READable – book

This book is intended to be used by parents of toddlers, right up to parents of Year 4 children.

In this book you will learn about all of the components needed to become a great reader and speller, why they are necessary, as well as activities and scripts to help teach your child these skills.

The end goal of reading, and therefore reading instruction, is comprehension. It is to get meaning from what we have read. To do this, children have to be able to read (or ‘decode’) the words, as well as have the vocabulary and background knowledge to understand them.

Being able to read and write at a skilled level, not just at a functional level, is essential for children. The better a child can read, the easier it is for them to learn at school and at home. Academic doors open and opportunities for careers is broadened. A lot of new learning happens while reading at home – firstly from when you read to your child, and then when they are independent readers, from when they read to themselves.  If your child is struggling to read,  or even just OK, they are not going to be picking up a book for enjoyment and hence will miss out on learning new vocabulary and background knowledge of different people, places and events. Being a good reader also helps to become a good writer through increased vocabulary knowledge, exposure to lots of different sentence structures and styles of writing as well as expanding their imagination.