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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Guided Reading

14 replies

Rachaeltall · 04/10/2011 10:43

Hi,

I'm hoping there are some Teachers out there who can help me with this. DD just moved to year 1, so guided reading started. My understanding (pls tell me if I'm wrong) is that they read in supported groups, so the book should be just below the reading level they're on and they work on reading and comprehension skills. DD is on reading level 8 but her guided reading book level is 2. Is this too much of a difference? She is already complaining that it's easy and that she's starting to day dream. Should I bring this up with her Teacher?

Thanks for listening xx

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TimmyTimeRules · 04/10/2011 10:46

I'm not a teacher so can't help but I know when my yr2 son does guided reading they read in a group from a book that is a level above the one they are reading individually.

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Iamnotminterested · 04/10/2011 11:18

Same as TimmyTimeRules here ie. GR book is one level above the ones they bring home for fun.

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DeWe · 04/10/2011 11:22

That sounds like a big discrepancy. Are you sure that's right? As in, have you seen the guided reading book, maybe it's book number 2 in a series and your dd thought that meant level 2? Just a thought.

I helped with it last year, and the groups were in ability groups, reading a book together. It varied what level it was, sometimes it was above the level of some of the children, sometimes below, sometimes the same. The children weren't the same level so it couldn't match all of them.

Then they'd do some sort of exercise to do with the book. Guided reading was as much about the exercise, which might be describing a character, writing a new page, continuing the story, writing a glossary etc, so I wouldn't worry too much about the level at present, but if you've got a parent's evening this term and she's still complaining about it being too easy you could bring it up. If she's day dreaming it may give the impression she's not following it so it is worth asking about.

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LauraSmurf · 04/10/2011 11:28

It could be a totally different series if books or just an in school number system. We do not use a system linked to the take home books. We just have groups of books we haw levelled ourselves and grouped by shape input case. Absolutely no relation to levels of ORT or any other scheme.

Hope that puts your mind at rest!

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Rachaeltall · 04/10/2011 13:07

Thanks for all your comments. I will (casually) question further this evening about the reading book title etc. then I can look the level up on good old google (what did we do before it's invention).

I'm sure the exercises are useful in some way, her writing (although really good for 5) is not as strong as her reading.

I think I'll give it a week or so and see how we go; from what I remember last year parents evening won't be til after half term.

Thanks again :o

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Rachaeltall · 05/10/2011 09:06

Hi again,

I have checked and am now even more worried. The book that they worked with on Monday was Pirate Pat, an Usbourne book which is levelled at book band 1 - pink!!!
Should I still wait a week, or should I try and get a meeting with the Teacher?

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MuddlingMackem · 05/10/2011 13:04

Don't blame you for being concerned.

'Pirate Pat' seems a very odd choice for guided reading as it is one of the books designed for alternative parts of it to be read by the adult to the child who is just learning to read.

What makes it even odder, to me anyway, is that if they're using Usborne books for guided reading why don't they use one of the titles which have been selected for use in guided reading and therefore have accompanying teachers notes?

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Rachaeltall · 06/10/2011 09:29

Hi,

thanks for your comments MM.

DD is now resisting reading her level 8 book, and when we chatted about why this morning, it's because it's so much longer than the guided reading books . Apparently longer doesn't mean more adventures, it just means boring , so as much as it pains me I don't think it can wait until parents evening, as DD's school don't do their until after half term.

Any ideas on how I should handle it would be gratefully received...?

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MuddlingMackem · 08/10/2011 21:47

Hmm. Perhaps you could ask for a word with the teacher in a 'just checking what child has said' type of approach.

If the set-up is putting her off reading altogether then it definitely can't wait and is probably something you should also make the teacher aware of, although I'm not sure how you could word it.

Good luck!

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mrz · 09/10/2011 09:23

As the children are being introduced to guided reading could the teacher be using easy books to demonstrate before moving to appropriate texts?

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jenniec79 · 09/10/2011 09:36

If it's putting her off other reading it's having the opposite effect to that desired with any reading exercise, surely. Have a word with the teacher on monday, but also take her to a library/bookshop to get some decent "real" books that will actually inspire her.

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mrz · 09/10/2011 09:38

I always find it odd when people say one thing puts them off reading ... it usually makes me want to read the things I enjoy more when I have to plough through some boring document

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Orchidskeepdying · 09/10/2011 09:43

I teach year 1
I find guided reading tricky at the start as the children are not used to it from reception - I still have the whole class in the classroom so have to train them to be independent and silent whilst I hear the group read! So for the first few weeks its all about routines.
This might be why, although my children are reading the level they should.

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Rachaeltall · 10/10/2011 13:37

Thank you all for your comments.
I should have said DD went into year 1 last year for guided reading, and it was with the teacher she has now. My memory is rubbish and I was thinking that it was from February, but looking back they asked if it was ok to move her to yr1 at parents evening this time last year.

I sent a note to school on Friday to let teacher know concerns (V. polite) and the note I got back really annoyed me TBH. Basically, it was I know DD is ahead (which was just repeating what I'd said), I need to assesss capabilities re. comprehension (surely she should have been doing this for the last year) and call me if you want to discuss. Now, the last bit annoyed most as I put the same on my note to her, and surely it's easier for a teacher to get hold of a parent during the day than the other way round?

Sorry it's so long, needed to vent