Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Flip

Original poster

DD needs more challenging reading books - how can i address this issue?

21 replies

Nixz · 08/01/2007 22:25

As teacher is not at all approachable and we have already had a few meetings regarding dd's schooling (or bloody lack of it in my eyes!!!)
Anyway, DD is almost 6 and with a little support, she can read Roald Dahl etc but is coming home with books such as 'Fast and slow'. The text is slightly beyond Reception High frequency words in my opinion, Ginn level 3 set 4 to be exact.
So, help me write a friendly, tactful little note to say - give her something more challenging!!!!!
Poor DD is bored with 'Home for lad' and 'Wheres my Home'!!!!!!!!!

OP posts:

Saturn74 · 08/01/2007 22:29

I'd just by-pass the school entirely TBH, and let her go crazy in the library instead.
Let your DD strike up a conversation about her interests with a friendly librarian, and let her come home with armfuls of books to delve into at her leisure.

Original poster

Nixz · 08/01/2007 22:33

I know what you mean, we do that anyway and have a house full of great books. We are very big readers at home.
I think its important though to show her teacher what she is capable of so she can progress in her schooling.

OP posts:

Original poster

Nixz · 08/01/2007 22:45

I just want to find the right words without seeming too pushy iyswim

OP posts:

wheresthehamster · 08/01/2007 22:49

Yes, follow your DDs lead and introduce her to books that will steadily increase her vocabulary and keep her interested in reading.

Keep reading the school books and make comments like "read easily" "no problems, well done DD!" "DD reading lots of books at home" in her reading record.

Eventually the teacher will do a proper assessment!

Hopefully she is in an appropriate group for Literacy activities.

roberta3 · 08/01/2007 23:13

We had this 'problem' with DS1 when he was 6. School couldn't really cope with his progress. He finished all the infant reading books by the time he was in class 1. Just go through the motions and still do the school books but supplement them with library books. YOu don't want to isolate them by taking them out of the reading scheme completely cos quite often they do like to discuss the antics of Biff and Chip with their friends!

Your next problem is finding appropriate books for a fluent reader in the library. I was shocked that the content of books becomes very mature at such a young age. Bring back Enid Blyton!

Aloha · 08/01/2007 23:17

Yes, just put, 'read this in two minutes flat' or 'dd read this v easily and would love a bit more of a challenge' in the book.

Aloha · 08/01/2007 23:19

And it is true that reading schemes don't take account of early readers - my ds got some fun books to read, but also one in which reception children were the despised babies in the story, which baffled ds completely. And it was all about bullying and fighting.
In some ways it is easier to let them romp through the 'reading books' and allow them to read stuff at home. I think as long as they love books and have lots of choice they will get on. My ds (5) is obsessed with Mr Men books atm, which is fine by me.

hotandbothered · 08/01/2007 23:28

Is there any way you could volunteer to help listen to readers? Obviously not practical for most, but if you were there / knew what was available and built a bit more of a relationship with teacher then you might be able to slide in a 'by the way dd managed these books really well - do you think she could have more at that level please?!'
Only other suggestion is do what everyone else has suggested and read more challenging stuff at home.
OR....talk to the head if it's amajor problem. HTH

Weatherwax · 08/01/2007 23:39

I've found that none of my dd1's teachers believe that she can read as well as she can. Im a bit cross about it as I think she has missed out on alot because they don't know how to handle it and somehow they don't believe she understands what she reads. I've learnt not to stress about it and just give her lots of books. The odd comment like "she really enjoyed this book when I brought it for her two years ago" did get her moved up a school reading level once. The reading system is ideal for my dd2 who is thiving on it I am so glad that I was nice to those teachers of dd1's as dd2 has them now. All children are different and I wish the born bookworms were more recognised

mankyscotslass · 09/01/2007 07:38

I have this at the moment with DS who is in reception. He is reading Bob the Builder annuals and loads of other books at home...a friend who is a primary teacher said his reading is probably at age 7, but i get frustrated as this is not recognised in school. I don't want him to become bored or disinterested, so i will be hitting the library big time. I will be reading this thread with interest!

mankyscotslass · 09/01/2007 07:42

He is flying through his word recognition too, maybe they will pick this up later on in the term? I would agree that so far they the books are standardised and not tailored towards the childrens requirements as individuals. I do appreciate that there is only so much time a teacher has but i sympathise...it is so frustrating, especially as i know the kids who are really struggling get extra help, but the ones who are doing well are left to just go along....

Original poster

Nixz · 09/01/2007 08:19

The teacher has never heard her read, when we explain to her that dd is finding books v easy, she nods and smiles, therefore, i dont know if she is completing appropriate literacy activities.
The reading books are over 25years old, and as a trainee primary school teacher myself, i know that there are some very good books out there. However, they do not have new ones in the infants.
Thanks all for your comments.

