Being Reading Detectives
- A Meeting for Parents
Thursday 27th February 2014
The Power of Reading for
Pleasure and Purpose








TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the
fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open a child's
imagination. Open a book.
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen
from one to another mind.
Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants
and charts which other men have prepared to help us
navigate the dangerous seas of human life.
Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time.
To read without reflecting is like eating without
digesting.
The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a
better understanding of life from one's encounter with
it in a book.
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
That is a good book which is opened with expectation
and closed with profit.
Why is Reading still important?
Diamond Ranking
Activity:
Most Important
Least Important

We asked the parents to
rank nine reasons why
Reading is still important.
 The discussion generated
came to the conclusion
that it is our own values
that determine why we all
feel Reading is still
important.
 The results follow:
Why is Reading still important?
8th= Reading is important because it develops
the mind. The mind needs exercise.
Understanding the written word is one way the
mind grows in its ability. Teaching children to
read helps them develop their language skills. It
also helps them learn to listen. Everybody
wants to talk, but few can really listen. Lack of
listening skills can result in major
misunderstandings and other disasters - small
and great. Reading helps children [and adults]
focus on what someone else is communicating.
Why is Reading still important?
8th= Good reading skills, especially in a phonics
reading program, improve spelling. As children
learn to sound out letters and words, spelling
comes more easily. Also, reading helps to
expand the vocabulary. Reading new words
puts them in children’s minds for later use.
Seeing how words are used in different contexts
can give a better understanding of the word
usage and definitions than the cold facts of a
dictionary.
Why is Reading still important?
7th- Reading is fundamental in developing a
good self-image. Non-readers or poor readers
often have low opinions of themselves and their
abilities. Many times they feel as if the world is
against them. They feel isolated [everybody
else can read - which isn't true] and behaviour
problems can surface. They can perform poorly
in other subjects because they cannot read and
understand the material and so tend to "give
up."
Why is Reading still important?
6th- Reading is important because it develops
the creative side of people. When reading to
children, stop every once in a while and ask
them what they think is going to happen next.
Get them thinking about the story. When it is
finished, ask if they could think of a better
ending or anything that would have improved it.
If they really liked the story, encourage them to
illustrate it with their own drawings or to make
up a different story with the same characters.
Get the creative juices flowing!
Why is Reading still important?
5th- Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job.
Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part
of job performance. There are reports and
memos which must be read and responded to.
Poor reading skills increase the amount of time
it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A
person is limited in what they can accomplish
without good reading and comprehension skills.
Why is Reading still important?
4th- Reading is important because it is how we
discover new things. Books, magazines and
even the Internet are great learning tools which
require the ability to read and understand what
is read. A person who knows how to read can
educate themselves in any area of life they are
interested in. We live in an age where we
overflow with information, but reading is the
main way to take advantage of it.
Why is Reading still important?
3rd- Reading is important because it develops
the imagination. TV and computer games have
their place, but they are more like amusement.
Amusement comes from two words "a" [non]
and "muse" [think]. Amusement often focuses
on non-thinking activities. With reading, a
person can go anywhere in the world...or even
out of it! They can be a king, or an adventurer,
or a princess, or... the possibilities are endless.
Why is Reading still important?
2nd- Reading is fundamental to function in
today's society. Many simple tasks are difficult if
you can’t read. There are many adults who
cannot read well enough to understand the
instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a
scary thought - especially for their children.
Filling out forms or applications becomes
impossible without help. Reading road or
warning signs is difficult. Even following a map
becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that
many people take for granted become a source
of frustration, anger and fear.
Why is Reading still important?
1st- Reading is important because words spoken and written - are the building blocks of
life. You are, right now, the result of words that
you have heard or read AND believed about
yourself. What you become in the future will
depend on the words you believe about yourself
now. People, families, relationships, and even
nations are built from words. Think about it!
Why is Reading still important?
Reading opportunities at home?
The parents were now invited to discuss and
generate on paper the opportunities that exist
for reading at home, such as:
 Reading themselves (preparing for work the
next day, checking a recipe for evening meal,
sorting the important post from junk mail, etc.)
 Reading with child (during evening, bedtime)
 Reading a good book (though the pressures
of life often constrain this opportunity!)
A National Survey on
Reading with Children
Parents play a pivotal role in their children’s
education and literacy is one of the areas where
parents have the relatively simple facilities,
such as books or other reading materials, to
become involved and to make a significant
difference. In addition to reading with their
children, parents can also show them that they
value reading as a worthwhile activity by
encouraging them to read and by reading
themselves.
A National Survey on
Reading with Children

This report shows that what parents say, and
what they do, can have a considerable impact
on young people’s reading enjoyment,
confidence and attainment.
 Parents can get involved with their children’s
reading in a variety of ways. One simple but
effective way is to encourage them to read.
A National Survey on
Reading with Children

Young people who get a lot of
encouragement to read from their mother or
father are more likely to perceive themselves
as readers, to enjoy reading, to read
frequently and to have positive attitudes
towards reading compared to young people
who do not get any encouragement to read
from their mother or father.
A National Survey on
Reading with Children

48% of young people who read above the
expected level for their age say that their
mother encourages them to read a lot. Only
29% of young people who read below their
expected level also say their mother
encourages them to read a lot. Similarly,
young people who read below the expected
level for their age are four times more likely
than those who read above the expected
level to say that their father does not
encourage them to read at all.
Reading opportunities at home

Reading is important because it develops the
creative side of people.
 Reading is important because it is how we
discover new things.
 So it is important that children read for both
pleasure and purpose!
Becoming Reading Detectives
Parents can get involved with their children’s
reading in a variety of ways. One simple but
effective way is to encourage them to read.
 The act of Reading (or decoding) is only one
part of the fascinating jigsaw that makes up
what we read!
 So we must also encourage children to
become ‘reading detectives’ and to delve
deeper into what they are actually reading!

