1. Story Café
February 2019

2. Aims for this morning… Have coffee!
Understand a bit about the importance of reading
Hear a story modelled to the children
Activities / play games

3. What is reading?

5. Our aim is to enable children to become fluent readers with good comprehension skills.

6. Vocabulary
Research shows that vocabulary growth is largely determined by parental practices, particularly before the age of 7 (Biemiller 2003). The number of words known when starting school varies…

7. Vocabulary
Relatively high performing children have an estimated vocabulary of 7,100 root words, acquiring 3 new words each day.
Relatively poor performing pupils have an estimated vocabulary of 3,000 root words, acquiring just one new word per day.
Children with low vocabularies would have to learn words much faster than their peers (3 – 4 root words per day), to catch up within 5 or 6 years.

8. Vocabulary
This is not necessarily about poverty – parents using and explaining high-level words is strongly associated with larger vocabulary gain – regardless of disadvantage. Vocabulary is a strong indicator of reading success (Biemiller, 2003). Poor comprehension is primarily caused by narrow vocabulary limiting understanding, not by lack of ability.

9. ALL STUDIES…
… reiterate the importance of
repetition in the learning of vocabulary – children must engage with a word several times in different contexts before it is learnt.

10. Evidence suggests that…
…parents and the home environment are essential to the
early teaching of reading and fostering a love of reading.
Parental involvement in a child’s literacy has been
reported as a more powerful force than other family
background variables (Flouri and Buchanan, 2004).
Children whose home experiences promote the view that
reading is a source of entertainment are likely to become
instrinsically motivated to read (Baker, Serpell and Sonnenschein, 1995).

11. Daily Supported Reading
Adult talking about the book before they read it
Children talking about the book before they read it
Adult reading, children reading, children re-reading
Children asking questions about the book; children and adults discussing the book
Children reading ‘real books’, discussing spellings and vocabulary

12. What can you do when you read with your child?
Choose a book with your child – what are they
interested in?
Point out the title, pictures on the front cover - discuss what it might be about.
When you read, give a theatrical performance!
Ask open-ended questions. You could ‘wonder’: what, where,
when, e.g. ‘I wonder where the bear will go?; What do you
think will happen next?
Encourage your child to ask you similar questions.

13. What can you do when you read with your child?
Take time to discuss new words – help them to
understand how to use it within a sentence…
other words with the same meaning – this will
help children to develop their vocabulary.
Once you have finished, ask them to read it with you –
gradually drop out, so they are reading parts independently.

14. How else can you help your child with reading?
Read, read, read! Don't leave home without it: take a book or
magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at the doctor's.
Readers make writers!
Encourage reading as a free-time activity.
Be patient and gently correct – give time when your child tries
to sound out an unfamiliar word. Remind your child to look closely
at all the letters of the word. Use context and pictures to help
after sounding out.
Talk, talk, talk! - Talk with your child every day about school
and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting
words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked
about in the past.

15. Basic word attack Phonemes s/i/t Onset-rime gr/and Syllables com/bat
Students must learn to segment words for themselves into:-
Phonemes s/i/t
Onset-rime gr/and
Syllables com/bat
Base-word/affixes cat/s
un/accept/able

16. Strategies - images Exaggerate Image Wed - nes - day Mnemonics
sally ann is dancing 16