Supporting Your Child with English

Reading with you child

As children start school reading behaviours start to change. In addition to children listening to an adult read to them, they begin to read to adults too.

As a parent this transition might feel daunting. Especially as new terminology such as ' phonics', 'blending', 'trigraph', 'graphemes' start being used, which may seem like a whole new language!

Children are taught to read with a 'Phonics first' approach. This means they should sound out c-a-t, then blend the sounds together to say 'cat'.  This skill of sounding and blending is demonstrated clearly by the CBeebies programme alphablocks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/type/phonics If phonics is new to you then watching a few episodes of alphablocks would be a great place to start. Notice how clipped the sounds are (the sound an M makes is mmm not m'er' for example).

For an overview of the meaning of key terminology please see the 'What is Phonics?' video. https://youtu.be/42jb6PopZCI

But phonics is just a part of your child's reading journey. It is important to read with your child regularly to help them develop a love of reading. Children should share books for pleasure often. It's hugely beneficial to children if they can have a bedtime story each night and it's also important that children see their parents as readers. Children will take home books from school to support them with their reading skills and you should take time to listen to them read and provide feedback in the reading record book. Please look at the reading advice booklets to support you as you read with your child. 

You can access ebooks to supplement your childs reading here: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/books/free-ebooks/

You can access ideas on quality books which you could read for pleasure with your child here: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/our-recommendations/

Supporting your child with Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

Supporting your child with their writing skills can be incredibly daunting. The curriculum uses terminology which the majority of parents would not have come across in their own education. Please find Spelling strategies and other terminology sheets attached to help you. You could also join the Crystal Explorers on BBC bitesize to play some games to help you on your way: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkbkf4j/articles/zbm8scw

updated by MW 30.5.21

 

 

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Cartmel Primary School

Aynsome Road,
Cartmel,
Cumbria,
LA11 6PR

Main Contact: Mrs Rachel Battersby Headteacher

Tel: 015395 36262
admin@cartmel.cumbria.sch.uk

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