How we teach reading in the early grades, and how to help at home

Every September a parent asks me some version of the same question: is my child reading on track? It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that early reading develops unevenly. What matters most is that children get the right instruction and plenty of joyful practice.

What happens in our classrooms

Our approach rests on what reading research has shown for decades. Children need explicit, systematic phonics to decode words, and they need rich language and background knowledge to understand what they read. We teach both, every day, from kindergarten.

In practice, that means a short daily phonics lesson in small groups, decodable books that let children practise exactly the sounds they have learned, and read-alouds of complex picture books and chapter books that build vocabulary. Our reading specialists screen every child three times a year so no one slips through.

Decoding gets children into the book. Language and knowledge keep them there.

Simple routines that help at home

• Read aloud for 15 to 20 minutes most nights, even after your child can read alone
• Let them read to you from the decodable books we send home, and resist correcting every slip
• Talk about the book: what surprised you, what would you have done
• Play with sounds in the car: rhymes, first sounds, I spy
• Keep a basket of books in the places your child already spends time

Notice what is not on the list: worksheets, flashcard drills or reading apps with timers. A few minutes of pleasant, focused reading beats a stressful half hour every time. If your child is tired, read to them instead. Listening to a story still builds the vocabulary and stamina they will need when the books get longer and harder.

When to ask for help

If your child is avoiding books, guessing at words from pictures well into first grade, or struggling to rhyme or blend sounds, tell their teacher. Early support is quick and effective, and our Orton-Gillingham trained specialists can work with small groups during the school day.

Above all, protect your child's love of stories. Skills come with good teaching. A child who believes books are worth the effort will keep reading long after they leave us.