How often do your DC read to a teacher?

[flossyfloo]

My DD is in Year 1 and from what I can gather, hardly reads to a teacher/TA/parent helper etc in school. From what my DD has said, she has read to her class teacher twice and to a TA once since September.

The first time that she read to her teacher was a week before parents evening back in November so I think the teacher only did this to be able to report back to me at parents evening. I did mention this to the teacher and she looked a bit confused and said she was sure my DD has read to a grown up in school more than once but couldn't tell me for definite and by the end of the conversation wasn't so sure anymore and said she would look into it! She then read to her teacher again just a few days after that.

Since then, she has read to another child's support assistant (I'm not completely sure what they are called, the child is statemented and has 1:1 support throughout the day).

Before my DD read to her teacher in November, she had been on the same level reading book for ages and was finding them ridiculously easy and getting bored, as you can imagine. She was put up to the next level and a week later to the next level again. As she has not read to her teacher since then, she is still on the same level book and again is getting bored and very reluctant to read to me. I do as much as I can at home to support her learning but I don't feel it is right for me to be responsible for so much and that school should me doing the majority of this in school. I don't think her teacher has any idea of what my DD's reading ability is.

Sorry for the lengthy post, didn't want to drip feed.

So my question is, how often do your PS children read to an adult in school and is there an ideal frequency they should do? I always thought it was once a week but may be my expectations are too high?

[typicalvirgo]

Well, my ds reads to his teacher or TA every day.

But this is a small class and we do pay for it.

I wouldn't be happy with what you seem to be experiencing. I would ask to see the teacher and discuss.

[DanJARMouse]

We are in Scotland, so slightly different system anyway, but my DDs tend to read in groups.


They are split into reading ability groups, and have a set book per week. This book is read every day (mon-thurs) as a group, so each child in the group taking 1 or 2 pages each. They also bring the book home to read with the parent each night.

Its either the teacher or the TA that hear the group read.

I would be concerned if NO reading was being done at all, rather than just the lack of 1-2-1 reading, as this seems to be more for at home here.

[redskyatnight]

My Y1 DD has guided reading (in a small group) twice a week - once with TA, once with teacher.

At the end of every half term she does individual reading with her teacher.
She reads individually with a parent volunteer every couple of weeks or so.

I would expect guided rather than individual reading to be the norm. The school should record this (how the children are doing against their reading targets).

My Y3 DS has guided reading once a week and reads to a TA about once every 2 weeks (but he's a good reader, those requiring more support read more frequently).

[TheAvocadoOfInteriorDesign]

home reading books daily - usually teacher or TA but parent helper 1-2 times a week. Plus guided reading once a week on top with a different class teacher. This is a state primary, and applies to children in YR and Y1.

[Iamnotminterested]

I think it was IndigoBell who recently said, very wisely, that children don't learn to read by reading to a teacher. LOADS of reading will be done every day in schools, they do not have to be reading their scheme book to an adult to be progressing. Speak to her teacher if you don't think she is progressing, although it certainly sounds like she is from what you have said.

[Devora]

Once a fortnight. Plus weekly reading with a volunteer, and weekly reading in a group. But, as has been said, they incorporate reading into other activities.

[lulurose]

My DD reads once a week with the teacher in an ability based guided reading slot. She may get heard individually by someone else but not routinely. she reads with us every night and parents are free to change books from the colour banded boxes whenever we want (as long as they are from the appropriate level.

Its reading regularly at home that will increase confidence and accelerate progress. DD in Y1 and I teach also

[lulurose]

I would actually see it as very poor practice if a teacher was sitting hearing children individually every day. very poor use of time and resources. Reading is interwoven into everything and children will not progress without good quality teaching.

[swanker]

What typicalvirgo said.
Regardless of what happens in school though, we read to our dc every night, and listen to eldest read to us every day, not school books, library books, books from home etc.

[flossyfloo]

Thanks for the feedback. I see there are a mixture of opinions on this which are all good to hear.

My DD reads to us everyday and we read her a bedtime story every night too. She is also keen to read everything around us - signs, lists, notices etc, so I am sure she is developing. It just concerns me that as the teacher has no real idea of her reading ability that they work set for her may not match what she is capable of. Don't get me wrong, I don't think she is exceedingly bright and she should be placed on the G&T register, I am completely aware that my DD is pretty average, as long as she is happy and stimulated I don't care.

