What do we do? Trained and ready to go! A Coram Beanstalk reading helper has been trained to do a specific role meaning they will generally 'get on with it'. Their approach may differ from other reading support you have/have had in school as we do not focus on decoding or reading scheme books and will work with fewer children. To make the most of your reading helper have a look through the information below to understand their approach. Session timings Reading helpers will see the same 3 or 4 children on each visit to school, often for a full year. A session will last between 20-30 minutes taking place outside of the classroom. Typically children will be collected from their classroom at the same time each week, however, if a child doesn't want to miss their favourite lesson they will vary the order of the children to accommodate this. Session content A typical session will change over time, in the early days reading helpers will focus on getting to know the children, this helps trust to build and informs the choice of reading materials. Books are shared alongside activity sheets that encourage exploration, conversation and interaction. Reading helpers will read to the children and they will talk to develop reading skills and interest. As the weeks pass, children build their confidence and will be more likely to share the reading. Watch an overview here Books When we begin with a new school we send out a starter pack of books, these are chosen to engage children and help reading helpers to uncover their individual interests. We refresh this pack every three years. Reading helpers will also source books from the school and/or local library. We don't encourage the use of reading scheme books as we firmly believe reading for pleasure is the best way to promote reading enjoyment. If a child is reading and meets an unfamiliar word the reading helper will maintain fluency by giving them the whole word rather than ask to sound out. Any queries get in touch by calling 0207 729 4087 or email: [email protected] Manage Cookie Preferences