The Reading Chest - has anyone used it?

[Carrotsandcelery]

If you have, what did you think?
I am thinking of subscribing as the school are not progressing ds with his reading and I feel I need to support him at home instead.
What were your experiences?

Bumping for a daytime crowd. Anyone?

Try posting on primary education, it's often recommended there so might get more response.

I used it over the summer - it was fab

Thanks everyone. Is it like Love Film but for books?

yes

It sounds perfect for us. Can I ask cazzy did you use the same level as your school was using for your dc or did you "up" the level? (or are you home schooling?)

I have put this over in primary as well to see if more people find it.

well i am a teacher .. I went for the level the school used but I got a lot of non-fiction which is harder than fiction

I use it with my ds for the same reason as you. Also, at school they were replacing ds's book twice a week but he wanted to read a couple a day. It is very efficient - you post the book back and a new one arrives within a couple of days. I kept writing in my ds's reading diary the books he was reading at home and they eventually got the hint and upped his level and now they give him a new book every day at school so I don't really need it as much now. But I would recommend it.

I was a teacher too cazzy at secondary level and non fiction is a problem area for a lot of kids by the time they get to secondary. It is also used heavily for exams so it is important that kids get to grips with it. We have had some of the non fiction ORT from school and it is harder. They often hand out a level below at school.

Since you are here can I ask why schools are so reluctant to move kids up the reading stages? It seems pretty widespread so I thought that maybe there was a good reason for it that we aren't getting.

toobusy - my ds book is replaced twice a week as well. He is happy to read it but reads well from much more challenging books that we have from dd being that age. I find it frustrating and am trying hard to understand why this happens. My main fear is that ds is very restless (suspected ADHD) and that they can't get him settled enough to read and therefore aren't really seeing his ability. I may be wrong though which is why I am trying to find out more about the whole thing.

I have no idea... I am very happy to move up children and do so frequently .. although part of the problem is when they to be good readers very few texts stretch them in the same way as when they 1st starting out (ie they no longer need to word build) but instead we are looking for expression, comprehension, inference etc etc

I think this is what I am not seeing cazzy - there are obviously things which you, as a teacher, know to look for, that we don't. Thank you. Sorry if I put you on the spot

Thanks to a recommendation on here, we are using it. DS1 loves his "reading club", he gets books at a much more appropriate level than from school and they supplement what I get from the library nicely. We are fans.