Reading At Home by BSAK Abu Dhabi

BSAK LITERACY READING AT HOME RATED OUTSTANDING BY ADEK AND BRITISH SCHOOLS OVERSEAS

READING AS A KEY FACTOR One of The British School Al Khubairat's main priorities is to raise the literacy attainment of all students. Reading has been shown to be a key factor in successfully raising literacy and academic attainment. To support this, students should be taught to read fluently and to accurately comprehend information, and be encouraged to read for pleasure. Years of educational research has found a significant correlation between vocabulary knowledge and academic performance. The more reading you do, the more vocabulary you will encounter. This will benefit academic performance in two main ways: ●

If you understand more vocabulary, you will be able to use it in your own writing, increasing the quality of your communication.

●

Having a greater understanding of a wide range of vocabulary will prevent barriers to comprehending texts, especially those found in examinations.

To support positive reading habits at home, we have created ﬁve top tips that will promote a culture of reading and encourage all children to become lifelong readers.

TOP 5 READING TIPS 1.

Quality, not quantity. It has been said countless times before.

‘15 to 20 minutes of reading per day’ Whilst this is true, it is not the time spent reading that is the main indicator or growth. It is the type of texts we read. If we want to stretch our vocabulary knowledge to support academic performance, we need to be reading texts that have challenging vocabulary. Not too challenging, but challenging nonetheless. News articles, biographies, autobiographies and novels are all examples of quality texts that everyone should be reading on a daily basis. 2.

Variety and balance is key. We want all children to become lifelong readers, so they have to enjoy what they read. Whilst we want challenging texts to enhance vocabulary, for every one of these, there should be a text that we read for pleasure. This also applies to the balance of ﬁction and non-ﬁction. Variety and balance is key.

Following up with talk. People at home should engage in conversations about what their child is reading. Asking questions about what they have just read, who their favourite character is, what new word they have discovered or what they predict is going to happen next will reinforce vocabulary growth and comprehension skills. Talking with children about texts is an essential part of the learning process and we want this to be present in school and at home.

TOP 5 READING TIPS 4.

Reward Reading Positive reinforcement and praise are big motivators for reluctant readers to pick up a book. At BSAK, we use the Accelerated Reader programme to reward eager readers, but incentives can come in any form, and can be speciďŹ c to your family. If children know there is a positive outcome to them ďŹ nishing a book, you should see an increased enthusiasm for their daily reading routine.

Lead by example. Children should see adults reading everyday. Modelling reading behaviours is paramount, as it reinforces the culture of reading for pleasure and enjoyment that we want to nurture. Audiobooks and ebooks are equally valuable; as long as we are showing children that we are interested in reading and use the many platforms available for us to read.

Kirsch, I., de Jong, J., Lafontaine, D., McQueen, J., Mendelovits, J., & Monseur, C. (2002). Reading for change: Performance and engagement across countries: Results from PISA 2000. Paris, France: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Qian, D. D. (2002). Investigating the Relationship Between Vocabulary Knowledge and Academic Reading Performance: An Assessment Perspective. Language Learning, 52(3), 513-536.

BSAK STAFF RECOMMEND Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of homeschooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body. ‘It’s a lovely story about a girl who isn’t afraid to be different. It celebrates her uniqueness in a really authentic and honest way.’ Recommended by Mrs Wrynn Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider thinks he is a normal boy, until his uncle dies in an accident. However, Alex knows it was no accident and discovers that his uncle was actually a spy on a mission to stop a conspiracy when he died. Alex is recruited by Alan Blunt of MI6 to continue the mission. ‘The ﬁrst installment in the hugely popular spy series. Once you pick up Stormbreaker, you won’t be able to put it down.’ Recommended by Mr Sterling