Won't read school reading books

[gabid]

DS is in Y1 now and has ever since reception refused to read the books sent home from school (Rigby Star). I let it go in reception but by the summer term I asked the teacher about it and was told that he is keen on his jolly phonics and is reading the books very well in school!

Over the summer we did a reading challenge and read Oxford Reading Tree, which DS loves.

Now in Y1 he refuses to read them again, we keep reading ORT (we are now level 4). I spoke to the teacher several times, first she insisted that he has to read them, then she let him choose books, started reading a book with him and he seemed keen to know the ending. DS told his teacher that he won't read the books she gives him and now she appears to accept that he is only interested in a limited range of books - but I feel she is getting fed up with it. When I tried to push him he refused to read altogether.

How long can this go on? Will there be an expectation that he reads the school books in future (Y2/3...) - I feel there are worse books he could choose to learn to read than ORT.

[onepieceoflollipop]

My dd1 is a little like this (just started y2). She much prefers to read her own choices, e.g. currently reading Horrid Henry books quite competently and they seem above the level of the books the school send home. Also she loves the library which we encourage, and on occasion enjoys reading bits out of newspapers or anything really.

All we do is insist that she reads each school reading book at least once (they are meant to read 10-15 minutes per night at home). Often the book takes her 5-10 minutes. Then we sign the card and she swaps it the next day. On Friday she said herself that she would just get on and read it which she did, so that she could forget about school reading until Monday.

fwiw I feel that for us it is important for her to follow the scheme that the school uses, partly so that the teacher can assess how she is getting on.

[ForMashGetSmash]

Oh mine's the blinking same...it's the crappy bok schemes in my opinon. My DD is also in year 2 like the other commentor...and she loves Horrid Henry and HATES her school readng books.

I do a silly routine where I become a quiz show host..build up lots of tension and silly buzzer noises...and DD loves it...she laughs when I say "Will DD manage to read just ONE sentence for Mummy? Or will she refuse and have a bucket of cabbage leaves poured on her head?

Anything to make it more exciting...let's face it those books are mostly grim!

[onepieceoflollipop]

dd reads hers in a very sarcastic, slow tone. Or sometimes in a babyish sing-song voice. (some of them, quite honestly, are similar to the books that dd2 has and she is only 3!)

[sethstarkaddersmummyreturns]

I wouldn't worry. He is learning to read. And at least with ORT, even if it's not the scheme the school is reading, it can be calibrated against the scheme they are using because there are charts comparing how they all match up, so the teacher can find out easily enough how he's doing.

[gabid]

I don't want to opt out of the schools reading scheme. To me Rigby Star appears better than ORT because they have a better variety of books. But DS was introduced to ORT in the library by a friend who read before starting reception and has loved the books ever since.

When I told him that we have to read the school books, he did it very badly and seemed to stumble over words he read well before - it just seemed such a drag, and after the second book he refused to read any book at all for almost a week.

[MmeBlueberry]

It is pretty difficult to force a 5yo to read. Really, it is an uphill battle. They will do it eventually, and then you wonder what the fuss was about.

The best you can do is to keep encouraging without being overbearing. If they are willing to read cereal boxes and road signs, then that is good too.

My DS1 learnt to read by reading the Premiership football tables on the back page of the newspaper. He couldn't be bothered with simplistic school readers.

[onepieceoflollipop]

Yes I agree MmeBlueberry. dd1 (who is 6) realised a few months ago that she can read pretty much anything and that is a real boost to their confidence and independence imo.

I guess that most/all dcs who are educated at school will have parts of it that they don't like. That is why with my dd we do encourage her to comply with the school reading scheme but encourage her outside of this to read what she likes. :)

[cory]

I did a deal with dd: x no of school books to x no of times reading your own- compromise

[gabid]

DD often asks me what signs say when we are out, I ask him to read it (if I know he can), but he tells me "I can't read it", so is it a lack of confidence??

He does read the Rigby Star in school though, reads aloud, takes part in discussion, is doing very well the teacher says - but won't look at the books at home - not even for a bribe.

[pointythings]

OP,

If he's reading them well in school then you might do wisely to back off and avoid the aggro - his teacher will be able to assess his progress well enough. Let him read ORT at home, look into 'matching' the levels so that you're more or less singing from the same hymn sheet as the school and everyone's happy. They should be pleased he's found something he enjoys reading, IMO.

[sethstarkaddersmummyreturns]

gabid - my dd is the same age. She is doing ORT at school and it was a massive headache - huge struggle to get her to do it, she claimed it was too hard. On the advice of MNers and my sensible MIL I stopped making her. Now, after a month or so, she is reading Pippi Longstocking with me every night . It is way way harder but because she is so motivated I can't stop her and she claims it is easy. I am not worrying in the least about her school reading books now because she is clearly making progress. In fact, because she is giving herself the intensive Pippi treatment she can now do the school ones easily without practice so it doesn't matter that we're not doing them at home.
My point is just the importance of motivation and that it is surely better for them to be reading more of what they want rather than less of what they are told to read.

[gabid]

Thanks, maybe I will just comment on what DS has read at home and ignore the fact that he 'did not' read the school book, maybe his teacher will leave it at that.

In terms of matching levels - his school books seemd to be a real mix of levels and I couldn't make sense of it (Rigby Star) - the first one was purple, blue, yellow and all sorts???

[gabid]

Yes, mine says everything but ORT is too hard and that he can't read it.

[asdx2]

Dd's first school used to use ORT that dd hated with a passion so we just read books that she chose from the library at home and then the ORT ones at school to the teacher. Her present school has banded all the books in the library and so dd hasn't read an ORT book since and has avoided any book that looks like it comes from a reading scheme.I don't think the schemes suit all children tbh.

[pointythings]

@gabid,

I think I read somewhere that the ORT books rely more on whole word recognition than on sounding out/phonics so maybe the method used in school isn't working for him? What level/band of ORT is he reading at home? I had problesm with DD2 in reception, she wasn't getting on with the books the school sent home (band 1/1a) because they were all single syllable words and it was like they were Greek to her - but then she read me one of our 'fun' books at home with words like 'friendly' and 'dangerous' and had those down without a hitch - she'd just done one of those mad developmental leaps that you can get in reading. It may be a bit way out but could that be what's going on with your DS? I took the book she'd read to me to parents' evening and the teacher reassessed her 1 to 1 the following day and sorted her out, and she never looked back.

[gabid]

Hm, DS kept and keeps telling me that the school books are too hard, despite the fact that he reads them well with his teacher at school.

We started the ORT with Level 1 in the summer and we are now starting Level 4. He is becoming more fluent now but still insists that he can't read anything but ORT books.

Been to parents evening today and his teacher is happy for him to carry on and read what he likes - she said he is doing well and she will move him up a reading group.

Thanks for all your contributions and advice!!!