Reading schemes

[Kforkatie]

I am fully aware that this is going to seem like bragging, but please believe me it is not. my DS is very academic, but he has a whole host of other stuff which makes him far from perfect!
Anyway, I am particularly interested in opinions from primary teachers or parents of children who are early readers.
My Ds is going into year 1 next month. He is able to read at a level of an 8 or 9 year old. (This is according to his early years teacher). In reception he was allowed to go to year 3 or 4 to choose his reading books.

When I spoke to his year 1 teacher, she told me that he will be expected to work his way through the reading scheme, and read every book of every level. When I queried this she said that there is a lot more to reading than just decoding the words. I completely agree with this, and (although I believe that my DS fully understands what he is reading, as well as grasping inference etc), I agree that it is a good idea that she checks his abilities through the reading scheme.
Aibu to think that it is not necessary for him to read every book of every level? He is going to be bored stiff by half term!

Personally I think YABU. I never understand the angst about dc being made to read every book in a reading scheme as if it is some awful chore.

Mine were also early readers and were happily reading chapter books in Reception but also had to read the reading scheme books. What difference does it make? For a child able to read at the level of a 9 year old, your typical Stage 4 Biff and Chip or equivalent will take them 2 or 3 minutes.

Mine brought the reading scheme books home and would read them each night, within a couple of minutes, then chuck it aside and carry on with their Roald Dahl/Wimpy Kid etc. Their attitude towards doing it is largely down to that they see the parents exhibit IMO.

It's no different to the homework at my dc's school. The school is fantastic and cater their lessons and work to each dc's ability, within school. But the Friday homework is the generic 'Maths Year 1' (or whatever year) sheets that are meant for the majority. So mine, who were very advanced at maths from a young age, would spend 2 minutes working through the '10+15' type sheet of sums even though their ability was way way beyond that. It was no more than a minor irritation, not a horrendous chore.

If the book is well beneath their reading level in all aspects of reading, then it is pointless busywork and it can be off putting.

I got off to a quick start to reading and was deeply unimpressed and frankly insulted at the "baby book" I'd been sent home with. Fortunately the teacher did go and raid the junior school for something more appropriate.

Going through the entirety of a level of Kipper, Biff and Chip is tedious. Unfortunately we do have to slog through them as DS seems to have inherited dyslexia rather than my early aptitude for reading. We've moved up to level 4 at the end of y1 and the simple structure would deny the opportunity to develop some skills like intonation.

Meh! There are worse problems. My yr4 dd is reading yr2 books for the third time over as she is not ready to move up.
Just go to the library.

Another teacher here (Year 1 in fact!) I would also be feet surprised if the teacher or even the TA would hear your child read every book at every level! That's madness!!

I'm sure that once she is satisfied that he can a) read with fluency and b) answer questions to test his comprehension, she will move him on more quickly. I'd imagine that she has you down as a 'pushy mum' who has nagged and nagged his previous teacher to push him through the levels (not saying for one minute that you are!) For the time being just stand back and let her realise that these books aren't challenging him. It doesn't sound like it'll take long!

There will have been a handover from his previous teacher, she will have given her opinion on his general ability, including his reading.

In my ds's school they can change their reader 3 times a week provided parents have filled in the diary to say it's been read. They also read with a teacher or TA periodically and move up a book band if necessary. They don't necessarily read every book in every band, but I suppose have to demonstrate certain skills at each level. There's also linked spellings/writing tasks at each level.
As a pp said, if he's so far above the level he'll just whizz through them no trouble.

I'm a reception teacher and sadly this does still happen in some schools/ with some teachers.

I assess each child individually and most years I do have one or two who excel at reading. This year I have one child coming up from our preschool who can already read simple words so I met with her mum before we broke up and gave her some books to work on over the holiday.

Can you speak to the teacher when term starts, or maybe at the first parents evening, to share some of the books your child has read at home and ask for some next steps for when you are reading at home, e.g, using expression?

Meh! There are worse problems. My yr4 dd is reading yr2 books for the third time over as she is not ready to move up.

You're right, that is a worse problem. They need to find a better method/better (for your dd) books. They're hardly tailoring her education to her needs.

There is a difference in reading well and understanding though. If his reading is 8-9 years old is his understanding at the same level? If so it is stupid to hold him back. School reading does not test actual reading of the words, but reading and understanding what the whole text is about. This is some of what the teacher means. You can test his understanding by asking him general and some more difficult questions. School is about reading and understanding well enough to manage reading and writing independently.

pricillap I am pretty sure that he understands what he is reading. There are probably some references and phrases that he doesn't grasp because of his age and world experience. (There was a reference to Elvis in a book that he asked me about because he hadn't heard of him). My main concern is that, having let him choose any book he likes in reception, he is going to find is very limiting tedious to have to plod through the Happy Families series, or whatever they make him read. However, I am also aware that life is dull sometimes and it might be good for him! I think at somebody point he is going to need to be challenged in order to 'learn how to learn' and build a little resilience.

Dont worry. Ds3 is similar. Within age appropriate reason he reads whay he likes at home. Hes 8 so beast quest and i think the hobnit was on the go at one point. At achool hos book are aboit 50 pages long and not at all taxing. I now write in his reading record what he has read at home as they let us count it. He is a bookworm. He has an excellent vocabulary . I think the school os being daft but no harm done.
Now the other 2 who are dyslexic they damn near killed any love of reading due to their pedantry over reading scheems and inflicting age inapproporiate books on them. (Think reading age of 6 for a 10 uear old and yes we had to read every sodding book in the ort)

He'll be fine op.

That is good that he understands it then as that was my only concern. I have come across the situation where a child can read extremely well, but when we discuss the meaning etc. they have no idea what it is about. It is not really common, but I have experienced it with some pupils on a number of occasions. I think perhaps one strategy is to buy some of the Schofield and Sims or Bond Comprehension Books and get him to do some of the exercises. Then ask the teacher if he can do one in class where they know he is not asking for help to prove his reading and ability it above par. They probably won't like it and may well refuse, but it is perhaps worth try. I would try them at home first though. Bond are a very good set of workbooks and Schofield and Sims are used quite a lot in many primary schools.

The teacher is wrong, but unfortunately you might just have to suck it up.

If he's reading plenty of stuff that's the right level for up him at home, then it's less of an issue but still not ideal.

As a teacher in some ways yanbu (hear every book!?!? When does she teach anything else!?)
But also, books in schools tend to scale their content in line with difficulty - so a book with a difficulty appropriate for an 8/9 year old will also have content appropriate and you clearly don't want him necessarily exposed to this (not wanting Harry Potter etc).
I personally tend to slow progression through the levels to keep children reading age appropriate books (especially after some complaints about content!). Remember the expectation is that children read aloud fluently and with expression and can ask and answer in depth questions so this is something to work on if he's not already doing this.
In all honestly though, it doesn't matter what books he's got from school - you can expand his reading at home if you want to - and reading at home is the main thing that determines wether children become literate or not as the curriculum is so crowded it is very difficult to dedicate time to hearing children read in school (if I heard all children read every day it would take up all of every afternoon at least), so just make the decision that this is something you are going to do with him, and who cares what the school want!
From the sounds of it he's going to be literate regardless so as long as he's progressing in other areas does it really matter?