Fully prepared to be told I am... re:ds reading in school

[bedhead2008]

Ds has 5 entries in his reading diary since he started school last September, he has just gone into year 1. Asked his teacher what the school policy is for reading as I expected he'd be listened to more regularly. Teacher told me they do not listen to the children individually, and said that's why it's so important parents do. Instead, the school do guided reading as a class. I asked how they assess his reading and they said they asses once a term.

AIBU to think ds should be listened to by a TA or volunteer even on a one-to-one basis? He has some SEN and struggles with his reading. I listen to him every night but expected this was on top of what he did in school. Maybe my view is out-of-date, fully prepared to be told if this is the case!

As parents, we are expected to write in DS's reading record when we listen to him read.

How is a volunteer listening to your DS read any different from you listening to him read?

We don't listen to individual readers unless it's part of their IEP. Guided reading groups all the way.

I'm not saying they should be listening to him instead of me, but as well as. I'm not even saying they 'should', more inquiring.

Guided reading as a class sounds about right for our school too. I know that the teachers listen to the children read individually to assess them but ordinarily it seems to be something expected of parents - which I think is absolutely fine. I don't see the difference between you hearing your dc read and a volunteer and I figure if this is done at home it frees up time at school to do something which is less easy to do at home with me (if that makes sense)

Yes that makes sense, I have just begun a PGCE so will find all of this out soon enough! All the schools I've worked in listened to children regularly so originally I was a little surprised but as I said happy to be corrected!

I think it should be done more often by the school/volunteer at school.

A lot of parents just think their child is the best and a lot may wright it in but of never read the book with the child and it could take a whole month for the school to realise something is wrong and try to help fix it

Guided reading means that the teacher hears your child once a week (briefly) then discusses what has been read as a group with all of them. It allows the teacher to assess whether this is the correct level for them, and to develop their understanding/reading skills. This is usually recorded, but not in the reading record.

Thank you zirca, that's made it clearer!

I think she means they update their assessment data once a term. She should be assessing every day!

Yes I didn't realise they each read in guided reading so couldn't understand how she was assessing him, but it makes more sense now I know they take turns.

I've found it depends on the ages of the children. In my children's school, my 5 yr old reads to a teacher weekly. They also do guided reading sessions as a class 3 times a week.

My 8 yr old does not read to a teacher individually. He is now a free reader, brings home a book every day and when we finish it at home, it is changed. He does the guided readings sessions 3 times a week as a class too. But children in his year who are on IEPs for reading are still listened to individually by a teacher or TA.

hi. I think it's because it would take too long. 10 mins per child X 30 would take up a lot of their time

My ds yr 4 has 2 entries a week and a couple from us and has done for a few years, we have a fresh page each week. 5 entries a year is not enough tracking for me, unless she/he were not recording it; but then why wouldn't they. Reading at that age is the best HWK perhaps you can encourage more by recording your reading record in detail. The teacher doesn't have to listen for 10 minutes to guage where they are at. I used to work for VRS volunteer reading scheme and work in primary schools with SEN children. Perhaps you could suggest VRS to them or go in.

Year 1 at our school do guided reading and one to one with the teacher or TA.

In KS1 at our school there's an army of volunteers (mainly parents) who come in just to listen to children read. I do think it helps, especially in those crucial early years, and my kids got quite attached to some of their 'listeners'.

They were both free readers well before the end of KS1, at least in part because of the extra support and encouragement in my opinion. I do think that reading at home sends a much more powerful message that this is important and can be fun too, but it needs to be reinforced and built on by the school.

Both of mine have SEN so any and all the help they could get has been fantastic, but all children benefit - and as a class they benefit as the general level of reading ability goes up!

How sad this is the norm
What about the kids with the parents who can't be arsed? Assessed

Argh posted too early.

Assessed only once a term ? There was a thread on before about multiplication having to be done at home... What are the teachers doing?

Listening to reading is not teaching reading. Guided reading and work done in the literacy hour teaches reading. There can also be specific intervention for those with specific literacy difficulties.

In KS1 both read to the teacher/ta/volunteer at least once a week and more likely twice on an individual basis. Now DD is at juniors she has guided reading in a group once a week.