What Do Parents Need to Notice and Know about Home Reading?

"Reading is the most important subject in school. Why? Because a child needs reading in order to master most of the other subjects. It's extremely difficult to do word problems in math if you can't read the words. How can you answer the questions in social studies or science if you can't read or understand the textbook?"  

                                                               - Jim Trelease (The Read Aloud Handbook)

Although I think it is a great idea to involve parents with supporting the learning of reading at home, I am puzzled why there is sometimes an automatic assumption parents will know what to do to best support their children with home reading. Or, at least it seems to me that this is often the case - teachers send home numerous emails/letters/notes/etc near the beginning of the school year indicating what's expected of parents to support home reading and then there is the assumption all will proceed according to plan. But who's plan? And how? There is great potential in home reading, I think, but also considerable peril in assuming support at home is homogenous or even accessible. 

Over the course of this school year, my goal is to really explore options and possibilities presented by home reading opportunities - because I really do think this is a most exciting way for parents and children to connect in the pursuit of the most important learning a child might acquire.  Somehow though, I think we need to re-navigate the purpose and the practicalities of home reading to help all of us - parents, teachers and children - to see this as a valuable, engaging and beneficial learning adventure!

This is the time of year to begin exploring the home reading options schools offer, for not every school suggests home-supported reading while others have well-established expectations for both parents and students. Parents will need to take note of school or classroom expectations related to home reading, and might be interested in asking logistical questions of teachers, such as:

• do you have expectations students will read at home?
• if so, how often?
• what are the requirements associated with home reading in your class?
• where do the children get their home reading books? who chooses them?
• how frequently should reading at home happen? are there page requirements, or specific chapters, that are required reading on a daily basis? 
• what is the expected structure for reporting home reading - or is there one? do parents need to sign a reading log daily? do students need to write in response to what they have read? if so, how often?
• what about busy nights at home - how do they get accounted for with home reading?
• how are books borrowed and returned to school?
• are children allowed/encouraged to read books from home?
• who should read with the student? (any family member? different or same family members? 
• is there a reading log to complete? who is responsible for it? what if it comes home unsigned by the school? or to school unsigned by the parent?
• will participating in home reading improve the child's grade or is the expectation it will improve performance but is not given consideration as a grade overall?  

Once parents feel they have a satisfactory understanding of the logistics expected related to home reading, there are some other considerations that require attention before home-supported reading can proceed successfully. These considerations are primarily about your child and their current status and progress as a reader:

• what is my child's relationships with books at home?
• where is my child as a reader? What is a most favourite book they like to read or to have read aloud to them? Can they explain why they love that particular story?
• Do they like to be read to already? Are they attempting any reading on their own? Or do they require a nudge to try reading on their own? 
• Do they choose favourite books to read independently? Or are they reluctant to choose one on their own, for whatever reason?  
• what is my relationship with my child regarding reading? Do we already struggle to find time to read together? Is reading a pleasant past time or a struggle? Do I find it frustrating to read with my child already?
• has my child memorized any favourite short books at home, 'pretend reading' them to me? 
• how accessible are books for my child at home? Are there children's books in our home? Do we visit a public library on occasion? Where does my child choose their books from - either to read independently or to listen to as a read aloud
• does my child already listen to books digitally? 
• are there favourite genres my child prefers (such as sports, adventure, how-to books, etc)

I believe home reading could become a considerable struggle with limited benefits for both child and parent if these pre-considerations are overlooked. While home reading is not, in my opinion, in any way an abdication of teaching responsibilities to parents (as I once was asked), it definitely has a much greater chance of being a successful support for students if it is invested in with care and attention prior to actually beginning to become an expectation between home and school.  This is the time of year to be attentive to exploring such pre-conditions - it is always better to begin an adventure when you have a good sense of the terrain ahead!

Lorraine Kinsman,
Principal