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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be a bit frustrated by dd's first reading book NO WORDS!!!

84 replies

littlebylittle · 15/10/2010 15:48

Okay - health warning here, I am hormonal!! I am also a teacher (clearly not reception!)and should know the theory behind this. But...dd has just brought home first reading book after five weeks in reception and there are no words!! She know all letter sounds (initial) and has grasped all the phonics at school so far (ie they have seen her understand phonics). She also knows a good few words by sight. She'll also talk happily about stories and predict what's going to happen. So I am just a little peeved that there are no b**y words in this book. After this rant I will calm down and share the book she is so excited about and realise that yes IABU. But for five mins I feel like throwing the book at the wall! Any experience of learning to read confidently and quickly starting with wordless books?

OP posts:

CaptainNancy · 15/10/2010 15:52

They all start with these, to get them used to the concept of narrative. She will speed onwards I'm sure!

Olifin · 15/10/2010 15:52

My DD is in reception and brought home a couple of wordless books initially. She is now bringing home books with a few simple words in (characters' names, simple CVC words etc).

I am also a teacher (Secondary so no idea what's supposed to go on in Reception) and just assumed this is the way they do it.

Try not to stress about it, I'm sure your DD will move on very quickly.

NoahAndTheWhale · 15/10/2010 15:53

DS started with wordless books - the school he was at checked their understanding of phonics and then they started with wordless books. He quickly moved onto ones with words and at nearly 7 is a pretty good reader.

The books with no words are a bit frustrating, but it doesn't last too long

mrsgboring · 15/10/2010 15:54

Well you know there's loads of educational value in wordless books - interpreting pictures, predicting the story etc. That said, many wordless books leave a lot little to be desired in their interest levels.

You are right that it is an illogical step to go from phonic sounds to a book that doesn't actually use them. IMO it would be better to start with simple CVC words in a book and do the wordless story thing later or separate from The Reading Scheme. But it didn't do any harm to DS1's reading.

wb · 15/10/2010 15:54

Well, I can understand how you feel (I was exactly the same a few weeks ago) but YABU and I strongly recommend you enjoy this bit cause it doesn't last long and you will be up to your eyeball in Biff, Chip and Kipper within weeks.

RandomMusings · 15/10/2010 15:54

calm down

see how she gets on with it first

Is it the one about teddy lost on the bus?

DS1 was reading by Feb, DS2 was reading by Xmas, both using the no-word books to start

tulip27 · 15/10/2010 15:55

My DS started those last oct in reception and by July was free reading. Not sure if they helped but they didn't hold him back. Now dd has her first book without words and she feels so grown up. Mabye they build confidence?

upahill · 15/10/2010 15:55

We got those type of books in nursery.

I just assumed it was to get the child used to sitting with you and you looked at the book and made your own story up between you with you asking question such as 'what colour is the sky? 'what do you think the boy said?' and so on.

Original poster

littlebylittle · 15/10/2010 15:56

Okay, so not necessarily a lcak of assessment or dd not doing well? Bit calmer now - but this is the day of positive pregnancy test so bit edgy!! I so promised myself I wouldn't get angsty about this stuf fand yet here I am!

OP posts:

weepootle · 15/10/2010 15:56

My teacher friends were having a laugh just the other day about the mums who come in outraged that their precious dc have no words in their reading books! They said that all the children start like this and it is worthwhile.

Original poster

littlebylittle · 15/10/2010 16:02

at least I won't be going in about it - a whole weekend with my very rational dh to go! I have also made a strict policy about no words with the teacher without at least one pref a week to sleep on it! unless dd's life and limb at risk!! Have had many a "chat" with a parent who i imagine regretted their haste later!

OP posts:

Olifin · 15/10/2010 16:03

I imagined that they start all the children off from the same point, regardless of how much they may know (or not) about phonics.

There may be children in the class who don't get read to and are not used to enjoying stories at home; I guess that's the angle they're coming from.

Congratulations on your pregnancy littlebylittle :)

spanieleyes · 15/10/2010 16:06

Just think of it as developing inference and deduction,using visual imagery sources, developing oral story telling and a whole host of comprehension skills they are going to use throughout their education!