What is Reading?

In school, we encourage children to read for
pleasure as often as possible
 We also work with every child in a Guided
Reading group at least once every week to
develop a broader range of reading skills 
 Reading (or decoding) is only one seventh of
the reading skills that we can help children to
develop and it is those other six sevenths that
we would like us all to work on with them,
 Here are the seven broader reading skills…
What is Reading?
Reading Skills
Decoding & Reading for
Meaning
Understand, Select &
Retrieve Information
Deduce, Infer & Interpret
Information
Identify & Comment on
Organisation of Texts
Explain & Comment on
Writers' Use of Language
Identify & Comment on
Writers' Viewpoints
Relate texts to
social/cultural/historical
context
How does Guided Reading differ
from other types of reading?

All children take part in a Guided Reading
session during the week.
 These are timetabled out of the English lesson.
 During the session, a range of texts including fiction,
non-fiction, poetry and ICT may be used.
 The sessions are structured, five part sessions; the
teacher or TA will use a consistent structure to enable
the children to practise skills supported by the text.
 The group (of around six children) will all have the
same text, pitched just above their independent
reading level.
What makes Guided Reading
so important?



As the children are working in a small
group of similar ability, it affords the
teacher or TA the opportunity to engage
in a quality discussion with them.
The quality of this interaction between
the teacher/TA and children enables the
children to really think about the books
they are reading, and to delve beneath
the surface of the words. It promotes
many higher order reading skills.
Thus, the children develop as proficient
readers with an ever-growing range of
reading skills.
What is the structure of a typical
Guided Reading session?

Book Introduction
 Strategy Check
 Independent Session
 Return/respond to the text
 Follow up task *
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



How could we maintain the
pleasure of reading whilst
also developing children’s
natural inquisitiveness?
First of all, reading with
your child is still really
important, whatever their
age or reading ability!
We read this passage with
the two of us taking on the
roles of the two characters,
Mr Tom and the Billeting
Officer.
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



After reading the passage
together, Mrs Colledge (in
the role of ‘mum’!) asked
her child (Mr Gaston-Nash!)
some questions about it.
So what sorts of questions
would encourage children to
delve deeper?
‘Reading Prompt Book’ has
some suggestions which
you can use to help come
up with some questions!
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?

Each of the six other
aspects of Reading has a
page with a selection of
suggested questions that
can be used with children
to help develop their
‘reading detective’ skills
and delve deeper into the
hidden meaning of the text
they are reading!
(NB – They are only suggested
questions and not a list that you
must use with every book!)
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



Mrs Colledge began by
asking a question from AF2
(NB – AF = Area of Focus)
which is understanding,
describing, selecting and
retrieving information.
How does the author
describe the other children?
“She says they were ‘filthy
and very poorly clad’. So
they looked dirty and were
wearing very simple
clothes.”
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?

Next Mrs Colledge asked a
question from AF3 which is
to deduce, infer and
understand information.
 How does the woman feel?
 “She felt ‘harassed’.”
 Is there any other evidence
to go with this?
 “Well, she was smiling
awkwardly and she ‘flushed
slightly’ so she must have
felt kind of uneasy.”
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?




Then Mrs Colledge asked a
question from AF4 which is
about the text organisation.
Why did the author choose
to change paragraph here?
Read it first to make sense
of what is happening.
After reading, “Mr Oakley
has asked ‘What others?’
and rather than answer, she
moves to show him so it’s
drawing your attention to it.”
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



After that she asked a
question from AF5 which is
to explain and comment on
the writer’s use of language.
What words has the author
used to show what Mr
Oakley is like?
“Well it says he spoke
‘bluntly’ when he first
answered the door so he’s
not a very patient person.”
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



Finally, Mrs Colledge asked
a question from AF7 which
is to relate the text to its
social, historical or cultural
tradition (NB – AF6 tends to be
used after reading more of the story).
When is the story set?
“Well it says the woman is
wearing a ‘felt hat’ and has
an ‘armband on her sleeve’
so I think it might be set
back in the time of the war.”
Becoming Reading Detectives –
How can we encourage this?



Hopefully those examples
will help to show how to get
the children to delve deeper
into what they are reading!
It is also useful to
encourage them to find the
exact ‘quote’ from the text
that is the evidence to
support their answer.
This is an important skill so
it helps to practise it as
soon as the children are
ready to do so!
And finally…

Oxford Owl –
here’s a
wonderful
online world
full of ideas
for Reading!
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/