Paired Reading Starting Week Commencing 8th Novenber

A simple guide

Do you want to help your child with reading?

Do you want to make it enjoyable for you and your child?

Would you like to help your child …

• Achieve greater fluency
• Improve understanding
• Extend his / her reading skills
• Experience a wider range of reading materials

Would you like to help your child to read without…

• Fussing or scolding
• Losing your temper
• Going up the walls?

Well then do PAIRED READING which is a simple and well tried method for you to use to support your child’s reading at home

You will:

• Enjoy the closeness with your child
• Be proud of her / his success

What to do: Reading together

• Use a book your child has chosen
• Find a quiet, cosy place to read with your child, making sure you can both see the book clearly
• Talk about the pictures and the story
• Then both of you start reading the story out loud together
• Read at the same speed as your child and make sure he / she says every word with you
• When you’re reading together and he / she misses a word, or gets it wrong, use the RESCUE ROUTINE

RESCUE ROUTINE

• Point to the word and wait for about 5 seconds (count up to 5 in your head) - this is important because it gives your child a chance to try the word again
• Is he / she gets the word right before the time is up, give lots of praise
• If he / she does not get the word right before the time is up, say the word - get he / she to repeat it after you - add a word of praise
• After the troublesome word, continue reading out loud with your child as before

What to do: Reading alone

When you and your child are reading aloud together your child may feel confident enough to wish to read alone. All he / she needs now is a way of telling you to stop reading aloud without interrupting the story.

Let he / she pick their own way of telling you to stay quiet.

This could be:

• A tap on the table or book
• A squeeze of the arm
• A nudge
• Other signal

So when you’re reading together and he / she gives you the sign, go silent and let him / her continue reading on his / her own. However, stay beside your child - they will still need some help.

When your child is reading on their own and gets stuck on a word, use the rescue routine again - don’t let him / her be stuck for more than five seconds

After using the rescue routine always start reading aloud with your child again and keep on reading until he / she gives you the signal to be quiet again.

And that’s all there is to it!

Remember:

When your child misses a word or gets it wrong, always use the rescue routine

Never allow your child to be stopped or stuck for more than five seconds

Don’t ask your child to sound out or break up any word

Above all, keep the story going.

However, stop from time to time to talk about the story e.g. at the end of a page or a chapter you could talk about what has happened so far, how he / she feels about the story and what might happen next.

Finally…

• Do a little paired reading every day - at least 10 minutes but not more than 15 minutes a day unless your child really wants to do more
• Fill in your reading record