Reading Levels Year 3, FED UP

[DrasticAction]

I posted years ago about them and got enough info about them to relax about it and forget about it. DD is avid and well known by her teachers for being a voracious reader.

Since Year 1 she is always in a book and has devoured all Roald Dhal, A series of Events ( whole series TWICE) Spiderwick Chronicles, Ottoline books, and How to Train your Dragon series with PLENTY in between.

I have always asked her about the story when she reads, plot, words, character and so on, and to me, she seems to have excellent grasp of everything.

So why at half term year 3 is she on ORT 11 [ years ago people came onto my threads saying their DC reading at my DD level at home were off the ORT altogether and allowed to read their own books.

So now, she has a boring rubbish book to read, quickly so she can get back to her delicious novels. The fact books I dont mind so much, but the level 11 ORT are to us now, pointless!

She reads allowed fluently and with expression, she easily de codes words she never stumbles, she can tell you whats going on, and now I am getting frustrated with this crap.

[Itshouldntmatter]

I feel your pain. I'm meeting the teacher on Thursday to discuss (whilst being sure they think I'm a complete pain in the backside, which I don't want to be )

[DrasticAction]

it I am well beyond being a pain in the backside, they are very happy to pull the parents up when they want too and I feel expect too much support from the home to back up the learning.

we do support our dc a great deal and back up their learning and enhance it, but I feel its a two way street. They leave dd to flounder for months at the same level and I have to write in book to get them to assess her, which they do within two weeks and invariably put her up one or two or three levels. and yet my goodness tout don't sign yo have heard them read....

[user789653241]

This happened to my DS.
I spoke to the teacher, he was tested straightaway.
Now he got the choice. He can read books from school(dark red, dark blue books) or he can read his own.
Definitely speak to the teacher.

[user789653241]

If she likes reading, there's really good reading comprehension website.
(Maybe she may not need it though.)

www.readtheory.org/

My ds loves it, because he's a bit weak on comp. side, so it's good to practice, and each topic is different and quite interesting.
It's very short,about 5~10 minutes to do one quiz.

[goingmadinthecountry]

Does she make any errors when she reads out loud to you? Does she ever need to sound out works? Is her reading expressive and fluent?

[Bacontastic]

That readtheory site looks good thanks for posting

[DrasticAction]

going yes!!!

she is a fantastic reader! I used to love drama and did loads of LAMDA exams and festivals and lead parts etc.

I do have an ear for this sort of thing, I HAVE seen and heard her on stage and again reciting her lines, clear, loud, expression.

i have not heard her stumble or de code a word for about two years! sure she comes across some words she does not know but instantly is able to say them.

irvine I will check that site out, year ago when i was getting worked up about this people said "maybe she isnt as strong on comp" so i did as her even more questins and so on and she seemed like she got it!

[user789653241]

I forgot to mention, it's American site. So, spelling maybe slightly different.
(color and colour)
We use this site everyday, and he has come a long way since.
Lots of interesting short passages and new vocabulary.

[DrasticAction]

Irvine is it free to use?

[user789653241]

Yes!!!

[TeddTess]

just ignore the reading books. say she has read them. let her read her own. she is yr3, the gap in a class of 30 will be so huge, let the teachers focus on those that need it.

i expect to be flamed for this advice but it is what i would do.

[DrasticAction]

i was doing that Ted but they have moaned because I let her read them and sign her own reading record, they have picked up and asked me to sign it.

[goingmadinthecountry]

Some schools won't move from their rigid system. I teach - to me, it is far more important that kids get an early love of reading. Are they like this with other good readers or do you think they haven't quite worked your dd out? What kind of books does she read at school?

ORT is mindnumbingly dull, even though some children love it. I feel for you. I don't currently teach that year group but wouldn't send home book after book from the same set anyway. Does your dd have any choice?

[TeddTess]

you just sign it then
they're not working with you so just play the game. hopefully it will ease off in yr4

[goingmadinthecountry]

What Ted says. Lots of us have been there. Not ideal but just keep up the love of reading at home.

[somepeopledontknowthat]

I have this.

DD1 got a 3a for her reading in SATS. She reads Harry Potter at home.

She's on white books at school.

I make her read the first page then scrawl something in her diary.

[TeddTess]

or if you don't want to do that then just use it for reading aloud practice. it's a skill that they lose very quickly if they don't keep it up.

she can read to you aloud, have a quick chat, sign and move on to her own books for happy silent reading.

[DrasticAction]

Ted I have been hoping by now, (every parents eve telling me how much her love and aptitude for reading stands out), it would be blummin obv by now and they would have already eased off and backed off!

She does read aloud to me and I to her and she reads by herself but the fun books.

some what are the white books?

( we are moving onto Harry next can't wait, ready for visit to the studios at xmas!!)

It just feels wrong to me, to have to take part in this sherade and YES I am quite happy for them to bugger off the ORT and concentrate on the parents and pupils who struggle ( and parents who never read to DC or take interest in it).

What a waste of time, even her reading these crappy books!

I mean DD is very lucky, we read at home ( well I do ) and I am passionate about books I love them. I have a well stocked library for her full of wonderful books she can draw on.

Now. Imagine my DD with her love of books who didn't have a parent to back her up and only had....OR "fucking" T !???? what then?????

Its appalling really.

going as far as I can tell like this with them all, she is on about the same give or take a few no's up as the other girls who I believe are a similar level.

I guess I will just start to scrawl then. They also wanted me to write in home reading and yet I did this for two whole years and it was never ever referenced or talked about, or anything by the teachers or the TA< never noted or anything, so I felt like a dick and stopped it.

Now they have said any home reading - so I have put in the 5 books she has read since September! Some one has written in her next ort book and ignored the books above.

[DrasticAction]

the other problem is, I would just rather she came off it altogether and was able to write in her own choice books because whilst I want her moved up, the books get longer but not more interesting wasting even more of our time - this is the story books, the fact ones are good.

[somepeopledontknowthat]

I think white level is ORT 10.

[somepeopledontknowthat]

She's been on white level for a year.

[DrasticAction]

what!!!!!

Thats appalling!!

[user789653241]

I just copied levels from past post, according to non existing past NC levels,
Lime is roughly a NC level 3C
Brown is roughly a NC level 3B
Grey is roughly a NC level 3A/4C
Dark Blue is roughly a NC level 4B/4A
Deep Red is roughly a NC level 5C/5B

[user789653241]

lime is ort11

[goingmadinthecountry]

Sounds like school is pretty set in its ways which is a pity. Are you happy with it otherwise? If so, just write "read well then chose to read blah blah to me."

I do remember once writing a comment about ORT - mum was reading a Danielle Steele novel on one page with her naff green earrings on. Something along the lines of, "Oh no!" said mum. "Where on earth did I leave my Gabriel Garcia Marquez autobiography?" Don't remember getting a response...

I can honestly say that I frequently don't quite get where other teachers are coming from. Not the ones on here, obviously!