Original poster

littlebylittle · 15/10/2010 16:07

You are all very sensible! dh will be delighted that mumsnet was my first port of call. Otherwise, he tends to get the initial paoblem multiplied by the length of time passed before he gets home . (pg bit of side track - very early days. Looking forward to the hormones though - will really help me to be rational about school!!)

OP posts:

MillyR · 15/10/2010 16:08

I don't think a child's mechanical reading skills have anything to do with whether or not wordless books will be useful to them. They could be capable of reading War and Peace, but there is still a value to improving other reading skills by reading wordless books.

Also, it doesn't mean your child can't read other types of books at home with you from the library.

Lotster · 15/10/2010 16:09

Well in my son's reception class, they are allowed to choose their own book each day to bring home.

Imagine my irritation last week when after three days of pop-ups and books he'd already brought home before, he rocks up with Katie Price's (AKA Jordan's) "Mermaids & Pirates, Follow the Fish" rubbish.

The premise of this book is basically that Katie is amazing and Peter is a twat, with a little counting along the way. I would have thought the school would have a bit more quality control...

sethstarkaddersmummyreturns · 15/10/2010 16:11

I think it's stupid - take a child who is all excited about coming to school and learning to read and disappoint them for a few weeks. Yeah, great idea.
It was one of the factors that turned dd off reading in reception, I think.
But then I am pretty cynical now about stupid bloody ORT; Jolly Phonics worked brilliantly for my dd, ORT didn't.

SuzieHomemaker · 15/10/2010 16:13

I can sympathise. DD was so proud when she brought home her first reading book from school and was so disappointed when it had only one word 'look'. It has now gone down in family legend and still makes the DCs laugh.

Original poster

littlebylittle · 15/10/2010 16:14

Just looked at the book - it comes with a crib sheet with a really detailed story to tell and it's a Biff and Chio job about a hedgehog. Looks nice too. Friend's dd came home with worded book on first day, with instructions to try and get them to read it - her comment was "You just read it Mummy". Angst level near normal.

OP posts:

singarainbow · 15/10/2010 16:16

This made me laugh, as I had exact same response when DS brought home his book!!
I was really peeved that my son who can read and sound out simple words was given this book!!! Then I calmed down, and got over myself, and realised that he enjoyed it anyway, and we just finished off with him reading some words that was in the "story" that I wrote.
I think I over-reacted because I am scared that he will be overlooked, but he seems happy enough, and that's what matters.

Firawla · 15/10/2010 16:17

I remember we got wordless books when we were in reception and me and my sister were soo annoyed, we thought it was insulting lol. and then the next one in the scheme just had the word "look" on every single page, but i suppose it is useful for some but we were not @ all impressed @ the time

domeafavour · 15/10/2010 16:27

I'm with you OP.
What utter nonsense.
Surely children are used to the concept of books
I get the reasoning behind it, but I think it's actually quite sad.

LightlyKilledCrunchyFrog · 15/10/2010 16:46

Lots of kids aren't used to the concept of books. Most kids won't be used to the concept of a special reading book from school - it's a good habit to get into with a non-challenging task.

Here in NI the P1 children don't get reading books until Easter. I was happy enough with that with DD (who at 7 is well above average) but DS1 learns in a different way, so we have started fucking ORT at home. He likes Kipper. He likes Floppy. Oh No! Mum forgot his obsessional nature. He likes the ORT books in the same order at the same time every day. Mum likes gin.

I digress. In April, he will still get a wordless book - but he will whizz through those, and use them for practice at sequencing and story telling, which he struggles with. All good.

Rowgtfc72 · 15/10/2010 16:50

My DD is three and in her second week at school nursery.On Tuesday she brought home her first reading book,we opened and and she said "oh oh mummy ,take it back it doesnt have writing things in it " !

domesticsluttery · 15/10/2010 16:52

DS1 didn't get any reading books in Reception. DS2 started on those wordless books about halfway through Reception. They are now 6 and 8 and are permanently reading, DS1 ususally Horrible Histories and DS2 usually Roald Dahl. So a slow start hasn't held them back.

DD is 4 and in Reception and we haven't had any reading books yet. She knows all of her letters and can write (and spell correctly) a good few words so I'm sure she probably is ready to read, but I'm deliberately going at the same slow pace as the school does as I have seen that it does no harm at all.

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