PRIMARY 1 - OBJECTIVES

1. To show enjoyment in listening to stories told and read.
2. To interpret pictures and symbols.
3. To recognise that the printed word tells a story.
4. To recognise left to right, top to bottom, beginning to end.
5. To recognise the relationship between talk, writing and reading.
6. To treat books with respect.
7. To encourage visual discrimination.
8. Join in the refrains, structured play, drama, art.
9. To take part in stories, rhymes, poems, plays and respond in a variety of ways.
10. Listen to stories on tape and through the media, e.g., Tape recorder, TV, Video.
11. To recognise language of reading ‘title’, ‘illustrator’, ‘author’, question mark, fullstop etc.
12.To recognise and name some letters of the alphabet and sound of the letter.
13. To show that reading has a purpose. E.g., labels in the real world — bus stop/Exit. Very well covered in Reading 360.

ACTIVITIES AND METHODS

a. Story reading and story telling from a wide range of literature.
b. Introducing a wide range of reading activities — e.g., discussion of pictures, picture matching, simple jigsaws, e.g. nursery rhyme jigsaws, word matching.
c. Rhymes and jingles, games which emphasise sounds and numbers. A prerequisite for reading is the ability to detect rhyme. Children will be provided with plenty of opportunity to enhance this skill.

E.g. Group Rhyming
(1) Teacher says word aloud e.g., cake - or shows the children a picture as a stimulus, e.g. boy - children think of words rhyming with this - continue until possibilities are exhausted, (accept words which aren’t real, e.g. soy by, foy - as long as they rhyme).
(2) Children must pick out the word which does not rhyme - picture which doesn’t rhyme with others.
- bell, shell, gun
- toy, ball, fall.

d. Labeled wall displays — using real sentences.
e. Compiling class books — scrap books, colour corners, etc.
f. Recognition of key words in reading scheme by look and say method.
g. Recognition of key words out of context and practising the use of new words in different contexts. E.g., Children are given out boxes containing the keywords and children proceed to make up their own little sentences.
h. Shared reading experiences - big books - excellent resources with many opportunities for learning. Name the main characters or objects in a story. Name the place where the story took place. What can you tell me from the cover of a book? What does the picture tell you about the character? Language of reading - Identify familiar words from the text. Identify familiar sounds from the text.
i. Sequencing activities - nursery rhymes. Ladybird stories e.g., 3 pigs, Little Red Riding Hood. Photocopied material, e.g. - dressing for school, planting a seed, making a sandwich. Reading 360 workbooks facilitate this.
j. Compiling individual story books and reading own books made by talking about the child’s experience.
k. Recreating characters and events in art, drama, and structured play.
l. Phonic games and displays. (initial sounds).