The Home-School Reading Study Guidelines
This Home-School Reading Programme has been designed as part of a research study which is being led by Rachel Walker. It aims to examine how school staff and parents can work together to help children with autism learn to read and to develop home-reading practices. It also aims to measure the impact of home-school reading on pupil progress.
Reading Books, Resources and/or Activities
The Home-School Reading Programme will last for 12 weeks. During this time, your child’s class teacher will work with you to provide reading activities and advice to help you read with your child at home. The choice of books or activities will be dependent upon what is suitable for you and your child. The books/resources will be changed weekly. Please try to do each reading activity with your child at least three times (three reading sessions with the same book/resources each week).
Note-keeping
We would like you to use this diary to keep a record of how you have been getting on and to tell your child’s class teacher about what is going well and what isn’t, so that they can understand how best to help you and your child.
Using Video to Monitor Changes Skills and Progress
It would be very helpful for the study if you could film a home-reading session with your child during Week 1, Week 6 and Week 12 (once at the start of the study, once half-way through and once during the last week). The videos should be of typical reading sessions, using the resources which have been sent home by the school. Each video does not have to be very long (anything from less than a minute up to ten minutes at most).This will help us to see if and how you and your child have progressed during the twelve weeks and to see any differences in your child’s reading at home and at school. We will also try to film your child doing reading activities with a staff member so that you can see how he or she is getting on in school. Please let Rachel Walker know if you will have difficulty making home videos. If you do not have an appropriate device to film with (e.g. video camera or mobile phone), or if there is no-one else at home who could do this for you, Rachel may be able to arrange a home visit. You can send/give your videos to Rachel by saving them onto a disk or a memory stick, or by emailing them to the school office. If you would like help to do this, please let Rachel know.
At the end of the 12 week study, we would like to invite you in to review the videos with us (Rachel and your child’s class teacher). Rachel will also interview you about how the programme has been for you and your child and the support you have received during the programme.
164 Writing up the project
Following the 12 week study, all data and evidence (videos, comments, diary notes and interview transcripts) will be collected and stored securely by Rachel. They will be analysed and the findings will be written up as a doctoral thesis, towards Rachel’s Doctor in Education Degree. Findings will also be shared with parents and staff. All reasonable steps will be taken to provide anonymity for all participants. This work is being done under the supervision of Dr xxxx and Dr zzzzz at the Institute of Education, London. If you have any further questions, please contact Rachel via the school office, or using the following email address: [email protected]
Pre-Reading Skills
(taken from Parent Workshop on 3rd December, 2013)
Some guidelines for reading with your child
Prepare your resources
Make sure all the things you will need (book, associated props/toys, symbols, photos etc.) are ready. You may want to put the props in a special box or bag so that they are out of sight until you need them.
Choose a quiet time
Set aside a quiet time. Limit distractions (turn off TV, music, computer etc.). Five to ten minutes every day is usually long enough. 'Little and often' is best.
Gain and maintain your child’s attention
Get your child’s attention by starting with some interaction which they enjoy e.g. an interactive song or rhyme or using a toy they really like. When reading books, looking at and naming related props and toys, show your own interest and excitement in what you are doing by using
expression in your voice and using animated actions.
Demonstrate clearly
When demonstrating (or ‘modelling’) reading behaviours, be very obvious about what you are doing. If you can, get your child to do the action/task with your hand over theirs, guiding them. For example, when turning a page, help your child to grip the edge of the page with your hand over theirs and say “We’re turning the page” as you do it, stressing the key words.
Be positive
If your child demonstrates one of the ‘pre-reading behaviours’, praise them. Make sure your praise is specific e.g. “Well done for turning the page” rather than just “Good reading”. Ignore undesirable behaviours if possible.
Early reading behaviours
Making sure the book is the right way up Working through a book from front to back
Moving from left to right on the page – following the direction of text Looking at one page at a time
Looking at pictures
Listening to words and sounds
Responding to word and sound rhythms and rhyme Matching items to pictures and words
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Emergent Reading Skills
(taken from Parent Workshop on 5th December, 2013)
Some guidelines for listening to your child read
Choose a quiet time
Set aside a quiet time. Limit distractions. Ten minutes every day is usually long enough. 'Little and often' is best.
Set the scene
Before reading, look at the cover or illustrations together and discuss what the book might be about.
Maintain the flow
If your child mispronounces a word do not interrupt immediately. Instead allow opportunity for self-correction. It is better to tell a child some unknown words to maintain the flow rather than insisting on trying to build them all up from the sounds of the letters. If your child does try to 'sound out' words, encourage the use of letter sounds rather than letter names.
Be positive
If your child says something nearly right to start with that is fine. You can say 'Let's read it together' and point to the words as you say them. Read together up to the error and show your child how to solve a new word. Boost your child's confidence with praise for even the smallest achievement. Make sure your praise is specific e.g. “Well done for using your letter sounds” rather than just “Good reading”.
Don’t rush to correct mistakes unless it significantly alters the meaning.
Encourage reading with expression
Offer to read character parts yourself. Encourage your child to put expression into the reading by demonstrating to them how the character might sound.
Strategies to use when your child gets to a tricky word
Let your child try to work out the word. Use the following ‘cues’ to prompt them or to test whether their suggestion is right.
Visual cues – Does is look right? Does the letter pattern help in guessing the word?
Meaning cues – Does it make sense? Does it match what is happening in the pictures? Is it right for the context/setting of the book or story?
Structure cues – Does it sound right? Read the sentence again – does it sound like a language pattern the child knows? Are the words in the right order?
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