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Example books to read together#

'Eggshell' and 'The Biggest Snake in History' are examples of the kinds of books your child will be reading in the fifth year at school. You can use the slides to read them with your child.

Eggshell#

The Biggest Snake in History#

The Biggest Snake in History slides

'Eggshell' and 'The Biggest Snake in History' are examples of the kinds of books your child will be reading in the fifth year at school. You can use the slides below to read them with your child.

Reading books your child brings home from school#

In Year 5, your child is learning to read and understand more complex texts and to develop their comprehension strategies.

The books they bring home could include fiction and non-fiction. Often, they will have chosen the books themselves from the school library. If you’re helping your child to select books from your local library, encourage them to be adventurous. It’s good to read a variety of titles, including fiction and non-fiction.

Encouraging your child to read at home is a great opportunity to develop their reading skills by improving their fluency and comprehension.

Before reading#

  • Find a quiet place to read together. Choose a time when you both have the energy to enjoy it.
  • Be positive about this time. "Great! A new book.'"
  • Activate their thinking. "What’s your book about today?" "Why did you choose it?" "Have you read any other titles by the same author?" "Is it part of a series?"
  • Look at the cover to make predictions about the content.
  • Encourage your child so that reading is a positive experience. "I like hearing you read."

Reading the book#

  • Encourage your child to start reading. "Okay, let’s go. Read the first page for me."
  • If your child is reluctant, acknowledge their feelings and offer encouragement. "I can see you’re getting better each time." Offer alternatives, for example, read the first page to get them going or take turns to read a page.
  • Read to the end of the page, book, chapter or article, depending on how the reading is going.
  • Have a chat with your child about any new words they come across.
  • If you’re reading a fictional story, encourage your child to 'read between the lines'. "Jack decided to make some new friends. Why do you think he did that? Were there any clues in the story?"
  • If you’re reading a non-fiction book or article, discuss any photos, maps, graphs, or other visual support. Talk about the way they add to your understanding.
  • End on a positive note and give praise. "Well done! I’m looking forward to the next thing we read together."

After reading#

  • Encourage your child to discuss the text. "Did you enjoy reading this? Why/why not?"
  • Help your child make connections to their own life. "The grandad in that story was very funny. Who’s the funniest person in our family?"
  • Discuss any new language that came up.
  • If you’ve read a story, talk about the characters and the choices they made.
  • If you read a non-fiction book or article, ask if there was anything your child would like to learn more about. "How can you find that information?"
Ideas for when the reading is hard

  • If your child stumbles over a word, give them time to work it out on their own.
  • Encourage them to sound the word out. Ask them if they think it sounds right.
  • If your child needs more help, you could ask them to find groups of letters they know, make a sound/sounds to break the word up, and then blend it together.
  • Take turns reading a sentence, a paragraph, a page, or a chapter.
  • Keep it light and positive.
  • If you or your child start to feel stressed, take a break. You could also read the rest of the story aloud to them.

Supporting reading at home#

  • Talk about books on similar topics. This helps your child to pull together ideas from different places.
  • Talk about different types of stories that are read or spoken. Articles or stories online, comics, stories, songs, non-fiction books or novels will each have different points you can talk about together.
  • Help your child to share their thinking. Get them to share opinions and talk about why they think that. Listen, even when you don’t agree with their ideas.
  • Play games that involve reading in a fun way.
  • Encourage your child to read to others. Younger brothers and sisters, family or grandparents are great audiences for practising smooth and interesting reading out loud.
  • Visit the library regularly. Help your child choose books they’re interested in, for example, their hobbies, interests or who they are and where they come from. Encourage them to get books out that are about what they are studying at school. They may need you to help by reading to them, as well.
  • Find books of movies or TV programmes. It can help your child to learn different ways to tell the same story if they read the stories they have watched.