Thursday 23rd September 2021
Dear Reception Parents and Carers,
In the zippy wallet your child now has:
- a reading diary,
- a book banded reading book and
- a book corner book
Please make sure you read with your child every day at home. We will change books in the zippy wallets each week, we will tell you what day we will change your child’s book. The book banded book is for your child to read to you. The book corner book is for you to read to encourage enjoyment in reading and listening.
In the front of the reading diary we have stuck the reading skills that we are working on. Initially these skills are: holding the book correctly, the right way up; opening the front cover; turning the pages in order. Whilst we are reading books with no words, or limited words, talk together about the pictures and encourage your child to speak in sentences. This can be in your home language, not necessarily in English.
We have started teaching phonics and children will be introduced to 4 phonemes/ graphemes each week and we are beginning to read simple words. The reading books we send home will reflect this. When there is print on the page, still talk in sentences about what is happening and then encourage your child to use their phonics and snowballing (blending) skills to read the words on the page and encourage your child to point under the word with their finger. When you have read together at home please sign the diary and leave us a message to let us know how you have got on. We will do the same. It is important that you read the book more than once as this will help build your child’s confidence and develop their language and reading skills.
Thank you
The Reception Team