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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to write this in DD’s reading record?

182 replies

BikeRunSki · 25/09/2018 16:28

I did not make DD read all of this book. In her words it is “Stupid, boring and poop”. She read the first and last chapters, and a few pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone instead.

I didn’t write this, but she asked me to. She’s 6/Y2 and the school reading scheme is seriously putting her off reading.

OP posts:
HarveySchlumpfenburger · 25/09/2018 18:22

Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon are both aimed at the same age range, with a very similar reading age.

I’m not sure why MN is so against able KS1 Reader Reading the first HP book. If they’re reading it and enjoying it it’s fine.

Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 25/09/2018 18:26

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Yes, but as you go up through the Harry potter books, they do become more mature. A 6 year old can enjoy the first one... But the last one isn't appropriate. The how to train your Dragons series remain appropriate. It's aimed a higher age range, but is suitable for younger advanced readers. It is also really enjoyable. That was my point.

mostdays · 25/09/2018 18:26

If you're writing anything at all in the reading record you're doing better than me.

PinguDance · 25/09/2018 18:29

Lot of AR reading books at that level are stupid, boring and poop tbf - we do them at secondary school with low sets in year 7 and 8. I'd just blithely ignore them until she gets to a level where they actually have some interesting titles at school (about 4.0 I think).
And I mean I work in a school and I think the 'science' behind AR is probably made up (or at least if there is a science to it none of the teachers or the librarian at my school could actually explain it).

HardofCleaning · 25/09/2018 18:34

Slightly tangential but what do people actually write in reading records? Eldest is a free reader so I just write he got to chapter X but always end up adding some comment when there isn't anything to say (I cycle through "read well", "good expression" "enjoying this book" "needed help with X") or do most people just write where they got to.

PinguDance · 25/09/2018 18:37

You don't get a prize for saying 'Harry Potter's not even that well written' you know. I've never understood this. It's not badly written at all; it's not Gormenghast but try getting your kids to read that. Phillip Pullman is generally a more literary style but it's also based on Milton and conceptually in a different stream to HP.

IncyWincyGrownUp · 25/09/2018 18:37

A lot of people would like their children to read the Harry Potter series because they enjoyed it themselves, and we like to share what we like. My middle child read them all at 8. His choice, nobody else's. My eldest hasn’t read them at all, again, her choice.

My youngest son is a fluent reader, but quite enjoys the ORT books because he’s always up for finding out what Floppy fucks up in each book. He reads all sorts of shite to be fair. He’s mostly fond of adverts at the moment, weird little sod that he is.

His reading record doesn’t record what other stuff he’s read, but seeing as he knows the reading coordinator and regularly chats to her school are well aware of his levels.

As a final note, lots of schools have ORT books. That’s because they’re reasonably priced, the scheme is quite comprehensive, and they’re easy to get hold of. If you really don’t like them, raise a fuckton of cash for your school to buy enough books in a differing scheme for a couple of hundred children of varying reading ability to read. Simple eh?

Squidgee · 25/09/2018 18:48

I was always a voracious reader, I still am.. if people want a boast, my parents let me read the full unabridged version of Watership Down when I was 8 years old...

I haven't let my kids read HP yet, I enjoyed the books but I dont actually think they're great for primary aged children because of the abuses and so on in the history of the characters.

I think most modern kids books are a pile of shite compared to what was around 20 years ago.

Cachailleacha · 25/09/2018 18:56

I was always a voracious reader, I still am.. if people want a boast, my parents let me read the full unabridged version of Watership Down when I was 8 years old...
Isn't that a children's book? My child read it at 8, it was in the children's section at the library? I've never read it, but assumed it was fine?

taratill · 25/09/2018 19:02

IncyWincy your son and my son could be soul mates. He peaked when he dressed up as Biff for World Book Day in year 5!

So funny!

LikeLemondrops · 25/09/2018 19:13

I had this dilemma last night. I don't think it should be so hard to find an appropriate book, I manage at home! Dd read her reading book in about 7 minutes cover to cover. Then I let her choose a book and we read a paragraph each, taking turns for about 30 minutes more until bedtime. She was so much more engaged with the book she chose. Hopefully today's will be better.

smallchanceofrain · 25/09/2018 19:20

Love this thread OP. It's reminded me of the delights of Biff and Chip.... "The magic key began to glow..." I'm sure those books were designed to suck the pleasure out of reading.

By Year 4 DS2 was pretty much doing his own thing. He went through a phase of preferring factual books - history, natural history etc. By Year 6 he was into Harry Potter. He's 13 now and his current phase is Michael Morpurgo type stuff.

I'm not sure you should write that the book is "poop" but you do need to tell school that your daughter doesn't enjoy the books so making her read them is counter productive.

