Reading out loud in Yr 3

[SuperScribbler]

DS is in Yr 3 and can read pretty much anything now. His school books are at the How to Train a Your Dragon level (no idea what actual band/level this is as his school don't use them). Anyway his homework guidelines simply say that he should read out loud to me every day. So I have been asking him to read 2 pages to me and then the rest to himself (he probably reads for about 30 minutes altogether and then his own books for another 15 minutes at bedtime). But is this enough reading out loud? Some other mums seem to get their children to read the whole of the books to them and although I've asked the teacher via his reading log book I've had no answer. How much out loud reading should Yr 3s be doing?

The recommendation at DC's school in Year 3 is that the DC should read aloud for 10 minutes at least 3 times a week to an adult - they can then read the rest of the book to themselves if they wish.

I think this is good practise as reading aloud is a different skill to reading in your head, plus you can pick up words they are skipping over when they read to themselves. If they had to read the whole book aloud you could be there for months (and DS insisted on doing just this, so I think we got through about 4 books in the whole of year 3!)

My DD who is in Y3 can choose her own books, or read books from home so we do a mixture of reading aloud (which I note in her reading book at the 3 times a week allocated and it is usually between 1-3 chapters a day (but would equate to 10 to 15 mins of reading aloud), and her reading on her own.

At that level, reading 2 pages each day sounds fine, but I would also spend at least a few minutes discussing the book as well.

When listening to him read, look out for fluency, expression and ability to accurately decode new words.

During discussion, look out for:
Can he accurately summarise the story?
Can he describe the main characters, both appearance and personality?
Can he refer back to the text? (e.g. 'I think he's quite kind because in this chapter he helps the old lady')
Can he recognise and describe patterns? (e.g. 'Roald Dahl uses lots of made-up words like snozzcumbers')
Can he make inferences? ('It says the character's mum snapped at him. She sounded cross but I think she was really worried about him.')
Can he explain why he thinks the author used a particular word or phrase, and how it affects the reader?
Can he use the contents page/index/glossary etc?

Of course you won't do all of this at once! But these kinds of skills are really important to develop.

Its important to hear him read aloud to ensure he is reading accurately and not skipping words or making substitutions. As MrsCastle says it is just as imprtant to talk about what he has read to develop vocabulary and understanding.

My dc says they understand and can read their books but it is obvious when he reads aloud just how much he can't even pronounce, let alone know the meaning of.

Anyway, we read every night.