encourage children to delve deeper? ‘Reading Prompt Book’ has some suggestions which you can use to help come up with some questions!

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Each of the six other aspects of Reading has a page with a selection of suggested questions that can be used with children to help develop their ‘reading detective’ skills and delve deeper into the hidden meaning of the text they are reading! (NB – They are only suggested questions and not a list that you must use with every book!)

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Mrs Colledge began by asking a question from AF2 (NB – AF = Area of Focus) which is understanding, describing, selecting and retrieving information. How does the author describe the other children? “She says they were ‘filthy and very poorly clad’. So they looked dirty and were wearing very simple clothes.”

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Next Mrs Colledge asked a question from AF3 which is to deduce, infer and understand information. How does the woman feel? “She felt ‘harassed’.” Is there any other evidence to go with this? “Well, she was smiling awkwardly and she ‘flushed slightly’ so she must have felt kind of uneasy.”

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Then Mrs Colledge asked a question from AF4 which is about the text organisation. Why did the author choose to change paragraph here? Read it first to make sense of what is happening. After reading, “Mr Oakley has asked ‘What others?’ and rather than answer, she moves to show him so it’s drawing your attention to it.”

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? After that she asked a question from AF5 which is to explain and comment on the writer’s use of language. What words has the author used to show what Mr Oakley is like? “Well it says he spoke ‘bluntly’ when he first answered the door so he’s not a very patient person.”

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Finally, Mrs Colledge asked a question from AF7 which is to relate the text to its social, historical or cultural tradition (NB – AF6 tends to be used after reading more of the story). When is the story set? “Well it says the woman is wearing a ‘felt hat’ and has an ‘armband on her sleeve’ so I think it might be set back in the time of the war.”

Becoming Reading Detectives – How can we encourage this? Hopefully those examples will help to show how to get the children to delve deeper into what they are reading! It is also useful to encourage them to find the exact ‘quote’ from the text that is the evidence to support their answer. This is an important skill so it helps to practise it as soon as the children are ready to do so!

And finally… Oxford Owl – here’s a wonderful online world full of ideas for Reading! http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/