Literacy and English

Confidence in literacy and English is fundamental to all areas of learning as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum and increases opportunities in all aspects of life.

Literacy and English is organised into the following areas:

- Reading

- Writing

- Listening and Talking

- Modern Languages

Literacy is about learning to read and write accurately, being able to listen carefully and talk clearly about ideas.  There are many opportunities for parents to support their child to practise and apply these skills as part of your everyday routines.  

Try reading to or with your child every day.  Did you know 90% of the vocabulary we learn is encountered through reading?  

Learn nursery rhymes together.  

Point out and talk about signs in the local community.  

Talk about words and introduce new vocabulary every day.  

When discussing new ideas explain your thinking

Show your child all the ways you use literacy as part of your every day life.

Reading Books

Children will experience a range of books and schemes at the particular level they are working at.  There should be breadth and depth of reading materials ensuring children experience various genre before moving on.  Once a child can decode properly, the main focus becomes comprehension of text and using the text to extend their own writing skills.

In P1-4, teachers send books home that children should be able to decode, the children should find the text fairly straightforward.  The learning from these 'home reading books' should come through the comprehension of the books.  Various resources in the comprehension section of the book can help with this. 

Once children are able to read independently we move them to Accelerated Reader for home reading.  The pupils choose their own novels and log into the Accelerated Reader site to take quizes on the books they have read.  

All children should be reading at home every day.

At home, parents should encourage 'higher order' thinking skills and use the reading book to develop these.  Ask your child questions about the characters and why they are doing what they are doing.  Can your child 'prove' their answer is right by using the text to justofy their answer?

Reading books can also be used to develop writing skills, eg. ask your child how to 'up-level' the sentences in the reading book by adding further descriptive language, changing vocabulary, taking the end of the sentence and moving it to the beginning to increase variation of openers etc.  

The development of writing is closely linked to the child's experience of reading.  When reading at home use this understanding to discuss what children could transfer into their own writing.  If you feel your child could benefit from more complex text to decode at home please use the local library or online resources such as Epic Reading to widen their experiences, this will greatly support their comprehension.