QAHS Cluster Reading Together – Helpful Hints for Parents and Carers
Curriculum for Excellence Level: Early Securing
Pupil Name: ___________________________________ Date level started: __________________
Enjoyment and Choice
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I can …
I can actively participate in songs, rhymes and
stories by keeping the beat or completing a
missing rhyme.
I can say all of the core phonemes.
I can generate rhyme.
I can generate alliteration.
I can identify the words in spoken sentences.
I can identify and use syllables in words.
I can identify and use some phonemes in spoken
words.
I can choose a story, book or text to share with
others.
I actively participate in story telling sessions by
predicting and anticipating what will happen,
asking questions and recognising repeated
phrases.
I can state my preferences and explain why I
like some texts.
What can we do at home?
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Build in reading and talking to the bedtime
routine.
Read a mix of stories and information books.
Visit the local library or bookshop.
Let you child see you reading for enjoyment;
books, newspapers, websites.
Sing nursery rhymes and traditional songs.
Get siblings to read to each other.
Discuss with your child if they liked the book.
Why?
Say the lower case alphabet with your child.
Make reading a fun, happy time.
Tools for Reading
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I can …
I can recognise some words in the environment
by their shape or feature.
I can actively participate in songs, rhymes and
stories by keeping the beat or completing a
missing rhyme.
I can generate rhyming words.
I can generate alliteration.
I can identify syllables in words and synthesise
words from broken syllables.
I can count the words in a spoken sentence.
In my normal speech I can produce the core
phonemes clearly.
I can identify the single sounds in spoken
words.
I know that letters are used in print.
I can select the letter for a spoken sound.
I can say the phoneme for a given letter.
I can say the names and sounds for lower case
letters.
I can say the names and sounds for upper case
letters.
I can identify phonemes at the start, end or
middle of words.
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What can we do at home?
Read to your child on a daily basis: stories,
signs, labels, words around you when out and
about.
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Look for letters, numbers and words.
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Look for letters in words e.g. go around the
house looking for ‘s’ or the supermarket looking
for words with ‘t’ in them.
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Practise your child’s phonics (sounds) that they
have been learning in school at home.
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Ask:
“What sound comes at the beginning of sun?”
“What sound comes at the end of dog?”
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Share rhyming stories with your child and
encourage them to guess what the rhyming
word will be at the end of the sentence;
“ In the play ground it’s fun,
The boys and girls like to … (run)”
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I can identify long/short vowel sounds.
I can blend phonemes to make words.
I can make CVC words.
I can make CCVC words.
I can make CVCC words.
I add some morphemes to make new words e.g.
–ing, -ed.
I can spell some irregular words correctly.
I can use my knowledge of sounds and letters
to help me with the texts I read.
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Use magnetic letters to build words:
(C = consonant V = vowel)
CVC – dog, top, bin, tub
CCVC – ship, stop, trip, crop,
CVCC – fish, sink, bank, park
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If your child is stuck on a word encourage
them to sound it out. If they are getting stuck
on a lot of words don’t get them to sound every
word out as this will take away the pleasure –
just take over the reading for a while.
Finding and Using Information
I can:
What can we do at home?
I understand that I can gain information from
o Ask your child to find information from
a variety of sources
pictures in books.
I can select the appropriate source of
information for a task
o Together, look for words and information from
I can select main points from a text
pieces of text.
appropriate to the task
I can organise the information I have selected
o Allow your child to draw a picture of what they
to share with others in a simple format
have discovered: “Dogs chase cats.”, “ Mice like
cheese.”, “David was happy.”
Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating
I can:
What can we do at home?
I can predict details, actions and outcomes in
o Ask your child to draw a picture about a story
texts.
they have read and tell you about it.
I can answer simple literal questions about
o Discuss the story.
texts.
o Ask questions: Who? What? Where? When?
I can ask simple literal questions about a text.
Why?
I can answer simple inferential questions about
o Allow you child to retell you the story.
texts.
o Talk about how different characters are
I can talk about my own similar experiences
feeling.
after engaging with a text.
o How would they feel?
I can talk about events and characters in texts.
o Throughout a story ask your child what they
I can retell a story in different ways including
might happen next.
role play, puppets and drawing.
o Relate stories/reading to events in their lives:
I can empathise with characters and talk about
o “Do you remember when …?”
their feelings.
I can make judgements about characters and
events relevant to the texts.