Term 3 saw the Year 1s complete the Year 1 Phonics Check: a simple test which assesses their ability to read real and nonsense (made-up) words.
However, whilst the test was simple, learning to read is anything but.
Dr. Hollis Scarborough created a diagram in the late 1990s to demonstrate the essential strands of reading and how they come together to create a
fluent and proficient reader. The rope is split into two sections: word recognition and language comprehension. Word recognition allows us to fluently and accurately recognise the letters and words on the page, it includes phonological awareness, phonics and sight recognition.
Language comprehension allows us to understand what we are reading by extracting meaning when we read and includes vocabulary, background knowledge, language structures, literacy knowledge and verbal reasoning. Learning to read is difficult and requires a systematic approach which is developmentally appropriate.
The Primary Reading Pledge stated that in 2023, “almost 90,000 [Australian] students started their secondary studies with below proficient literacy levels.” If reading is difficult for students, it makes sense that they would avoid it; however, this impacts their ability to comprehend texts, produce quality sentences, reduces their understanding of
text organisation and limits their vocabulary.
So, what can we do to help our children become fluent and proficient readers?
- Keep reading to your children – whilst it might not help with the ‘learning to read’ process, it will build solid comprehension skills. Ask open-ended questions about the story and build critical thinking skills. Audiobooks are also a good option!
- Build your child’s vocabulary – use new words in everyday conversations. This assists with their contextual understanding of the word as well.
- Depending on the age of your child, play games such as “I Spy” when you go shopping, for example, “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with “o” (the sound, not letter name).
- Engage with educational apps, such as Nessy, to help build foundational reading skills.
- Ask your child to summarise what they have read (or watched) to help build their oral skills which assists with writing skills.
- Utilise the speech to text or text to speech features on computers, iPads and phones, for example, Chrome offers a Read Aloud web extension.
- Encourage your child to employ reading skills – track what they are reading with their finger, break new words
into syllables and ask for help when a word is unfamiliar (don’t just skip it, it affects comprehension).
- Be a word sleuth and explore the etymology (word origins) and morphology (small units of meaning) of new words. For example, I teach psychology – “psych” means the mind, and “-ology” means the study of, so psychology is the study of the mind.
Engaging in The Reading Academy, created and run by Gillian Falloon, as either a student or mentor, also
provides repeated opportunities for students to improve their reading. If your child (Years 1-3) has been invited to attend Reading Academy, regular attendance is important. Research shows that it takes four times as
many resources to intervene at Year 4; early intervention is the key!
Students in Years 7-12 are encouraged to volunteer to ensure we can maximise the amount of Year 1-3 students involved. If your child would like to volunteer for The Reading Academy, please contact Gillian Falloon.
If you would like to know more about supporting your child’s reading, you can read about the Scarborough Reading Rope here, speak to your child’s teacher (primary) or contact Danielle Grisham via danielle.grisham@ellenbrook.wa.edu.au.
