DD has been in Year 1 for 10 school days and has only been given 1 ORT book, is this reasonable?

[corblimeycharlie]

I need your opinion before I decide whether to see the teacher tomorrow.
TIA

[DottyDot]

interesting - ds1 used to get an ORT book every day to read at home in reception last year. This year, in year 1, he only gets 2 books a week to bring home. Doesn't seem to make sense - except they're getting harder and therefore will take longer to read I suppose.

Maybe they're getting into the swing of things, but you could ask how often her book will be changed. Is she getting homework instead of a book?

[aintnomountainhighenough]

We are on our 4th ORT book so far. I am so relieved there are only 6 of them! Just to check - are these the ones without words? If so then yes I would be asking about it, I have already asked when something more interesting will be coming home!

[aintnomountainhighenough]

BTH should have said that my DD started in reception beginning of September.

[corblimeycharlie]

Dotty - not much in the way of homework either. Had to write a profile of herself over the weekend but that's all so far.

ANMHE - Oxford Reading Tree - she did the ones without words in nursery we are on level 5 now. They are a bit longer and the words are more difficult but because she has been reading all through the summer she read through it without any problems. I feel she needs a regular book until she is a bit more challenged.

[Hulababy]

aintnomountainhighenough - we had 18 of each level of ORT!!! There were 6 core books, then another 12 additional texts per level to deal with.

In Y1 now and not doing ORT at moment, but some other books. I am sure ORT will be back again though.

DD is still getting a book home a night in Y1.

[Hulababy]

Re. homework. This is what DD gets:

• Reading book every night
  
• Spelling list comes home Tuesday, practise till Thursday for test that day
  
• Written homework for weekend, comes home Friday and can be handed in any day following week - child's own choice depending on ability level; DD wrote about her weekend last week.

[bozza]

I would just mention it to the teacher, as in "is DD supposed to be changing her own reading book now?" kind of way. BTW DS is supposed to change his own reading books now he is in Y2 which accounts for his sudden drop of 5 levels - he was getting them out of the wrong box.

[dinny]

we get a new book (ORT) a week with the chance to change on Mon. Wed, Friday if you/teacher want to. They also pick a library book each on Thursdays.

[TellusMater]

I think you should give them a chance to get organised. And read some books with her at home if she is missing the reading.

[SlightlyMadSweden]

ANMHE -= there are hundreds of ORT books. It is only teh first few which don't have words.

I think I would see how it goes over the next week. It could be getting into teh swing. DTDs didn't bring anything home for nearly a week as teh teacher had to make time to do individual reading assessments with all of them and that takes time (as opposed to group reading).

DTDs were bringing home 2 ORT books (1 in autumn term) + 2 other books per week in Yr1.

[dinny]

our Y1 teacher not setting homework till after half term, to allow kids to settle into new routine of lots of work.

[corblimeycharlie]

That is a good idea Bozza. Thanks.
It is harder to talk to the teacher this year because we now drop them off outside the school and teacher takes them in and out of classroom. I haven't seen her classroom yet!

[crunchie]

CBC ffs she is 5 or 6!!

Why on earth are you worried about homework at that age!!

IMHO you are being the worst kind of mother, she is a child, what is wrong with that. DD1 used to get homewrk which we sometimes di and sometimes didn't Personally I don't belive in HW before Juniors. The odd book possibly, personally I hate the spellings/maths and reading we are supposed to do with them. I am a working mum how am I supposed to do this with 2 kids every night!!

DO NOT COMPLAIN YOU WILL BE SEEN AS THE WORST PUSHY MOTHER. In the meantime go to the library and borrow some books or buy some new ones from a shop

[kid]

DS is in Year 1 and brought home 2 ORT books and a piece of homework. He did read both books which we returned and we are now waiting for a new book to be sent home.
It doesn't bother me though as we have loads of suitable books at home which we read (not as often as we should )

I work in a school and it is very hectic at the moment. Just casually mention it to the teacher and she will be able to let you know how often you can expect a book home.

[corblimeycharlie]

Thanks Crunchie

[Blandmum]

If you are going to head for the library, I wouldn't get ORT books. If you do your dc will get bored when the same books get sent home from school.

Pick other books, anything that grabs their interest tbh.

[MissusH]

DD is in yr 1 and she gets one book a week. Last year she had 3 on average depending on how well she managed them and if she read well to the teacher.

One of the yr 1 dads has spoken to the literacy co-ordinator at the school to see why so few home books. He was told that the focus is taken away from high quantity home reading & that dcs will be doing guided reading to small groups in class, using different fiction & non-fiction books..

trouble is dd gets bored with the same book every night, so I have bought some of the ORT "read at home" books of the same level to add a bit of interest...

[aintnomountainhighenough]

Oh NO - I will never cope if I have to go through 18 with no words and neither will DD. Lets hope the ones with words come soon!

[Hulababy]

Ah, didn't have ones with no words. No idea how many of them there are.

[dinny]

yes, same as Hula - never had ones without words, even in Reception

[ChasingSquirrels]

aintnomountain - can she read? if so talk to the teacher and ask for the next level. ds1 has just started reception and we haven't had any books home yet (he says he was meant to bring one yesterday but forgot, then a different teacher today so she wasn't sure) so we are just continuing to read library books, but if they start him at a level that he can do I will just say and ask for the next level.

[Blandmum]

In fact the 'first words' ones are almost wose

Ie No Floppy, Oh Floppy!

They do get better at the Magic Key stage

(how sad is that!)

[ChasingSquirrels]

agree on the magic key stage, ds really enjoyed the level 4 ones, couldn't wait for my mum to bring the next one to see what happened.

[popsycal]

MB - I agree they get better at the Magic Key stage lol

Crunchie - I see what you are saying but think it was a little bit strong. Surely being interested in your child's reading does not equate with being 'the worst kind of mother'. Surely there are more severe things than that!

[Hulababy]

LOL - Oh Floppy, No Floppy drove me mad!

Trouble is we started at Level 1 ORT after we had done levels 1-3 of the old Peter and Jane books in the first weeks, so the ORT ones felt like a massive drop in ability level and it felt like going backwards. Even DD was somewhat [hmmm]

Oh the joys of reading schemes.

Infact I have decided I don't care about them. She reads the books school sends home and I wirte in her record book. And then rest of the time she choses herself what she wants to read for pleasure. We have many suitable books at home as I am terrible at constantly buying more and more books