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

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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

Moving through reading levels

134 replies

Sneepy · 20/03/2014 10:15

I'm curious as to what the current thinking is on moving through reading levels. DD2 is in y1 and her reading is coming along nicely. Her understanding is good as well as her technical. It seems to be the policy is to read every book in every level before moving on to the next--when DD1 was doing the scheme she was moved up as necessary. I just feel we are never going to get to the end if she has to read every book in every level!!

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columngollum · 20/03/2014 10:22

You're right, you're never going to get there.

Our school has the same policy.

The appropriate technique in such cases is to rush through the crappy scheme book every night in about two minutes, write done, in the reading diary, and quickly move on to a proper book from the local library.

LittleMissGreen · 20/03/2014 10:42

This was the policy at DS1s old school. They wanted to move him up about 8 book bands, but he had to read all the books in each level, so they sent him home 6 a night . I used to read them and then if I thought he wouldn't know a word in them ask him to read that page. We'd have been reading for hours otherwise for no reason other than 'policy'.
The DS's current school, though, move them up as and when ready - they might spend 6months on a band, or 6 days, but they are constantly ensuring that parents know the target child is working towards in their reading. As these change even if the band is changing it is easy to see progression.

SaveTheMockingBird · 20/03/2014 10:52

That seems like a pointless task. Our school moves them when they are ready. But ours only changes reading books once a week (I get other books at home though) and if they only moved levels up once they've read all the books in that level then they would be at the same level for the whole year!

Sneepy · 20/03/2014 11:42

We had ALL the blue books sent home over halfterm. We dutifully went through them, thinking she'd get something more interesting next time--nope turns out there were 2 left that had to be done!! Surely after competently reading 15 books in a week the child is ready for the next level. I don't see how this helps promote a love of reading.

OP posts:

columngollum · 20/03/2014 11:51

You've only got 17 books in your blue level?

Fuzzymum1 · 20/03/2014 12:27

At our school they move up as and when they are ready. There is no set amount of books they have to read and no one set reading scheme - we have books from various schemes.

Galena · 20/03/2014 12:48

DD has to read all the books in each level, it seems. We read, then read something else...

tumbletumble · 20/03/2014 12:50

DD is in year 1. Her teacher moves her up a level when she is ready.

BornFreeButinChains · 20/03/2014 12:52

Sneepy,

this is a constant bone of contention and teachers seem to hide it under their hat as to why they make children who can read very well, still stay on very simple books, if they could just bloody tell us the reasoning behind their thinking things would be lots easier.

In your situation I would say " I am very worried, My DD is a good reader and is coming along well but she seems to find the books you give her very boring and I am fighting and struggling to get her to read them...its killing HER LOVE OF READING" what can we do.

My DD is reading Matilda and lots of other chapter books, and has a good understanding of the text and words, although I will concede her writing and use of punctuation and longer words could be improved. She is on stage 6 ORT. We were told she may go......all the way to ORT 8 by the end of term .

columngollum · 20/03/2014 12:57

bornfree, that's good, but it can go one of two ways, either the teacher says, do you know, you're right! And she moves the child up seven levels, or the teacher says, do you know, that's the way we do things round here. Deal with it.

Bumpsadaisie · 20/03/2014 13:05

it seems to be a common theme.

I am sure my DD is ready to move up a level. She has been on her current one since about three weeks after starting school in September. But instead of doing that they are now sending home two books a night instead of one.

Hey ho. She is only in YR so don't think it matters that much. She doesn't seem to mind reading them.

The other thing I don't get is that school have put all sorts of coloured stickers on their books. Latest ones we have had say ORT Yellow Band on them (i.e. that is what the book itself says) but school have put a red sticker on them and store them with all the red books.

I have tested out DD on some ORT books and in order to have even a small challenge she needs to be on blue books. But school are still sending home their own "Yellow band Labelled as Red" books. Sometime we even get a pink one thrown in. Just two a night now instead of one.

Anyway I am determined not to worry about it. She is happy reading them, is quite confident about reading, and that's the main thing. She isn't even 5 yet after all.

Galena · 20/03/2014 13:31

DD's teacher has told me she wants to be certain that her comprehension matches her decoding. She can read books which are above her understanding, but she xan understand books of a far higher level than she is being given. However, she enjoys the school books and is keen to read them, so I'm not stressing.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 20/03/2014 13:37

the school changing the colour could be that they have different colours for each level which they have had for years so don't want to change (our school does some odd things with colours) or it could be that the book has been reassessed to be at a different level. happens with quite a few ORT books, ORT do have a list of them somewhere on their website and some of them are 2 levels out at the higher levels.

