Tips on how to support reading @ home | Western Cape Education Department
Tips on how support reading @ home

Tips on how to support reading @ home

9 April 2020

This week the WCED released tips and advice to parents on how promote reading activities in their home as part of the “Quality Learning @ home” series. 

The Directorate: Curriculum (General Education and Training) has suggested that parents should try to do at least three reading exercises each day with their children. These could include:

  • Re-telling a story:   Ask your child to re-tell you a story they have read.
  • Sequencing :  Ask your child what happened first?  What happened last?
  • Role-playing : Ask your child to act out a story they have read or written.
  • Word building: Build words with sounds e.g. c - a- t  cat.
  • Comprehension activities: Ask specific questions about the content in the story - What is the moral of the story or the point that a character is making and the consequences of it? 
  • Story writing: Ask your child to write a story for you, or keep a diary about their day. 
  • Book making: Make and write a book or draw a story. 

They also released a guide for parents of learners in Grades 1-3 on how they can measure their child’s reading skills. 

Their child should be able to read: 

  • Grade 1
    • By end of term 1 -  10 words per minute
    • By end of term 2 - 20 words per minute
  • Grade 2
    • By the end of term 1 -  50 words per minute
    • By the end of term 2 - 60 words per minute
  • Grade 3
    • By the end of term 1 – 100 words per minute
    • By the end of term 2 -120 words per minute
    • Parents should keep track of the words per minute their child is readi

      ng and see if there is improvement.

The WCED has put together a list of free reading resources for learners and activities for parents at home. For links to these sites, please visit: https://wcedeportal.co.za/partners
This includes audio books, free digital book downloads, picture storybooks for early reading, materials on how to teach reading or advice on how to be a better reader.

To read the full statement, click here: https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/news/quality-reading-home-part-3