When she read to her teacher in November she was moved up a reading group as well as a level and you could see the difference in her immediately. She had much more confidence in her reading as well as her writing and was always eager to do homework and more. This eagerness and confidence in herself seems to have slipped though, and although I am aware they peak and plateau frequently, I do wonder if she is just not being given appropriate learning targets.

To add, they read in class every morning. First thing (or after assemblies) they return their reading books from the day before, pick a new one and sit and read it. The whole class do this and I have asked my DD if someone is there listening but she is adamant there isn't. She is allowed to change her book as often as she likes and can choose any book from a box (separate boxes for levels/colours). At the moment she is changing the book every day and fining them all quite easy. As she is not struggling with the words in the books, we are now concentrating on the punctuation etc (sorry, don't know how to explain it but she can be quite monotone in her reading at times, especially when she is bored, so we are getting her to use more varied tones, for eg when someone is speaking saying it how they would say it. Hope I've explained that OK!)

[Beanbagz]

Y2 DS reads to teaching assistant/parent helper 3 days a week.

I don't think Y5 DD is listened too at school but i generally listen to her 3-4 times a week (and DS every day).

[learnandsay]

What kind of a class allows you to pay for your child to read?

[ASByatt]

learnandsay - I assumed that was referring to a private school, with much smaller classes, more individual attention etc etc?

[crazygracieuk]

My older children only read to a teacher in guided reading. They are fluent readers so don't need to be heard by the teacher.

Ds2 is in Y1 and is heard weekly in guided reading and once every 2 to 3 weeks on a one to one basis. I do not think that he learns much from reading to the TA or teacher and the one to one sessions is to check that the reading level is right. I would say that his phonics lessons are far more helpful than one to one reading with a teacher. He reads to me (or his siblings) daily.

[randommoment]

Back in the Infants, reading was listened to by the teacher once a week - just to check they were on the right level of Oxford Reading Tree.

[flossyfloo]

emmash2010 perhaps you could start your own thread for that survey, you may get more responses. I know you are trying to get as many responses as possible but I'm trying to get some advice and gain perspective from other parents so would really appreciate you not using it for your own gain.

Hmm, seems like my DD reads to her teacher a lot less than others who have replied.

Are there any teachers here? If so, are there national guidelines for how often a child should be heard reading by a teacher in order to assess their reading level and ensure they are on the correct books?

[RiversideMum]

In our school, the children do guided reading with teachers. This is in a group and typically the level of book will be more challenging than what they are given to take home. This is very much a teaching session, where we may for example look at how characters are described or particular groups of graphemes or tricky words. I would be very surprised indeed if this activity is not going in your DD's school. Remember as well that your child will be doing a daily phonics lesson as well as using their reading in all other lessons. The home readers are very much "home readers" and they are for consolidation which is why they may seen easy. In our school we test reading ages at the start of every term and then children are given the appropriate band to read. The children are also trained to change their own books when they need to - although our book boxes are by the door so parents can sort out if they want to!

[mrz]

I hear the children in my class read every day but I imagine if you asked them most would tell you they haven't read to me ... as I very rarely listen to them read scheme books which they consider to be their reading book.

[IndigoBell]

I don't think the problem is that she isn't being read with. You are happy with her Reading, so they are obviously teaching her well.

I think the problem is purely that you think she should be moved up a level. Just ask the teacher if she thinks she's ready to be moved up.

Simples.

[flossyfloo]

Seems a fair enough solution Indigo but shouldn't they know this without me having to raise it with them? I'm not sure how long she would have stayed at the level she was on at the start of Year 1 had it not been parents evening (when the teacher made sure she had listened to all the kids read in order to provide feedback). I'm not sure she does need to be moved up a level. I know she is getting bored but I don't know if this means she could do with reading up a level, this is my eldest so this is all new to me as well!

Hopefully, the teacher is, as you say, listening to her reading and being able to gauge and assess her ability just through everyday work. My DD has told me that last week her teacher sat down and read with a lot of other children (1:1) but didn't have time to read with her and a few others.

It's half term now so I think when they go back to school, I'll leave it a week and see what happens then. If my DD seems the same then, I will raise it with the teacher.

[ASByatt]

Hmm think my DS read 'to the teacher' about 3 times in Y1 - in terms of having it written in his reading record that he'd read 1-to-1. However, there were the daily phonics lessons plus weekly guided reading plus all the other reading in other curriculum areas.......