If you are new to LLLL, you might be wondering what you should be sending home instead of a levelled reader every day?
We recommend sending home decodable books instead of levelled/predictable readers - decodable books allow children to apply the phonics knowledge you have taught them and to build fluency. We also highly recommend sending home a range of picture books for parents to read to their children for linguistic comprehension development.
Take home packs
Some schools make up a pack that lasts children the whole week, which might appeal to you if you don't have many decodable book sets yet. Packs could include:
- Milo Parent Letters - send home the letter provided for each sound in Stages 1-4. This explains what you have been teaching and provides ideas for related phonemic awareness activities and discussion to have at home.
- Picture books from the library for parents to read to children and to discuss with their children. Being read to is vital for children's linguistic comprehension development, as is the discussions that are had about the books.
- Decodable book/s and a copy of the The Book Checklist (link below). The Book Checklist allows children to record up to three reads of each decodable book. As children read the book again they will build fluency and confidence. Practice and application with decodable books is vital for children to reach mastery. Be sure to read the book at school before sending it home.
Please avoid sending your older predictable books home. Predictable texts will present children with words that children have not been taught how to decode yet and encourage guessing strategies. We want children to experience success in the classroom and at home.
- Handwriting practice using the rainbow writing sheets or similar.
- Read, write and draw (word/s, phrase/s and/or sentence). We give permission for schools to photocopy Read, Write and Draw cards. Children read the word, phrase or sentence before writing it and drawing a picture to demonstrate their comprehension.
- Speed words can be printed from our website (here) or accessed in the back of the decodable books. Children can read these as fast as they can in order, or as you point to them. You can also cut them up into cards for word sort activities.
- Mini sound swap and word building using a selection of the Mini Speed Sounds and Chants cards with a simple word chain.
- You could also explore the Pip and Tim and The Wiz Kids apps. The Apple Store does an education volume purchase plan - this allows you to assign and re-assign books to children/families.
Home reading is approached differently in every school - some don’t send any formal 'homework' and others do.
Our top tips for home reading:
- Ensure no new learning is taking place at home - just practice and application of skills and knowledge already taught in the classroom.
- The most powerful support parents can give at home in Terms 1 and 2 is discussion for oral language development and reading to their child quality storybooks. Some simple phonemic awareness games, too.
- Decodable books going home are important - we want children to build fluency and confidence, being engaged by a feeling of success and pride in what they can do.
- Don't put too much pressure on home reading and learning - play, talk, practise. :)
Choosing books to go home
- Stages 1-5: Every book in the stage practises all the sounds in the stage – so any books can be sent home after you have taught the stage.
- Stages 6&7: focus on particular PGCs so you can send those home after reading them in class - or choose a text that best suits the child's reading level.
Little Learners decodable books include the following series: Pip and Tim, The Wiz Kids and Little Learners BIG WORLD nonfiction and Tam and Pat. Lots of choice and breadth of practice. Read more here: https://www.littlelearnersloveliteracy.com.au/collections/decodable-books
Key resources and downloads: