4 White 2016: Homework

Homework is given each week on a Monday. It is expected that students will complete some homework each night so that good study habits are developed.

Reading with your child

Before You Start

Check that there are no distractions, e.g. television, music, etc
Make sure that your child is comfortable and that you can interact with him/her.
Discuss the cover and appearance of the book:
- What is the book’s title?
- What is the story about?
- Do you like this book?
If the child has already started the book, ask about the main events of the story so far.

During Reading

Remind your child of the different ways they can work out words on which they are stuck:
- Phonetic: sounding out each phoneme.
- Contextual: reading the rest of the sentence in order to find a word that gives the sentence sense.
- Pictorial: clues can sometimes be found in the pictures.
Interact with your child rather than simply hear them read. They will be more responsive to your questioning if they know that you are interested.
Give plenty of praise for your child’s achievements.
Stop at appropriate places in the text to ask questions about the plot and characters. Ask your child to make predictions about what might happen next.
Try to ask questions that will help your child to think about what they have read. Questions such as ‘Can you think of another word/way to describe the character?’ will help them to use their vocabulary.
If your child stumbles over a word or mispronounces one then allow them some time to self-correct.
Encourage your child to decipher new or unfamiliar words, using the structures or techniques that they have already learned.
Remember that reading is not just about decoding words but also about fluency and expression.

After Reading

Discuss what has just been read
- Did you enjoy it? Why?
- Did you have a favourite part or a part you didn’t like?
- Did you have a favourite character? Was there a character you didn’t like?
- Was the story happy / funny / sad / scary / exciting? Why?
- Did the story end how you thought it would?
- Can you think of another ending?
Ask your child to read a few words from the text, out of context.
Check understanding of vocabulary, particularly new words in the text.

Please don’t try to do all of these every time you listen to your child read. The above is a selection of questions and activities that are to help you in guiding your child’s reading and understanding. The questions are examples only and should not be asked, in sequence, every time your child reads. Questions should be appropriate to the text.