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Original poster

Are any of your children on Ginn Reading?

25 replies

Mistymoo · 11/01/2006 18:09

I was wondering how common it was.

My ds is on it, Level 2, he is in Primary 1 (Scotland). A friend of mine looked through his book and said her dds would be bored with them and said their school used the Magic Key.

I agree that they are boring and I know my ds can read better than the school gives him credit for. I just wondered what other MNs thought.

OP posts:

Miaou · 11/01/2006 18:15

Dd2 brought a couple of Ginn books home last term (she is in Primary 3) and I have to say the gap between them and Magic Key in terms of interest was ... well, a yawning chasm! I was going to say something to the teacher but dd2 got there first and told her they were really boring and she didn't want to read them again! (She'd just been given them as extra reading).

It is a problem if kids are bored by their school reading books. Dd2 begs to read to the end to find out what happens next. Can you approach the teacher to see if other schemes are available? Some schools will operate more than one.

Original poster

Mistymoo · 11/01/2006 18:21

I do supply work at the school and I know that the only scheme they run is Ginn and it goes all the way through the school.

I have been concentrating on his reading at home with other books. He loves Dr Seuss and he reads them to my dd who is 2 and she loves listening. It is so sweet to see.

I did speak to the teacher about moving him on a level but she said he didn't know all the words for the next level so that was that. (I have another thread about that somewhere.)

OP posts:

Miaou · 11/01/2006 18:24

Grr on your behalf. He's much better off learning the words whilst reading them in a book than in the abstract!

I think you are doing the best thing possible by encouraging his love of reading at home. With luck he will sustain that interest even if he is bored by the school books.

LIZS · 11/01/2006 18:30

ds - yr3 - is on Ginn 360 about level 7 or 8, I think. Some are quite fun, others dull but there is a variety of fiction and non fiction books which can be quite appealing. He did some of the ORT fiction at his old school and after level 9 (when you move away from the Magic Key and Biff etc) was really bored with the subject matter and stories so by level 11 he moved on to chapter books instead. dd is currently in Reception at the same school ds is at now and is doing ORT and Rigby Star.

Original poster

Mistymoo · 11/01/2006 18:33

I just wish the teacher could hear him read at home. He is a quiet boy and just does as he is told and so would never say he was bored.

He is trying to read this over my shoulder!

OP posts:

Miaou · 11/01/2006 18:34

So do they get more interesting as they go up the stages, Liz? Or did we just get landed with a couple of duff books?

LIZS · 11/01/2006 18:42

He's had some about the Space Shuttle, football, under the sea and various stories, some of which are amusing, and some "traditional tales" ones which weren't - these were quite like some of the latter ORT ones.

alibubbles · 11/01/2006 19:33

Message withdrawn

LIZS · 11/01/2006 19:40

The problem we found is that whilst it is reasonably easy for kids techniically to progress through the later levels of ORT (it goes up to Stage 16 btw, reading age 11yrs 6 months) the level of comprehension and experience required to appreciate them can be beyond a much younger child, so they may lose interest. ds is finding Level 7 of Ginn very straightforward now.

Art · 12/01/2006 13:51

Yes aren't they dull - look, help, can you help, yes, look, I can help ......yawn.

At our school Ginn is one of several schemes. I think its probably very good for children who need repetition and learn well by memorising whole words, but awful for those who read by using other strategies.

I must admit I am a fan of ORT though as they are so much more imaginative. Lots of things for parents to spot in the pictures too. Mum reading a Danielle Steele novel in one of the stage 2 books and Mum treading in some dog poo in a stage 3 one.

Art · 12/01/2006 13:52

ORT = magic key

scotlou · 12/01/2006 14:14

Yes - my ds is on Ginn too and I think it's dreadful - but tehn I don't agree with the whole word approach anyway. Also, he only does reading at school 2 x per week (he's in P2) - which I don't think is enough.

LIZS · 12/01/2006 14:16

Sounds like we could have been fortunate to omit the earlier stages !

Miaou · 12/01/2006 14:23

Art, dd2 and I always look for the stray pair of glasses that always appear somewhere in the pictures ... and laugh at the fact that Biff nearly always drops something though it is never mentioned in the story.

In fact dd2 can spend 10 minutes reading the story and another 30 talking about the pictures! When we had the Ginn books home from school she was seriously disappointed with the unimaginitive illustrations (and double page spreads with no pictures)

Original poster

Mistymoo · 12/01/2006 16:21

Scotlou - my ds gets reading 2 x week as well. He does get two books at a time.

Because it is so repetitive he starts reading it wrong because he is not concentrating (bored) and is just repeating what he may have just read.

ie We can help, can we help?

Very boring but what can you do?

OP posts:

LeftOverTurkey · 12/01/2006 17:11

Hell's bells, is Ginn still being used?
I am sure ds was taught with the scheme 8 years ago and it was just as boring then. He only put up with it as he is a competitive little b**gger and wanted to stay ahead of everyone else ...... My other ds read real books which suited him much better.

However it has to be said that in spite of all our efforts and evenings spent reading to/with them neither would touch a book with a barge pole now.

LeftOverTurkey · 12/01/2006 17:12

Sorry, I lied. One of them is reading Jeremy Clarkson. [sigh]

LIZS · 12/01/2006 17:30

Probably is the same series - ds' book as published in 1994 ! I do have some of an older Ginn series I picked up cheap in a closing down sale - fine for dd to practice with and I have the teacher's notes to work through.

Today's offering is Animals - a few short stories and information pieces - ds isn't that interested !

Art · 12/01/2006 21:03

Miaou - hadnt ever spotted Biff dropping things, but we always look out for the nosy neighbour peering over the wall or fence, and look for the glasses like you.

hoxtonchick · 12/01/2006 21:08

i think i had ginn books when i was learning to read 25 years ago ...

singersgirl · 12/01/2006 21:08

And the guy who turns up in almost all the books who is sometimes the school caretaker, sometimes a Viking, sometimes working at the zoo.... We also look for the glasses.

In fact, I find ORT almost too well illustrated and distracting. I used to have to allow DS1 a few minutes to look at the picture before reading and a few more minutes afterwards, otherwise we never finished the page.

Orinoco · 12/01/2006 21:10

Message withdrawn

Miaou · 12/01/2006 22:18

singersgirl, the guy who always turns up is a caricature of Roderick Hunt, the author!

singersgirl · 12/01/2006 23:14

Miaou, I didn't know that! I've grown very fond of some ORT stories and there are some I never want to hear again, having listened to my own boys and 3 years of readers in school....But I always look out for that beardy chap. I'm sure there's one book where you see him through a window and he's clearly sitting on the loo....

Linnet · 12/01/2006 23:36

My dd is in primary 4 we're also in Scotland and her school uses the Ginn reading books, Dd's class is on Level 7. The books do get a bit more interesting as they progress through the levels. Dd gets about 5 pages as homework every other night.

One of the mums at school has a stepdaughter who goes to another school in our town and she gets a whole little book that she has to read right through, about 20-30 pages, she gets two books a week. Can't remember what type of book it was but it had a little green dragon on it.

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