year 2 reading (sorry)

[cascade]

Ok bit of background.

In dd school they work in groups for reading. This group all bring the same book home to read 3x per week. The books dd brings home are far too easy and this has been going on since dd was in year 1 and she is now in year 2. What i mean by this is there is never a word that dd does not know and she has gone past the stage of having to sound letters out.

This group are the highest readers in the class and are still on stage 6 ORT. Now im sure there are more able children in dds group and less able. So why do they all have to go at the same pace? She is now on about the 20th book on level 6. This has happened on every level in the last 2 years.

Now how do I start a conversation with the teacher that i feel if she has to bring homework home that the work should be meaningfull and have sufficient challenge. I do not want the teacher to feel like im telling her how to do her job (im a teacher) but I have not said anything for nearly 2 years and this is getting beyond a joke.

[CybilLiberty]

I think you should just raise your concerns that the books are too easy for her. As I'm sure you are aware it's not all about 'reading' the words but pace, fluency etc. And if she has group read the same book all week of course it will be easy when she brings it home. Does she read more challenging books outsidfe of school?

[cascade]

Yes, she reads at bed time although she is no book worm. At the minute shes reading Ben Ten (shes a bit of a tom boy) Thats the thing they dont read it at school first. DD has to read to page 12 then they carry on at school. Ive got dd reading comments book and all that is ever written in there is 'well read at school' Pace and fluency are fine.

[starwhoreswonaprize]

See the teacher at his/her first convenience.

[CybilLiberty]

Def speak to teacher then.

I can see the sense in really making sure the children have grasped the text, but it sounds like they are plodding through the book list rather than thinking about each child's needs.

I have the opposite problem with the children I work with, we move them through the books so fast yet a lot of them still can't read properly!

[sunburntats]

Can i ask how you know what level of reading they are?
Ive looked at the back of ds's books and one is stage 2, another stage 3 and the other is stage 4
What level is this do you think?

[cascade]

What i mean by level it says on the front of the book. Oxford reading tree stage 6.

[sunburntats]

Ahhh ok, i wonder why ds has 3 books of different levels. (Sorry i dont know about this stuff, 1st time in the education system, jsut stumbling through in the dark really)

[noideawhereIamgoing]

3 books from different levels sounds like your school has opted for colour banding.

I would casually approach the teacher about this, ask her how the children progress - how they are assessed but be prepared so many teachers seem married to the notion that every book in the box needs to be read - regardless of reading ability. They'll talk about decoding, confidence, expression and comprehension and mostly you come away wondering whether they listened to a word you said.

Instead of getting frustrated just head to your local library with or without your dc and choose a variety of books - figure out what she likes and the level she's at. School books can be left as a bit of light reading - over and done with in minutes.

[sunnylabsmum]

last year I wrote in the reading record book something along the lines of
DD read this fluently and with expression. Could we try a book from the next level?

She is now on Level 9 (Yr2) and I will be doing this again this week!

[madcows]

My ds (also Y2) bought home ORT books (can't remember the level) in the first week that was too easy for him. (We'd been overseas for a year, so I guess teacher had no idea where he'd be, level-wise). I wrote that he read and enjoyed it, but had been reading chapter books for a while now, and could we have some of those please. She was happy to do this, and he now gets these every day. He is a big reader, and reads his school book each day, plus other books from library etc. We keep a range of books that will interest him in the kitchen, so easily accessible... and think of his school books as just a small part of his reading material. Don't be embarrassed to ask his teacher for more... but if the school is reluctant, then - as noidea said - treat them as books to be read in a couple of minutes, and move onto the library stuff!