1. EYNSHAM COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL
If you have any questions about reading please do not hesitate to ask a member of the team!
Year 3-4
READING
INFORMATION FOR
PARENTS BOOKLET
READING IS
FUN
© Anna Floyd & ECPS

2. GUIDED READING READING AT SCHOOL: What is Guided Reading?
Children also read regularly in most other lessons, and often begin the day by reading quietly.
Some pupils take part in daily reading interventions or read 1:1 daily with a teaching assistant.
What is Guided Reading?
Guided Reading enables children to experience the same book within their group. All children in the group are given the opportunity to read to an adult and discuss the book.
GUIDED READING
4. What Happens when the children read as a group with an adult?
Teachers share with the children, the specific focus of the lesson (this is related to the National Curriculum).
Children are reminded of different strategies that they can use to help them if they come across an unfamiliar word.
Independent reading – children read on their own and the adult makes their way around the table, when the adult signals to the child, that individual child reads aloud.
Discussion time – this is where the teacher asks the group questions about the book. These questions always relate to the focus of the session.
Children are given the opportunity to respond to the book explaining how they felt about the story, what they found interesting/funny/exciting.
Children are then given a follow-up activity to complete the next day as part of their independent activity.
What happens during a Guided Reading session?
1. Guided Reading Groups:
Children are put into Guided Reading groups. These groups change from time to time. The groups are dependent on specific reading needs.
2. How are groups organised?:
Group one completes a Guided Reading session with the class teacher.
The other groups are given independent tasks that relate to their reading target, specific objectives set by the class teacher and reading for enjoyment!
Some children take part in reading interventions with a teaching assistant.
3. What are the independent tasks?:
Independent tasks are always meaningful and relate to the child’s needs.
Some examples of activities are:
JOURNAL TASK: Children complete an enjoyable reading related task, such as redesigning the front cover of a book, writing a blurb, or penning a letter to the author.
FOLLOW-UP TASK: A task is completed as a follow-up to a session with the teacher.
PRE-READ: Children read part of their guided reading book in preparation for their session with the teacher.
© Anna Floyd & ECPS

3. READING AT HOME:
Reading is really important and it is vital for your child’s reading development that you have book time with them. This time could be sharing books together, or sharing other forms of reading material such as:
Comics
Magazines
Recipe books
Fact files
Websites
These are the seven key strands of reading that we look at with the children:
AF1 Decode and read for meaning.
AF2 Literal retrieval.
AF3 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas.
AF4 Identify and comment on structure and organisation.
AF5 writers’ use of language.
AF6 writers’ purposes and viewpoints and the effect on the reader.
AF7 Social, cultural and historical contexts and literary traditions.
When you read with your child talk to them about their reading skills (Af1), their comprehension (Af2), what they think might happen next and why (Af3), how the book is organised (Af4), language, and why it has been selected (Af5), the writer and their opinions/background (Af6), and books from a wide range of cultures (Af7).
Ask questions such as:
What is/was your favourite part of the story and why?
Why do you think this character is so unhappy? Make sure your answer refers to the text. Give examples.
How do you think this character is feeling?
What do you think will happen next? Why do you think that?
Why is there a ! here? (point to punctuation)
What are speech marks used for?
How Often?
Ideally minutes daily. Reading to your child, or listening to them read can both be very beneficial. Either way, ask lots of questions.
Children are encouraged to bring home a book from the Year 3-4 library. They have access to the library every day. Some children in Year 3-4 will select their own book independently, whilst others will require teacher or teaching assistant support.
© Anna Floyd & ECPS

4. READING DIARIES!
Reading diaries have a really important role to play in children’s early reading development, and can be a key link between home and school. All Year 3 pupils have a reading diary.
At School: An adult will write a note in the reading diary when they have listened to a child read 1:1. Separate records are also kept in school.
At Home: Record what and when you have read with your child. Make a note of what they enjoyed about the book, what you focused on together, and whether you feel the book is at the correct level for your child.
Please remind children to hand the book to their teacher if there is a message in it as we do not always have time to look through all book bags each day to check.
By Year 4 the children no longer have reading diaries (although it is still very important for you to read with your child at home – as described elsewhere in this booklet). Detailed records of pupils’ progress in reading are held for pupils in both year groups, and the teachers invite you to ask about your child’s progress in reading at parents’ evening. You are also more than welcome to make an appointment to see us at any time to discuss your child’s progress in reading.
TARGETS: Ask your child what their current reading target is. A record of this is kept in the back of their reading journals at school.
© Anna Floyd & ECPS