I think if the child is happy reading them then there isn't necessarily a problem but if the child is plainly bored silly and won't cooperate, sings the words rather than reads them and so on then it really has to be raised with the teacher.

SockPinchingMonster · 20/03/2014 13:53

I was going to post a similar topic a few days ago. I have twins in year 1, both great readers but particularly my dd as she really gets into the characters - her expression is fantastic and she's so fluent that it's a pleasure to listen to her. The school seem to be insistent that they read every single book of every single level too. They're currently reading level 8 but no matter how many comments I write in their reading record about the books being too easy and not challenging them it just gets ignored.
The school also only allow them to take home 2 books a week, but this week I've managed to chat to the TA who changes books and she is going to let them have 3 books a week to get through them a bit quicker. I can sort of see the school's point as the TA explained that although they're very aware that my dt's have a reading age which is ahead of their actual age they don't want them reading the higher levels yet as they contain themes which she says are not suitable for a 5 year old - such as sleepovers and boyfriends etc. It does feel a little bit like the school are having them coast a bit though.
So for now we go to the library regularly and they're reading widely at home. The library books are probably a bit more interesting than the school reading books anyway I guess.

columngollum · 20/03/2014 14:00

Putting some suitable books for a 5yo at the higher reading levels is not beyond the wit of man. I've been given some half-assed reasons for a stupid reading policy before, too.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 20/03/2014 14:04

surely the TA can manage to pick or help them pick a suitable book at the higher levels. DD last year had books all the way up to Level 11 which were suitable.

SockPinchingMonster · 20/03/2014 14:04

I agree Column - I'm sure they could pick out suitable books at a higher level but I get the feeling they can't be bothered with the hassle. My ds would be very happy if they gave him some higher level non-fiction books as he has always preferred non-fiction anyway, no worries about sleepovers and boyfriends in those.

columngollum · 20/03/2014 14:09

If they give higher book bands out it might mean that the school gets its NC levels for that child in a twist. Easier to give some lame excuse and send shitty meaningless non books home in the bookbag and let the parent sort it out.

blueberryboybait · 20/03/2014 14:12

DD (yr 1) is listened to by the TA or teacher once a week and levels are adjusted accordingly. She has gone up 3 levels in 3 weeks as she suddenly has the hang of things. If she choses an daft book, I just put a note in her bag and they change it and chat to her about her book choices.

SockPinchingMonster · 20/03/2014 14:21

To be honest I think my children's school is pretty crap. My children rarely get listened to reading by a teacher or TA. Apparently it's not necessary because they are good readers.They do guided reading but not every week - maybe more like once every 3 weeks. It was an outstanding school but got downgraded to requires improvement last summer - can't say I'm surprised.

BornFreeButinChains · 20/03/2014 14:24

but it can go one of two ways

Well great, at least it opens up the chance that the teacher will move the child up, better than doing and saying nothing.

BornFreeButinChains · 20/03/2014 14:29

they don't want them reading the higher levels yet as they contain themes which she says are not suitable for a 5 year old - such as sleepovers and boyfriends etc

That really concerns me, these people are in charge of our children, what a load of utter bile and rubbish.

I would go in, with a list of suitable reading material and state that non of it has sleepovers, boyfriends and Flowers in THE ATTIC type material in it, and can she please be moved up.

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SandyChick · 20/03/2014 14:30

My sons school move them to the next level when ready but only change the book once a week.

I've signed my son up to the Reading Chest scheme. Still at the level he is at school but we get 4 books at a time. The variation of books keeps him interested. Plus he loves to add a sticker to his chart once we've read a new book.

I can't recommend the scheme highly enough.

BarbarianMum · 20/03/2014 14:42

Wow, some of your schools must have a very restricted range of reading material - at ours there are between 40 and 60 titles per band. No way a child is going to read all of those.

Our school (theoretically) move you up when you are ready. Sometimes they need a bit of a nudge. Sometimes you have to slow them down a bit. Mostly it works, but.

givemeaclue · 20/03/2014 14:46

Doesn't happenlike that at our school. Sometimes only read a couple on a level abefore moving up. Sometimes even skip a level all together.

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