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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this is a very odd list of words to send home with a reception class

31 replies

dilemma456 · 23/09/2010 19:43

Not quite 3 weeks into term and DD's come back with the following list to learn:

Shouted
rabbit
feet
running
back
look
hands
dog
cat
orange
apple
jump
out
over
under
the
that
with

She can read a bit but I'm surprised by this list so early in the year and she's having trouble with a few of them (especially shouted, that, and with)

AIBU if I ask her teacher to explain the justification for this list?

OP posts:
Skyrg · 23/09/2010 19:47

Is that to learn in a week? Seems like a lot if so.

pinkbasket · 23/09/2010 19:50

That is the list to learn in the first year though I have to say it is different from my children's year r words.

Original poster
dilemma456 · 23/09/2010 19:52

Thank you. i was terrified - I thought they wanted her to learn the all TONIGHT!! Shock

OP posts:
bowbluebell · 23/09/2010 19:55

Surely that's not the list of words her teacher wants her to know by the end of the first year?

They sound totally random to me and I think that words like 'said', 'mummy' and 'daddy' mat be more useful than 'shouted' and 'orange'.

FWIW, when i taught reception (only 5 years ago) there were 45 high frequency words that children were 'expected' (IMO, no big deal if they don't', some are just not ready at that age)to know by the end of the year. MOst of the words in your daughter's list are not on that list.

Maybe ask for some clarification from her class teacher- you can't be the only parent who is feeling confused!

mathanxiety · 23/09/2010 19:57

There is no rhyme or reason to it, and also the idea that reception age children need to be doing anything formal like this needs examining.

These are the Dolch words (sight words) my DCs learned over the course of Kdg to third grade in school in the US (age 5 - 8) -- click on each year for lists.

cumfy · 23/09/2010 19:59

orange FFS

mathanxiety · 23/09/2010 20:00

High frequency list here -- print is small. This is all they did by way of spellings, along with the Dolch words, some of which may overlap.

bubbleymummy · 23/09/2010 20:03

How old are they in reception? I'm not in England....

Original poster
dilemma456 · 23/09/2010 20:05

Well I'm puzzled

I went through the list with her once and as it happened she knew most of them but by no means all and that was more luck than judgment. I certainly am not going to push her to learn shouted at this stage Confused

OP posts:
redmoooon · 23/09/2010 20:05

Shock at some of those words.

DD1 has just started reception and has these "teddy" words

I
A
said
to
of
in
it
said
the
and

Im not sure how long they have to learn them but when they do their picture goes up on a board. She has learnt them all in 2 weeks a surprised me by reading me a biff and chip book after being at school 5 days Shock.

Original poster
dilemma456 · 23/09/2010 20:05

they start reception in the academic year they turn 5 bubbleymummy - dd is 5 next month

OP posts:
Skyrg · 23/09/2010 20:06

Surely shouted is pointless until they've done some work on past tense?

kolakube · 23/09/2010 20:08

I thought they were supposed to start off with just pure letter sounds (phonics) and then learn to combine those to make a word e.g. c-a-t. Then they move on to sounds that a group of letters will make e.g. -ee, -ai, -th and then sound those out in a word e.g. t-h-e. Sounds a bit odd to send a list of words home so early with no guidance on what to do with them.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 23/09/2010 20:13

Could this be a differentiation exercise -- so they are giving the same list of words to attempt to all the children just to see who can manage which words, rather than intending them all to learn all of them right away?

bubbleymummy · 23/09/2010 20:14

Thanks dilemma.

I think it's a strange selection of words but I don't think it's an unreasonable amount to learn in a whole year. I would actually think they would learn more than this Blush If she's only having problems with a few of them at this stage she still has plenty of time :)

proudnglad · 23/09/2010 20:22

My dd couldn't read even the most simple words until the end of reception, no-one once told us what she should or shouldn't be able to read. She's now yr2 and reading at a level a year ahead (aren't all MNetters children? Wink).
Our dc's school is outstanding and I'm so glad there is not this sort of insane pressure.

Ariesgirl · 23/09/2010 20:27

While, the vocab does seem odd, it's the letter strings which are useful, and what they want them to learn so they can apply them to other words e.g. the double e in feet, the doubling of the consonant when you add -ing in running, the -ed for the past tense. The bottom few are the high frequency words they will need to be able to use when they start writing. Hope that helps a little.

FioFio · 23/09/2010 20:29

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted

Original poster
dilemma456 · 23/09/2010 21:16

I've now stopped panicing and I'm downing a second glass of wine. Glad I asked now.

It could be a differentiation exercise. The teacher did say they'd be doing some. On the other hand perhaps she's got her hands on year twos work by accident (I'd put nothing past DD)

OP posts:
AbbyLou · 23/09/2010 21:48

The list posted by redmoon are the correct first words for Recpetion in thr order of Letters and Sounds. Children learn phonics and high frequency words alongside each other through this programme - either on their own are not that useful. They learn those eight words plus the phonemes s, a, t, p, i, n first.
The list of words your child has dilemma is absurd!

CaptainNancy · 23/09/2010 22:15

They look like the key words for level 3 of reading scheme... so maybe they are just prepping her for the books she's going to bring home soon?

zipzap · 24/09/2010 00:40

Can I ask a quick question here about reading as there are so many people that sound like they know about it? (sorry op for hijack)

DS1 has just started year 1 - his reading is pretty much as non-existent as it was when he started reception (if not worse) and he gets a really bad stress/anger reaction whenever anybody even mentions reading to him at home (even when trying to sneak it in by reading words that are around rather than get a book out). School is a great school with great reputation and lots of the others are now quite happily reading and sounding out anything they see.

Just wondering if there is anything I can do to help his reading - he's a bright boy when it comes to other things (G&T for maths, v good at art/creative stuff and using the computer) but he has a real mental block when it comes to reading.

He used to love writing but he doesn't even like doing that much any more.

Are there any games (wii, ds, pc, storio, etc) that are good for helping reluctant readers to overcome their fears?

Or anything else?

Sorry again op for hijack and thanks for any advice.

mathanxiety · 24/09/2010 01:19

When my DCs were in the prereading stage they were all keen on identifying cars by logo, same for sweet brands and other brands (especially the chocolates and yummies though). They moved on to reading street names and shop names, etc., as we went for a walk or in the car (used same route most days), and I read to them a lot, including material that contained vocab that they wouldn't normally come across (some Beatrix Potter included here). Maybe try to make it a part of daily life? There are signs to read everywhere, including stop signs, No Entry, No Parking, etc. All decoding is positive.

delphinedownunder · 24/09/2010 02:05

Zipzap, will your son read his own stories? - well, you read them to him and he follows along. You can make him books of things that interest him using photos and pictures from magazines and he tells you what to write. You then revisit his stories as often as possible, adding new ones every so often. Another option is story tapes with books to look at.

huddspur · 24/09/2010 02:26

The teacher must have set words that the class was capable of learning, trust the teachers judgement/ability