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Original poster

Massive jump in reading levels ,7 year old crying at night worried !

23 replies

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 21:20

My Ds is so upset tonight , he's actually cried & it's heartbreaking !!
He is not the most confident learner and has always needed reassuring but we were assured last year by his teacher that we didn't need to get him a tutor .

This past few weeks his books are so much more difficult , he's gone from reading
" Biff & Chip" to

" the fantastic Mr Fox"

He is so overwhelmed and worried , I've never seen him like this !

Could he have got this book by accident or is it completely different in juniors ?

My Dd is a lot older and was very academic so I've not been in this situation before as she was so advanced .
I'm very concerned that the confidence in learning my Ds built up last year is quickly ebbing away ....

Apologies for any typos I'm on my phone & desperate for advice before morning !
TIA

OP posts:

NerfHerder · 18/09/2014 21:24

Sorry- to clarify, he is crying over his reading book?

Or is he tearful in general, whether he read to you or not?

toomuchicecream · 18/09/2014 21:27

Definitely talk to the teacher as it sounds like a mistake. We've got Fantastic Mr Fox as our level 3b assessment book (I think, off the top of my head - might be 3c). So if he wasn't a strong level 2a at the end of year 2, or has been doing loads and loads of reaching over the summer, it sounds like something's gone wrong somewhere.

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 21:28

He's crying about the reading , he is struggling with some of the words & the book is 85 pages long !

We've been at it all week and he's so overwhelmed I think .

OP posts:

Longtalljosie · 18/09/2014 21:30

It's probably a mistake. We had a book in reception which was an insane jump - turned out it had been (very) wrongly graded...

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 21:32

We've read loads over the holidays & he's improved so much , we are so proud of him as he has worked so hard .

He's not a child that gets upset easily so it's been awful seeing him like this tonight .

It does seem a huge leap from Biff & Chip though !

OP posts:

mrsmaturin · 18/09/2014 21:32

Oh poor little lamb :( I would talk to his teacher tomorrow about his confidence. That's a great book and if he can read it with you in a relaxed fashion I'm sure he'll love it. If he feels pressured though it will be misery.
My dd has just gone up to juniors too and yes her reading books are 'proper' books iyswim but reading is her strength (much more than writing) so it isn't a jump for her at all. The spellings on the other hand....we're coping at the moment but I will be having words about that if it effects her confidence because you're spot on with that - it's key!

Skiingmaniac · 18/09/2014 21:32

Talk to the teacher (I teach year 4) and have a wide range of reading abilities. Try more transitional books like horrid henry, wimpy kid and tom gates where there are lots of pictures and and not so many words per page.....bless him.

mrsmaturin · 18/09/2014 21:33

Affects not effects - need to work on my spelling!

Meglet · 18/09/2014 21:36

It's probably a mistake. When DS moved from yellow to blue he accidentally selected a turquoise level book. I didn't know any better and I spent the weekend getting him through the book, it was much harder than what he was used to. I even bought him a new Lego set to bribe him through it .

The following week he brought home a proper blue level book and calm was restored to the household.

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 21:52

He has advanced a few levels and was so proud of himself as he has worked so hard over the holidays .

He told me when he had calmed down that they had chosen their own books but they are not allowed the same book twice so he had to have this one .

He started off confidently at the beginning of the week & we have read 3 chapters an evening which is a huge increase on last years biff & chip but he has struggled with a lot of the words then tonight he was breaking his heart .

I will speak to his teacher in the morning , I want to ask if we can keep the book until he's finished as I don't want to undermine the confidence he had built up over the summer , do you think that's right ?

OP posts:

IamHelenaJustina · 18/09/2014 21:54

He should keep the book - he needs to know how it ends! But good to flag with her it's been hard.

iwantavuvezela · 18/09/2014 22:00

When my DD brings hme books that are too difficult for her I'd often "share" the reading, so we each do a page, or a sentence, that way it helps us get through the book, but she doesn't have too read it all.

pointythings · 18/09/2014 22:01

I'd stick with the book but take it in turns with him reading a paragraph, then you, then you talking through what happened in the section you've read. The Fantastic Mr Fox is a really good book, but you may need a few strategies to make it work for him.

