Educators need to consider the ‘big picture’ of what a child brings to learning to read, not just the skills we observe when listening to a child read a text in our classrooms or setting.

Ellis and Rowe (2020) (Ellis and Smith, 2017)) remind us that our focus as educators can often be on explicit skills associated with reading, such as decoding or fluency. However, we must consider the knowledge, experiences and interests which every child brings to the ‘learning to read’ journey.

In addition to the five components of reading (vocabulary, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency), many other factors can impact a child’s development in reading.

Other possible factors include a child’s oral language, background knowledge and prior experience, and whether the child experiences a literacy rich environment which promotes reading for pleasure.

It is also important to consider any impact from health experiences, such as interrupted attendance or a health-related impairment which continue to impact a child’s progress.

Background knowledge and prior experiences which children bring to the reading journey are sometimes described as their ‘funds of knowledge’ (Gonzalez et al, 2005).

In viewing children's prior knowledge and experiences as ‘funds of knowledge’, we can build on these experiences and interests, viewing them as strengths, rather than potential barriers or deficits.

The Strathclyde Three Domains model, explored in more detail in the accompanying video, supports practitioners to reflect on the influence of three lenses or ‘domains’ on a child’s literacy profile and the teaching and learning of reading.

Children vary in important ways including their specific interests, personalities, culture and heritage, languages, prior experiences and motivations, as well as individual needs and barriers.

It is important to draw upon all of these to explore and identify how this knowledge can help build an understanding of a child’s strengths and the supports required to develop as a reader.

We should work with others to understand what to look for, recognising that reading draws on various aspects of development, in addition to their learning experiences, and the critical influences of other people in a child’s life.

The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit Reading Circle Resource has a list of helpful questions for discussion and/or investigation when considering the needs of learners who may be experiencing literacy difficulties.

Starting with the child, it is important to understand and consider their views, their strengths, their interests and motivations and how you can use this knowledge to consolidate and build on their reading progress.

Observing and talking to children as they engage with texts, during play and across all learning experiences can build up a picture of the child as a reader.

It is important to intervene sensitively when we see aspects of these skills needing supported.

Ellis and Rowe (2020) (Ellis and Smith, 2017)) remind us that noticing a child’s engagement should prompt educators to reflect on how familiar or unfamiliar a particular aspect of literacy learning is and consider how we can bridge this for the learner.

Scotland’s curriculum places learners at the heart of education. It is underpinned by the legislative framework and national policy drivers such as Getting it Right for every Child, also known as GIRFEC.

GIRFEC is a strengths-based approach, which places the child and their family at the heart, promoting choice, with full participation in decisions that affect them. It emphasises working together with families.

Recognising parents and carers as the first and on-going educators of their children is key to valuing the knowledge they have of their child at home as well as in school or settings.

They can provide insight into their child’s feelings about reading, their abilities, their likes, dislikes, interests and hobbies, language and culture, all of which are invaluable when trying to build knowledge of the child as a reader.

They can also provide useful health information, for example if their child has had frequent ear infections at an early age which is impacting on their ability to hear sounds in words.

There must be a willingness to be open, to listen and to acknowledge that a shared approach with parents and carers is best for the child.

It is important to take account of the support families may need to be fully involved and engaged in the process. For guidance on working with families please see the signposted resources.

As the CIRCLE Inclusive Learning and Collaborative Working resource reminds us, supporting learners requires collaborative working at many different levels. Effective partnership working with colleagues and agencies requires clear lines of communication, and agreement of roles and responsibilities.

This together with a culture which respects and values the perspectives and contributions of everyone in the team, for example, the learner, parents/carers, educators, support staff, leadership and management, health visitors, allied health professionals, support for learning, partner services and agencies helps lead to effective collaboration.

In order to build our knowledge of the child as a reader we need to consider the overlap between the cognitive knowledge and skills required for the five components of reading and the background knowledge and experience which support language development. Children’s background knowledge and experience supports comprehension in a number of ways.

• Early experiences with text in the home and community environment will help to develop their concepts of print, building the knowledge of language which is required for reading.
• Information learned from the world around them and across the curriculum can support connections with the content or ideas explored in the text (Woods and Dooley, 2011).
• understanding of words they have heard or come across provides the vocabulary to process information in a text (Breadmore et al, 2019).

The National Literacy Trust (2019) recognise that that oral language skills are vitally important to support children’s ability to develop as readers, enabling them to comprehend text and experience reading enjoyment. Due to the range of research emphasising its importance to the reading process, Konza (2011, 2014) suggests that oral language development be seen as the sixth component of reading. Whilst educators may focus on individual components at different times, these should not be seen as a set of isolated skills and need to be integrated through reading opportunities throughout the day (Government of South Australia, 2016).

Castles, Rastle and Nation (2018) acknowledge that there are many different aspects of reading which must be learned, including decoding, fluency and comprehension. However, this doesn’t mean that teaching time should be devoted equally to all of them at all points of reading acquisition. Rather, teaching to support these is likely to be most effective at particular points of development.

Breadmore et al (2019) highlight that at the beginning of reading development, word recognition requires so much effort that it may restrict comprehension. As word reading skills and fluency improves, children’s comprehension skills, such as their ability to use their background knowledge and reasoning skills become more important and dominant. There is also a developing relationship between comprehension and vocabulary as children gain more reading experience.

Building knowledge of the child as a reader is crucial for effective assessment and planning. Paffard (2008) suggests that planning based on ‘knowledge of the child can be effective, exciting and remain flexible and able to respond quickly to change and development’.

McGeown et al (2020) refer to reader identity as:

• how capable children believe they are in comprehending texts,
• the value they place on reading,
• their understanding of what it means to be a particular type of reader.

They explain that reader identities are shaped by several factors, including:

• past and current reading experiences, including those which are positive or negative,
• the child’s environment, which can consist of home, community, settings or school,
• the messages about their reading conveyed by important others, such as, family, peers and educators.

How children identify themselves as a reader can have a significant impact on their confidence, motivations and attitudes towards reading. This includes how likely they are to engage in reading activities and choose from a variety of different texts (McGeown et al, 2020).

Medford and McGeown (2012) found that children’s confidence in their reading skills was a stronger predictor of their motivation to read than their actual reading skill; therefore, increasing children’s confidence in their reading abilities can positively impact on their motivation to read.

Greater control over what they choose to read can promote children’s interest, with research confirming that children prefer books that they pick for themselves (Breadmore et al, 2019). In order for children to truly value reading they need opportunities to read texts that are relevant to their interests and experiences. It is also important to consider the ready access that children have to a wide range of texts and to value these alongside book-reading.

The more opportunities that children have to access and understand text, the more they can engage with print, which increases the opportunities to learn independently (Breadmore et al, 2019). Castles, Rastle and Nation (2018) emphasise that independent reading offers the greatest opportunity for children to experience and use as many words as possible. Print exposure gives opportunities to encounter new words and language structures, and to practice literacy skills and strategies. This is particularly important for children who experience literacy difficulties (Breadmore et al, 2019).

Knowledge of the child, their interests, context and range of skills should be used to identify strengths and potential barriers to reading and engagement

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Work in partnership with children, families and colleagues to explore, understand and identify interests, strengths, assessed needs, barriers and wider experiences

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Build knowledge of the child as a reader in relation to their language development and the five components, considering how they might impact each other

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Strengthen the child’s identity as a reader, valuing their motivations and choices

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