We are so proud of our little rainbows across the school – so many of you are reading at home and it is a GREAT achievement! Keep up this excellent work, it is really paying off.
Mrs Morton, in class 1 had 85% of her little rainbows read at home with a parents this week – we have also been enjoying quite ‘Love to Read time’ where we all choose one of our favourite books from the class library and look through the pictures, spot our phonics sounds and begin to read simple sentences.
Class 2 had 44% reading with a parent last week but this week they have blown our socks off with their new reading tree display to encourage at home reading – its increased to a massive 77%! Each time a child reads with a parents and logs it in their reading record they get a leaf for their reading tree…. it is in full bloom already 🙂
Class 3 had 60% reading at home with parents and Class 4 had 58% – Many more of our Key Stage children were reading at home independently too, but remember to keep signing planners and reading logs parents 🙂
Why is reading so important?
- Reading for pleasure
There is overwhelming evidence that literacy has a significant relationship to people’s life chances. Reading for pleasure is more important than either wealth or social class as an indicator of success at school.
- What does reading do for our children?
Reading improves concentration – Children have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story when they’re reading. Reading also relaxes the body and calms the mind whilst also exercising the connections in the brain.
It teaches children about the world around them – Through reading, they learn about people, places and events outside their own experience.
Reading improves a child’s vocabulary, leads to more highly-developed language skills and improves the child’s ability to write well. Children learn new words as they read as well as seeing how to structure sentences and how to use language effectively.
Reading develops a child’s imagination – When we read we translate the descriptions of people, places and things into pictures.
It also helps children develop empathy – When we’re engaged in a story, we imagine how the characters are feeling and use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation.
