Reading - honest answers please!

[stroppyknickers]

DS is 5, nearly 6 and started year 1 this term. He can't read more than 8 words (after a burst of teaching by granny)but does know all his letters and numbers. He can just about write his name. He doesn't seem to be alone in this, in terms of last year's reception class. I think only one could read (taught at home before school). The school used to send words home for him to learn, which we hardly ever did. Time/ babies/ knackered after school etc. This is my question. Can your year 1 child read and is that down to the school or did you teach them at all? I'd quite like to avoid any g and t types (unless with ice and a slice ) as I already feel like he's going to be one of those biys who can't read/ join a gang/ drop out at ten/ horrible scenario/ late night stressing...

[LynetteScavo]

My DS (April b'day) can do the same as yours. I think he's a late developer, though.

He's about average in his class (?), and will be having a bit of extra help with reading.

[stroppyknickers]

oh, ok. so shd i ask for help?

[witchandchips]

Think its quite normal (remember in scandanavia they would not be thinking of even starting teaching then to read until year 2). Yes a few children will be reading fluently at your ds' age but guess your ds can do plenty of things that they can't. My dad couldn't read until 7 but was on proper grown up fiction (john wyndhan, lord of the rings and the like) by the age of 8!

[witchandchips]

stroppyknickers have you asked him how he feels about it

[hippipotami]

Okay, honest answer what he can do seems a little on the low side given that he is nearly 6.

However, that does not mean he is never going to read/join a gang/drop out at ten. It just means it has not 'clicked' with him yet.
I think the lists of words to read at home are important and is there any way you can set aside time to do those with him?

Both my dc learnt to read at school. I was/am definately not one of those mums who read with her child every day of the summer holiday and pushed them into reading before they even started school.
But I did support the school in trying to teach my dc to read by reading their school books with them every other day and readign teh word lists every week as requested. Because as good as the school may be, they have to teach 30 children.

I know it is hard, with a small baby especially, but if you are worrying abou this then surely you must do something?

I don't think he is majorly behind, but I would give him some extra help now to help him catch up before the gap widens further.

[juuule]

My eldest dd couldn't read very well until the end of y2 when she found something she liked and then never looked back.

Did very well at secondary school and is now at college and considering university.

[ninja]

My daughter is on the Oxford Reading Tree and so can read some of thear key words (Mum, Dad, Floppy, Kipper etc) out of context and maybe a few like the, it with some reminding. In context with pictures and able to guess at the word by looking at the first letter, however, she's a lot better as she's interested. (She's probably above average as they have mixed classes and she's with the half that have gone up). Saying that the boys seem to be further behind.

Your son will start when he's interested and ready - is there any charachter that he's really keen on that he can try and find books involving?

It may be that the school (quite rightly in my opinion) didn't worry too much about formal reading and writing in reception.

[hippipotami]

Do you need to ask the school for help? I would just read the stuff they send home with him. That is how they want you to help

[seeker]

My ds could barely read at all at the end of reception. He really wasn't interested and I saw no reason to push him in a direction he didn't want to go. He could read quite well (although still not particularly interested) by the end of year 1, but then really took off by the first term of year 2, and was reading Harry Potter by the end of year 2.

I really wouldn't worry - but I do think it's incredibly important to read to them. Share books as much as you can - reading will come.

And try to find things that interest your boys - my ds's motivation was wanting to be able to read his football magazines for himself. I don't think he saw the point of reading until he realized that Match magazine had lots of stuff he wanted to know in it!

[Buda]

I wouldn't say you need to ask for help but you do need to help him with the words that school send home. There are 45 words that they 'should' know by the end of reception. My DS was not interested at all in reception till around the Easter so the teacher didn't send words home - then one day he refused to leave school without them!

Do they get reading books home?

[wannaBe]

I would say that if there is only one child out of a class of 30 (assuming it is a class of 30?) that can read then your child's school is wofully inadequate.

Reading is a very individual thing and it goes without saying that there will always be children in a class who can read at a higher level and those that will take some time to catch up. Reading tends to click for different children at different times. but

If the only child out of a whole class that can read has been taught this at home then I would seriously be questioning whether this is actually a decent school. Because although not all children should be expected to excel at reading/writing/maths at the same rate, in a class of 30 children, it is a logical assumption to make that there will be some children who will progress quicker than others, so if none of those children have progressed at all then I wouldn't be happy with the level of education the children were receiving.

My ds has started year1 today and he reads at a very competent level - he left reception on ORT level 7 and can read pretty much anything he picks up. And while I have been there to read with him and help him sound out words he has struggled with, the credit for him being able to read at this level all goes too the school, and of course to him for having the enthusiasm for it. Obviously there are children in his class who are reading at lower levels because they might be much younger/have a flare for other things/just be late developers, but they have all developed over the past year (and I have helped out in their class so I have seen it for myself).

