Quick level question please KS1

[Dungandbother]

I have an excellent reader in my older DD. A typical mumnet reader.

My son is making slower progress but I'm content there is progress.

He was on a phonics intervention so would any KS1 teachers mind putting me at ease? Or on the contrary!

He's a late summer born boy Y1 on Blue book band and can access green if they are just phonics. The ones at home! School plod through the damn ORT in order.

Well within average? Below? Very below?

We read every day and I supplement hugely with library books. Of course he's very reluctant. He's a boy. Bribery works.

[Ferguson]

I am a retired TA, and things are constantly changing; but I would think that is probably about right. This scale of 'colours' may clarify:

www.readingchest.co.uk/book-bands

Try some non-fiction on topics he likes, and with more advanced books perhaps try this technique:

When reading harder books with a child, get him to point to words as he goes along. If he knows the word, or can sound it out, he can say it. If he doesn't know the word, he can hover his finger over it, and YOU say the word for him. Don't stop to analyse or discuss the word at this stage, but try and keep the 'flow' of reading going. Review difficulties at the end, if you wish to. This way, he has the satisfaction of reading more difficult books, without the fear of getting 'stuck' on words.

Also, this book could stimulate enthusiasm:

An inexpensive and easy to use book, that can encourage children with reading, spelling and writing, and really help them to understand Phonics, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews section. Just search ‘Phonics’ and my name.

[user789653241]

Here's another link somebody posted on other thread yesterday.

www.beckstone.cumbria.sch.uk/curriculum/reading_levels.pdf

[Dungandbother]

Thanks Irvine

Is that still relevant though what with levels being scrapped? They look like the old levels?!? Reading age seems just about ok though.

According to that chart, DD was at each year and still is off the top of the scale. Which is why I find this tricky.

DS is sitting within the bottom of average but if I may beg you to return.... Would that be for the end of the year? Not halfway through?

Thank you
And thanks to Ferguson too

[cariadlet]

I teach Year 1 and at the moment in my class the children range from pink books to purple books. Blue/green is fine for this time of year - especially for a late summer born boy.

[Dungandbother]

Thank you
I hope he can rise a couple more levels before summer!

[user789653241]

Sorry, Dung, this link was posted by somebody else yesterday (on another book band thread) and since it had age equivalence to the band colour, I thought it might help.(To know he is in the expected range for YR1.) I didn't think anything of old nc levels.

[LadyJ133]

I am an experienced KS1 teacher who has recently moved to a new school where the majority of my Y2 class are on green and blue ORT books. I have only had children assessed at such a low level at this stage in my previous school when they have had problems with reading. I will be using my PPA day tomorrow reading individually with every child in my class to remedy this. Blue/ Green is fine for Y1. Keep working on the High Frequency words, scheme books are reliant on familiar words.

[Feenie]

Decodable schemes usually are not, actually - and that's what children should be reading at blue/green.

[toomuchicecream]

Surely not year 2 Feenie? I would expect my year 1 class to be at blue/green at this stage of the year (with the current cohort I can only dream...). LadyJ - lets hope that they just haven't been assessed for the last 6 months and you can start to accelerate them, otherwise if I was in your position I'd be very worried about the assessments in the summer!

[mrz]

LadyJ said scheme books are reliant on familiar words if the school us following the statutory national curriculum they shouldn't be using scheme books that focus on "familiar words" and should be using decodable texts in KS1 as feenie says

[Feenie]

I agree that a class of Y2 children on blue/green is very worrying - but if they aren't using decodable books that's probably why!