How to write reading record comments that actually mean something

Reading record comments are one of the smallest pieces of writing a teacher produces, and one of the most repeated. Thirty children, multiple times a week, across a full academic year — that is hundreds of brief observations that can either say something meaningful or say nothing at all.

Most say nothing at all.

“Great reading today.” “Good effort.” “Keep it up.” These phrases are not dishonest, but they are functionally useless. They don't tell a parent anything. They don't tell the child anything. And they don't build the kind of relationship with reading that you're actually trying to develop.

Here are approaches and phrases that do a better job.

Comment on the process, not just the outcome

A comment that describes what a child did as a reader is more useful than one that evaluates how well they did it.

Instead of: “Great reading today.” Try: “Read with good expression today — paused at full stops and changed her voice for different characters.”

Instead of: “Struggled a little today.” Try: “Came across a few tricky words today — used the pictures and re-reading to work out 'enormous' independently. Good strategy.”

Address the comprehension, not just the decoding

Many reading record comments focus entirely on fluency — whether the child read the words accurately. But comprehension is equally important, and comments about it are much more useful.

• “After reading, could retell the main events in order — showed good understanding of cause and effect in the story.”
• “Spotted that the character's feelings had changed from the beginning to end of the chapter — unprompted, which was impressive.”
• “Found it harder to explain why the character made the decision she did — we talked about this together. Something to keep thinking about.”

Phrases by level

Early readers / phonics stage: - “Used phonics knowledge to sound out 'ch' words independently.” - “Is building confidence — read the whole page without asking for help, which is new.” - “Needed support with tricky words today but attempted them all before asking.”

Developing readers: - “Read fluently and with expression. Beginning to notice punctuation and adjust pace accordingly.” - “Made a sensible prediction about what might happen next — and was right, which she was very pleased about.” - “Chose a book that challenged her today. Needed some support but stayed with it.”

Confident / advanced readers: - “Talked thoughtfully about the author's choice to end the chapter on a cliffhanger — and why it works.” - “Is reading this book for the third time — discusses it with more depth each time.” - “Recommended this book to a friend after finishing it. That's the best reading review there is.”

One more thing

Reading records are often the only regular written communication between school and home about a child's reading. A specific, genuine comment — even a brief one — is noticed by parents. It tells them that someone was paying attention.