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Reading Record

Recording in your child’s Reading Record:

When you hear your child read, please record a comment in their Reading Record and date it. It is really helpful if you are able to focus the comments that you make on one of the following areas (don’t make the job too onerous by trying to comment on everything every time):

The strategies they are using to decode the text

  • Are they using the pictures well to suggest what is happening in the text?
  • Have they used (or tried to use) their phonics to tackle words? Which sounds are they recognising confidently?
  • Are they breaking words up into smaller parts such as syllables?
  • Did you notice your child reading particular words on sight? Which words?
  • Have they been able to read in the context of a text any of the ‘tricky words’ they have been practising in isolation?

Their comprehension of the text

  • Have they picked up on repeated phrases or sequences of events?
  • Was your child able to predict what was going to happen next?
  • Did they recognise for themselves where something they ‘misread’ did not make sense?
  • Could they suggest why a particular character behaved in a certain way?
  • Were they able to re-tell a story in their own words?

Their enjoyment of the text

  • Could they say whether they had enjoyed the text or not? Were they able to give a reason why?
  • Can they talk about their favourite part of a text or their favourite character in a story?
  • Are they able to identify the most exciting part of a story?
  • Did they draw any comparisons with other stories they have enjoyed?
  • As you listen to your children read or share stories with them, please adopt a ‘can-do approach’ by focussing on what they can do. Praise and record the achievements they make, however small, on their journey to becoming independent readers.

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world
Philip Pullman


Reading Record – further guidance