If he hits a word he doesn't know, ask him to apply his phonics knowledge and once he's given it a good go, help him. Tell him what the word is, ask him what he thinks it means (and he will probably know), praise him for trying.

daisydalrymple · 18/09/2014 22:01

Ds is also year 3 now, i know as a class they are doing a roald dahl, but he got to pick the book he brings home for reading practice (he chose a 120pg bk on footy which is a bit beyond his capability right now!). He said they've been told they can take all term to read them as long as they do a chapter each week. He's always been a reluctant reader and still tends to read aloud in that monotonous tone, but as he's crackers about football i now buy him match of the day magazine each week, which he reads avidly. His reading has improved greatly, but he's still not very confident when he has to read something not of his choosing and of no interest to him. (I see the £2 pw as an investment in his education the blokes i know are impressed with my random football knowledge!)

Ds says a few of his class still do extra reading and writing in their daily diary from yr2, as i think at this age it's still so normal for them to progress at different levels. Maybe book in to see his teacher for some reassurance and explain your concerns. When ds was struggling last year his teacher reassured us that most children level out with reading by 7-8 and she'd had 3 boys herself who progressed so differently, one if whom didn't read confidently (or with enjoyment) till age 8.

Smartiepants79 · 18/09/2014 22:05

Reading should be challenging but not a battle.
Unless he can read about 85%/90% independently it's not the right level.
Not sure that a 7 yr old is quite ready to choose there own school reading books. Unless they are particularly able.
Speak to his teacher. She needs to be more aware of what he's reading.

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 22:13

Thank you all so much for your advice , he is still awake worried bless him !

He is a child who is so very happy & loving towards all who know him but it took 2 years to get on stage speaking out loud for the class performance so I actually cried !!

His report last year stated how far he has come with his confidence , even the HT mentioned it in her comments .
This evening I've actually shed tears ( in private ! ) to see him like this and I want to continue moving forward considering he's worked so hard with his reading .

Thank you so much for your support tonight .

OP posts:

Lucy61 · 18/09/2014 22:17

Just read it to him. It's crucial that he doesn't get put off by this and lose interest in reading. Sometimes teachers send a book home that they feel is a good match for your child's level of maturity and interest not because they feel that your child should read it independently. Biff and Chip and other reading scheme books can be so dull and will not spark a love of reading in anyone! Children should have plenty of opportunity to read books at their level in class any way, just enjoy this fantastic story together. X

Lucy61 · 18/09/2014 22:18

Sorry I cross posted. Hope he's better by tomorrow. X

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 22:28

I have read a few paragraphs per chapter with (for) him whilst pointing out random words to keep him engaged .

He was really enjoying the book at the start but it seems to have completely overwhelmed him as the days have passed .

He also has a letter in his reading bag which says that the books need swapping on a Friday so we need to read them in a week as well as reading home books & library books.

He's flicked through one of his books tonight but thrown it down saying he hates reading .... That's not happened before !

OP posts:

Original poster

Tipsykisses · 18/09/2014 22:38

Thanks Lucy & everyone else (I'm on my phone so can't see comments when posting )

I feel a lot better about talking to the teacher now I've read your advice & experiences .

It's amazing how different siblings can be , my dd would try to get more time at night by pulling her curtains back and reading by street light !

OP posts:

louisejxxx · 19/09/2014 10:43

Have you managed to speak to the teacher tipsykisses

IamHelenaJustina · 19/09/2014 16:23

Hope it went well

Madcats · 21/09/2014 20:39

Almost certainly this is a mistake. I'm sure we had at least 6-12 months between ORT and Roald Dahl. First there were fewer colour pictures, then they went black and white...then the frequency of pictures reduced and the text became smaller font.

I suspect you have resolved this but, if you are stuck with Dahl books, they are great for introducing kids to comprehension skills and expressive reading.

By all means read the page first...talk about the character...discuss what they might sound like...how they feel...let DS read the phrases back.

It makes reading practice/story time a lot more fun!

I didn't read them as a kid, but I think we've had to read most 3-4 times in Infants/Junior.

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