How we read — an exercise for teachers and parents challenges adults to think about what they do when they read by engaging in a reading experience similar to that of beginning readers.
The exercise consists of a familiar story presented in an unfamiliar font. Be warned: the story has an unfamiliar ending.
Those involved in the task are asked to use reading, rather than code-breaking, skills to read the text.
The exercise demonstrates the importance of activating prior knowledge before reading. It shows that there is more to reading than just the print on the page and that effective readers draw on a range of strategies to help them unlock text.
The exercise is suitable for presenting at parent sessions or in teacher discussions when the focus is on how we read and how children learn to read. It is also suitable for independent professional development.
A printable version of the story can be accessed from within the resource.
Note: While this resource can be accessed on mobile devices, functionality is optimised when accessed on a computer.
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