Author: Rosanna Justice

Book Bag Books

Reading at home is one of the most valuable learning experiences you can provide your child.
This booklet is a guide on how to use our ‘Book Bag Books’ with your child to continue to develop the stepping stones they need to become confident, fluent and expressive readers in the future.

Why have we chosen Read Write Inc. Book Bag Books?
Research suggests the importance of children reading books that match their phonic knowledge. They need to be able to confidently practise what they already know.

Read Write Inc. provide ‘Book Bag Books’ that closely match your child’s phonic knowledge.
These books will have sounds and some words in that your child will have already been taught, therefore enabling them to read the book with confidence.
In turn, this will improve their pace, fluency and understanding of what they have read.
The books will also link to a text they have already read in school, giving the text more context.

Before reading:

Share the front cover with the children and if possible link to any known experiences.

Ask your child to predict what the story might be about and ask why they think that. Encourage them to explain their ideas and opinions.

Before reading:

The first page in the book gives guidance on how to help your child read this book.
Please read this part carefully as it can change, especially when your child is reading a non-fiction book.

On the same page the book has ‘Story Green Words’ and ‘Red Words’ that the children will come across in the book.
Practising these words prior to reading the book will help children read more fluently and with a better understanding.

Before reading:

In some books there is a ‘Vocabulary check’. It is important to tell your child the meaning of each word in the context of the book. This will improve their understanding as they come across the vocabulary within the text.

Whilst reading:

Re-read each sentence or page to keep the plot moving.
If your child hesitates, help them to sound-blend (Fred talk) the word.
Don’t make your child struggle too much and praise them when they succeed.

You’ll notice the red words they practised before reading the book are in red text to help the child remember they are more difficult words to read.

After reading:

At the end of each book there are ‘Questions to chat about’. These are to help your child show their understanding of the text, developing essential comprehension skills.

This part shows which page/pages the child needs to turn to in order to help them answer the question.
It would be good to ask your child to point to the word/phrase/picture that helps them answer the question as they will use this skill in school when developing their comprehension skills.

After reading:

As children move through the books there might also be ‘Questions to read and answer’ at the back of the book.

This is also a significant activity to do as it again builds on children’s comprehension skills and develops their understanding of what they have read.

After reading:

Depending on whether the book is a fiction or non-fiction text, children will also have the opportunity to either
‘retell the story’ or ‘think about the text’.

Important note:
Please make time to read to your child.
We need to read books to children that
are beyond the level they can read for
themselves. Children will only want to
become readers if they experience they
joy of listening to a range of stories, non-
fiction and poetry. It is really important for
your child to hear fluent, expressive
reading. This is why children also bring home a
‘Family Sharing Book’ from our ‘Family Sharing
Library’ or from their own book areas in their classrooms.
Answering questions about what they have
listened to is also a way to develop
children’s comprehension.

Children need to be re-reading their books at least three times a week. This will improve their confidence, fluency and comprehension.

Most importantly… enjoy reading with your child!
Develop a ‘love for reading’ culture in your home.

We appreciate this might be a lot of information so if you have any questions please speak to your child’s class teacher.

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