Yet again reading.....Year 3

[lottysmum]

I have a fairly bright little button...who has progressed at her own pace with reading.

She's gone up into year 3, the school use a fab reading/computer based comprehension programme but for the first time since she started reading I'm worrying that the book she is currently reading is wrong ...in many respects....

It relates to some parts of nature (having babies etc...) that we have not discussed...it's by the Tracy Beaker author.. she is asking me to explain more words or help her with some pronounciation...virtually there but not quite and I'm not sure what to do...I don't like the book or Tracey Beaker!

I think the problem has arisen because she's a 7yr old who is probably reading at age 9-11 standard...but I think the content of the books (which she freely selects) is not right for her age...so any ideas?

[ingles2]

Do they not continue with a reading scheme at chapter book level? or is she free to choose whatever?
Ds2 is yr 4,( just 8) and a free reader but reads ORT level 14+ (i think) at school.

[Kirstieallsoppsalterego]

Oooooh. I had this with DS last year. He was six (and only just six) at the start of Y2, but his reading level was age 13+ - which makes it very, very tricky to find stories to suit. If the vocab is at the right level, the emotional/social content isn't. So DS was choosing stories that included bullying, backchat, pre-teen and teen concerns. After he'd brought a couple home, I mentioned it to his teacher, who took immediate action and went to the school library with him to choose more suitable books. He liked the Dick King Smith and Jeremy Strong stories and (being a boy) lots of reference books. I got him into Enid Blyton, and he read the Famous Five and Secret Seven series. Then he discovered Beast Quest - frightful books, but enormously appealing to small boys.

Personally, I'd say that Jacqueline Wilson is not suitable for a Y3 child. I've read a lot of her stories; I think her writing is very, very good and that she handles difficult topics with great warmth and sensitivity - but I wouldn't want my DD reading them until she's more like 9 or 10.

[Kirstieallsoppsalterego]

Ingles - didn't you find the ORT ones started getting a bit too 'adult' in their concerns? I asked for DS to be taken off ORT at the start of Y1 once he was on level 14 as I didn't think the content was suitable for him - but there are presumably lots of ORT books that are suitable...

[Pyrocanthus]

You could ask the teacher to steer her in more appropriate directions if the content isn't suitable for her age. Would you be allowed to help her choose a book before school starts? Would the teacher mind if you kept her supplied with suitable books yourself from the public library or your own stock? It depends on what the set-up is at your school, but with both my DDs we sort of drifted away from the school readers once they were reading fluently, and just recorded our own books in their reading diaries. The teachers always seem delighted if anyone fills in the diaries at all...

[ingles2]

There's such a huge variety of ORT at level 14 onwards. DS2 stayed on level 14 all of year 3 mainly because the books are age appropriate I think. He had some fiction, some poetry, some plays, comics, a really wide range and he seemed to enjoy most.
At home he's also read Beast Quest, Jack Stalwart, Charlie Bone.
What sort of fiction does she like Lottysmum?
If she likes fantasy, the Charlie Bone series is good. It's supposedly 9-12 but both my ds' have read it at 8 and really enjoyed them.(I've also read them, nothing in there that's not suitable)

[teamcullen]

Just send the book back and ask if she can swap it as the context is not really suitable. If she is allowed to pick her own books maybe you could ask the school if she could pick books from home or the library and take them in instead. Roal Dahl books are a good choice.