Working out an unfamiliar word is like solving a puzzle or unlocking a code. Your child will learn a range of strategies to help them. You can encourage your child to try and read a word by:

• Segmenting or sounding out a word (c-a-t, 'cat')
• Breaking down longer words into sections (ch-il-dren, children)
• Looking for picture clues
• Using the context of the sentence
• Asking 'What would make sense?'
• Re-reading the sentence to check the meaning
• Checking for punctuation clues (commas, question marks, exclamation marks etc.

It is very helpful to get your child to re-read a book to help develop their comprehension skills and fluency. we are aiming to develop confident, fluent readers who are able to decode accurately and use expression when reading aloud.