"Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able to (1) decode what they read; (2) make connections between what they read and what they already know; and (3) think deeply about what they have read".
It all starts in the early years...
Dear PPH Parents,
A note went home in your child’s bag today regarding our Comprehension packs. The packs contain a clear zip lock bag with a story book and a set of questions.Each child will receive a new book every Tuesday to take home for a shared reading experience.
Why:
Learning to read involves much more than just recognising and sounding out words on a page. Children can learn to memorise and repeat words all day long but if they don’t have the necessary comprehension skills they won’t be able to continue being successful independent readers. When children understand whats been read to them, they can make predictions of what may happen next, follow the story structure easier, make connections with the text and have ago at decoding unfamiliar words more sucessfully.
What to do:
Talk to your child about the cover page of the book first. Read the title. Then you might ask, What do you think the story might be about? Where is it? Who may be in the story?
Then read each page out aloud to your child. Have the question sheet close by ready to ask the question related to each page. This will allow your child to listen as a parent monitors their understanding of the text and illustrations.
You may choose to read or talk about the story first then go back for a second reading and ask the questions. The child has the book for a week so it’s important to share the book more than once and see what your child can remember about the story.
Below is a picture of what is in the zip lock bag that will be sent home. A new book will be given out every Tuesday on library day. Your child will get a book out for library in their green bag and be given their comprehension pack in their clear zip lock bag.
To make it easier both book bags can be brought back to school every Monday ready for Tuesday. This means, each book can be kept for a week.
If a comprehension bag is not brought back, your child won’t receive a new one and it muddles up the whole numbering system ready for the next child to have a different book.
Happy sharing and taking!
Thank you for your support,
Miss Horrocks
