Reading Together Programme

Reading Together is a research-based workshop programme designed to provide parents with tips and strategies to support their children more effectively as they learn to read. One of the things that really helps children to become good readers is support from home. The Reading Together workshops show parents how best to do this. Reading is an important part of children’s education. The programme consists of four workshops, each approximately one hour long. 

This year at Glenbrook School Piwakawaka Team teachers ran two Reading Together programmes. The first in Term 2, then again in Term 4. We had 11 families involved who attended the workshops and have found the programme very helpful. 

Feedback from parents and whanau who have been involved in Reading Together 2019:

• “Love this programme as it has helped me with new ways to read to my child. Also has helped me to understand how hard it is for children to learn to read.”
• “A really good programme, especially as I am a first time school mum so it gives a good introduction to reading in a school session.”

Purpose:         

To show parents additional ways in which they can help their children

Children to gain a better understanding and enjoyment from reading.

Programme Structure

Workshop 1: How to help with reading at home

1. Introduction – an overview of Reading Together.
2. Your child as a reading – sharing your ideas and experiences.
3. Ways of helping your child with reading – explanation, demonstration and discussion.
4. Finding time to help at home.
5. Using libraries.

Workshop 2: How to check the difficulty level of reading materials

1. Sharing experiences.
2. Find and using the right material with your child.
3. Helping your child to read suitable material.

Workshop 3: How to help children overcome problems in their reading

1. Sharing experiences (including books enjoyed at home).
2. Ideas about how we read and what helps us to read.
3. More ways of helping children, especially when they cannot recognise a word.
4. Trying these ideas and a group.

Workshop 4: Sharing ideas about reading, giving feedback and looking ahead

1. Sharing progress and experiences.
2. Others ideas about learning to read.
3. Giving feedback about Reading Together.
4. Ways of keeping up the support at home.
5. Looking ahead to other possibilities.

Feedback 2019

• “My method of reading with my child has changed. I no longer pressure him into “he should” know the word, instead I let him take his time and find his own way of discovering the words.”

• “It has given me new ideas to helping my child with his reading. It’s also been a real eye opener to just how difficult reading really is and has made me understand it. This programme has really given me confidence.“My method of reading with my child has changed. I no longer pressure him into “he should” know the word, instead I let him take his time and find his own way of discovering the words.”

• “This programme was very important to me about my child cause my son big change for me about his reading.”

• “This programme help me a lot, now I have leart that it is very good to off the TV whenever we want to read.“

• “I found this programme really helpful. It’s helped a lot not only for my child but for myself as well. I have a lot of patience and now my child loves to read.“