PorkFlute · 25/09/2018 19:23

If your child really did tell you to write that they I’d say you need to work on her attention, manners and extending your own questioning and discussion to stretch her comprehension abilities (which include far more than a basic understanding of what is written).
I’m never sure why parents think that having their children read The Hobbit aged 2 because they can actually helps their reading improve.

Aspenfrost · 25/09/2018 19:23

Sometimes, OP, we have to do things we do not like for our own good. How cringeworthy that you should write that, in view of the fact it will be read by her teacher, and possibly by others.

Your child needs to learn that her comment is rude and inappropriate and also that Harry Potter is rubbish.

Isleepinahedgefund · 25/09/2018 19:24

I get what you’re saying, but it isn’t the right way to get the message over. Have an insistent word with the teacher, and don’t be fobbed off with any sort of “we have to follow the programme” type answer,

My DD is very advanced for her ages in reading, and last year in Y1 had read her way through the entire reading programme. I had a word with the teacher and it was sorted out. I also took in some books that she was happily reading at home, to show what she was capable of reading and comprehending. They were very good about it, and we stopped having books home. They did the guided reading and assessments they needed to in school, but she didn’t need that boring tripe being sent home every week!

JenFromTheGlen · 25/09/2018 19:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Russell19 · 25/09/2018 19:28

When she comes to do SATs and exams she will have to read the most boring passages and be expected to answer questions on this in 30 minutes. She needs to be able to read anything and everything. See it as practice. I'm a teacher and if a parent wrote that is be upset and think they were being unhelpful. You're letting your child know it's ok to pick and choose which it isn't for reasons I mentioned above.

FermatsTheorem · 25/09/2018 19:33

But SATs are a pile of steaming shite which serve no educational purpose whatsoever, make the final 18 months of primary school utterly miserable (I'm doing secondary school tours at the moment - interesting conversation with the head of maths at one where he said a large part of his job with the year 7s was to undo the damage caused by SATs and persuade them maths was interesting, rather than deathly boring).

If it's a choice between finding an approach which leaves my son still loving books and wanting to read for fun (or in his case, be read to for fun, because he's dyslexic, with gentle and gradual encouragement to read for himself - even if this means a lot of graphic novels which don't count towards "accelerated reader") and making the school's SATs results look good, I'm going to choose the former every time.

Russell19 · 25/09/2018 19:42

Are you going to say the same about GCSEs when it comes to them? You may not like it but tests are part of our current education system rightly or wrongly. I personally don't agree either but for some reason that is how our government seems to determine success and ability. We have to allow our children to succeed based on this system no matter what our beliefs are.

Alpacanorange · 25/09/2018 19:52

You can not be seriously considered writing that.
The book will be passed around for all to see your PA attitude, don’t do it.

LittleLionMansMummy · 25/09/2018 19:55

When she comes to do SATs and exams she will have to read the most boring passages and be expected to answer questions on this in 30 minutes.

She'll be 3 or 4 years older by then, that's very different to trying to encourage a 6 or 7 year old to read. It would be good to not put her off reading altogether by then.

Many will read simply because they love reading. Many others need a different approach to get them or keep them interested. We mentioned that it was a battle getting our ds to read and the school helped him choose a suitable alternative book. Now, in juniors, he chooses factual books (about animals, the earth's environments etc) aimed at his age range and we're getting so much more from it - including speaking about the things he's learned to check his comprehension.

There's nothing competitive about saying this - he's absolutely where he should be for his age, only now he actually enjoys reading and it has eliminated the stress involved. For everyone.

Russell19 · 25/09/2018 20:05

I meant her year 2 SATs which will be in 6ish months...... if you Google sample KS1 SATs especially paper 2 you'll see the kind of boring texts I mean. Again the results mean nothing but I'm sure you don't want your child to think she doesn't have to read it? Or worse to not succeed when she is capable x

EndOfDiscOne · 25/09/2018 20:07

But SATs are a pile of steaming shite

Fucking rehabilitated dodo images. Fuck that bloody reading paper.

(That was the one that made me chuck SATs marking it was that dreadful)

LittleLionMansMummy · 25/09/2018 20:13

Russell I didn't really focus on SATs tbh, and the school didn't either - they came and went and then the results were out saying ds was meeting required standards (or whatever the wording is). I might worry more about y6 SATs but at age 6 I still believe that encouraging them to enjoy reading trumps everything else.

SouthWestmom · 25/09/2018 20:21

These threads are so
Love the pp who had to come back in case we thought her child was struggling intellectually rather than with the boredom of the books.
It wouldn't be Mumsnet without some light bragging about your amazing child.

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