[Issy]

DD2 can read going into Yr1 - obviously not really read but she can make her way through a Ladybird fairy tale or an 'Apple Tree Farm' book. But and this is an enormous, thwacking big 'but', she is a girl, she turned 5 within a few weeks of starting Reception, she's a second child and so got a lot of letters and numbers stuff almost by osmosis, she had a huge amount of input from our nanny (an ex KS1 teacher) on letters and numbers before she started school and she is towards the very top of a class whose ability ranges from reading chapter books right through to children who are still struggling with learning letters and numbers. I think this is the year when the range of achievement is the greatest; the difference in concentration span, fine motor skills and the actual desire to sit down and work as opposed to bounce around play-fighting between the average Autumn born girl and the average Summer born boy is so huge, I don't think it could be any other way. I confidently expect that most if not all the boys in her class will be catching up with her by the time they go into Yr2 or Yr3, on a par with her by the time they leave primary school and certainly, in terms of bagging all the firsts, surpassing her if she gets to university.

Having said all that, I think it's worth persevering gently with reading and key words at home, just so that your DS (and you) don't feel discouraged.

[stroppyknickers]

witchandchips, he is not exactly enthusiastic about trying but, he loves books and is always asking me to read things to him. hippo - good advice. As we have 11 plus looming, i am thinking Sundays might be education day - dh is at work 7 til 8 (13 hours, not 1!) and works sat. ju - good to hear. Will look on amazon for starting point as have no idea about all this.

[hippipotami]

Agree wtih others. Find books your ds likes. My ds was a reluctant reader in Reception and Y1, until the local library received a lot of non-fiction books aimed at younger readers.
Suddenly he was keen to read as he wanted to find our how long ants live for, how tractors work, what a volcano is etc.

[Madsometimes]

dd1 could not read very well when she started year 1. She was on stage 1 of the reading scheme at the beginning of year 1 and stage 3 at the end. However, in year 2 she progressed very quickly and was off the reading scheme by about February. She did get some additional support in year 1 (in a group), although the school were not very organised about this. Learning to read is not a gradual process in my experience, but occurs very quickly when the child is ready. However, I would ask about help if you are concerned, and perhaps take him for an eye test too, just to make sure that he is seeing properly.

[seeker]

stroppynickers - I presupe you mean 11&divid; looming for an older child, not this one.......?

[stroppyknickers]

wannaBe - i agree, that's why i wanted to get other opinions. my mum (former reception teacher)was shocked at the fact that only one can read. hippo - we always read the books that come home. Issy - thank you for being honest about the help dd got. She must love reading to herself.

[stroppyknickers]

seeker - am rofl at thought of hothousing poor ds for 11 plus. dd is 10, and sits it next year. Although....

[CountessDracula]

I must say I agree with whoever said one child out of 30 reading at the end of reception is really not good.

DD starts Y1 today and can read pretty fluently. We didn't teach her to read before she started school. She can for eg read Naughty Little Sister books.

She is the eldest in the year (6 today!) but even the littlies in her year can read a bit!

Her school sent home several ORT books a week right from the beginning, plus all the words. If they are too tired to read at night then you could do over breakfast?

[CountessDracula]

(she was on ORT 8 or 9 at end of last term IIRC btw)

[seeker]

I live in an 11+ area too - any anything's possible.......!

My dd did it last year - hideous process - so I'm happy to help if I can.

[stroppyknickers]

CD at disparity between reading 'and' 'you' etc and naughty little sister books. may try to spk to teacher (not the same as last year)

[TheFallenMadonna]

Can he decode? You say he can read 8 words, and I assume that mean sight reading, and that he knows all his letters. But does he know - I don't know the corect term - but things like -oa- and -a_e-. Knowing those are what really kick off the reading IME. DO they do Jolly Phonics?

[seeker]

"1 child in 30 reading at the end of reception not good" Doesn't it depend on what you mean by reading? I don't think you can expect to have many - if any -really fluent free readers at the end of Reception. But I agree that if there's only one child who can read at all then that's pretty worrying.

Mind you, a lot depends on the catchment area and the first language of the children.

[Marina]

As others say, I think I would be more concerned about the lack of overall progress in this Reception/Yr1 class.
Dd is one of the youngest in her new Yr1 class (5 a month ago today!) and can read Wibbly Pig and other favourite board books on her own, spontaneously. With adult attention and support she will tackle age-appropriate Usborne storybooks and likes those M & S Fairy Stories clearly aimed at new little girl readers.
We did not teach her - she is a younger sib and has enjoyed a lot of benign neglect
If your feeling about only one child being able to read already is correct, I would perhaps raise that as an issue.
In dd's class, there is a broad spectrum of ability. The only boy who can read fluently is being viciously hothoused at home and his interpersonal skills are not fab. I bet your ds is having a lot more fun at school!