OP posts:

fuchsia0703 · 09/01/2007 10:31

We had this with DD1 but teacher was more willing to extend her. I wouldn't worry about being seen as a "pushy parent" - if you are not getting anywhere with the class teacher, make an appointment to see the head.

Madora · 09/01/2007 11:53

My DD1 sounds like a twin to yours! Like you we have plenty of reading material at home to extend her at home. Mine is reading Enid Blyton Adventure series, plus Dick King-Smith, plus Sally Gardner all until 9.30pm at night! (exclamation as she should not be up at this time at 5 and a half but she is a bookworm).

If your teacher is as unapproachable as you say, I would use her reading record to be a little more direct e.g. "this material seems inappropriately simple for X who is currently reading blah and blah fluently at home. Please would you review her reading level". If this fails, request a meeting with teacher. Next after that is involving head (last resort as it will put teacher in defensive mode). Mine is now on the last books in the school reading scheme (stage 11 +) and I go in on a Friday after school to help her select 3 or 4 for a week. She will soon have finished all available scheme reading books at her school at which point they can access the school library. HTH

TheWillowTree · 09/01/2007 13:03

I agree with Madora - my dd must be a triplet with yours and hers! Even to the reading at bedtime until I insist the light goes off.

Another thing is to just ignore the books that get sent home and sign as having read them anyway even if you do not (or she reads them in the car on the way home like my dd)

Interestingly I found the best thing that got dd noticed was sending her in with a book that she read at home (magic kitten) for her to read when she could not swim. it seemed that very quickly after that she progressed up the reading stages. Can you do something similar eg break time, golden time etc.

DD is also always taking in books relating to the topics they are doing and shows those to the teacher as she loves going deeper into things and that helps too.

They do guided reading at school and dd will not talk loudly at school (not like at home then!!!) so the teacher was not particularly aware of what she could do - I finally got a note in her reading book recently that she was reading audibly!

Good luck

moosh · 09/01/2007 13:37

Ds is in Yr2 and has excellent reading books now from his school. They are almost like novels !!!! At home, he was reading books like Charlie and the Choc Factory, Harry Potter and Horrid Henry books and was totally capable of reading a higher standard of book, but in Yr1 he was getting books that he was really bored with as they only had 2-3 sentences per page. I bypassed the boring ones,and went to the library and got him the books from there.

beckybrastraps · 09/01/2007 13:44

My ds had some pretty strightforward book in reception. They did group reading, and the teacher said she kept them quite easy to encourage expression and fluency when reading aloud. And it worked. Now he is in year 1 he has shot ahead in reading, yet still reads with real characterisation, rather than the hesitant automaton-like reading I remember from when I was learning to read. And at home he reads what he likes.

roberta3 · 09/01/2007 18:26

Would really recommend 'banana' books published by Egmont. Different colours for different reading levels. My DS2 loves the stories. Also have factual ones that link with National Curriculum - Fire Cat deals with the Great Fire of London from a children's perspective. Appeal to both sexes too which appears to be a rarity with children's books.

popsycal · 09/01/2007 18:36

ds1 was 4 in august and in reception.
I know he is just little but we have had to battle with his teacher to give him books that arew suitable
he is reading ginn level 2 book 7 now but had we not pushed he would still be reading 'can we play?'

We just kept writng notes inthe reading record along the lines of
DS1 read this very quickly and recgnised all the words immediately' at one end of the scale, progressing to 'PLease can you give ds1 something with new vocabulary in the next time that you change his book as he is becoming bored and sqwitched off'

good luck

Original poster

Nixz · 09/01/2007 19:22

Thanks very much for all of your comments, I like the idea of sending dd in with a book from home to 'show' the teacher what she is capable of.
DD would quite happily discuss the book with teacher aswell, however, i have a funny feeling teacher would 'hush' her up and sit her down with a worksheet
Worth a try though

OP posts:

Kammy · 10/01/2007 17:43

The getting bored thing is quite tricky. My ds is in the second term of reception, and although the teachers have recognised that he is a fluent reader and have put him several stages up on their reading scheme, it is still well below what he reads at home. When I talked to the teacher again,after ds asked me to ask them if he could have different reading books, I was told quite firmly, that because he doesn't know the meaning of some words... (e.g. doodling') they would not give him anything else to read. The teacher also told him he was working too hard at home and needed to play more......result - he goes all silly with his reading from school and either whispers it or makes his toy leopard 'read' it. No problem when I give him something like Horrid Henry or Dirty Bertie!
I just let him read when and what he likes at home and try and watch for him getting too bored at school.
Information and fact books are great as they don't require complex contextual processing or have content that is hard to understand emotionally.

Flip