Should I just give up with reading schemes?

[20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag]

Im struggling to find sets over level 10. He has a couple, B,C&K and alien adventure, and he's on around 13. All the rest seem not come in sets so super expensive, trust me I've been looking. Should I just give up on them now and just let him read his jr novels or is there anything important about the later levels?

What kind of thing is exploring?

I think our proverbial pissers are being pulled 😏

@irvineoneohone your not even making sense anymore

Yes, she is.
Get a physio to explain it to you.
I've done a lot of work with dc struggling in school because their motor skills haven't been fully developed as babies and toddlers. It affects all sorts of things - especially ability to physically write, and sit.

@BackforGood she said it didn't affect him, and it's got nothing to do with my child...

If you don't encourage your ds to do lots of physical activity, exploring, climbing, running, jumping, etc., then it will have a lot to do with your child - I think it's pretty clear that is what was being said. Well, it's clear to those who have an open mind, not those who think they are right despite all researched evidence being contrary to what they are saying.

@BackforGood you haven't read the rest of the thread have you? This is just ridiculous, but a little funny

Yes.

I lifted it out of 'Unanswered Threads' for you, and have posted 6 times over the last week.
Not sure why it is funny. I find it sad that you are giving a child reading scheme books to read at home (whatever age, let alone pre-school). I realise that is my opinion, and you are obviously entitled to your opinion and am happy to disagree - this is a discussion forum after all - but there's nothing funny about it.

@BackforGood how on earth would giving children books be sad?

Don't twist what I've said.
Books are wonderful. There are hundreds of thousands of books out there. If your son has a love of reading, share an array of wonderful stories with him - along with non-fiction, which can be equally or even more interesting for some dc, but 'Reading scheme Books' rarely fall into anybody's list of 'great stories' or 'most enjoyable books' etc. If he has a fraction of the reading skills you say he has, then why limit his reading ?

Nobody suggested you should solely give kids banded books. And just because you don't enjoy them doesn't mean everyone doesn't.... No twisting necessary. You know some Dr Seuss are banded right?

20pounds
Most children's books have been codes and age graded by Accelerated Reader.
It doesn't change the fact that reading scheme books are written differently to non reading scheme books.

I agree with other posters. There is a wealth of literature out there and a wealth of wider opportunities.
If you've gor a talented reader then why risk putting them off by doing death by reading schemes before they start school? Broaden their reading experiences, give more time to play etc.

Look OP - if your DC has asthma and vision issues, and is physically a bit weaker and less inclined to play outside than the “average” child, then you should encourage him out if his comfort zone, and there’s loads of ideas on this thread. Perhaps you already do, but that’s not at all what’s coming across.

We did whole class in R and Yr1. Is a good way of getting to know the kids and their parents. Only works if you do a Hall and an entertainer, though. Anything that charges per head will be too £££.

Sorry, wrong thread!!

My impression is that the op knows what she wants from the thread - book suggestions (possibly some reflected glory from her voracious reader dc - which is understandable) - not parenting advice.

I had a pre-school ds who only wanted dinosaur or construction themed factual books read to him, spent all his time constructing train tracks and lining his toys up in spiral formations. I remember him proudly showing his teacher to be his latest spiral formed of large garden toys (probably best viewed from space). The teacher was bemused (it was the home visit before starting school). Point being he is now an excellent reader and considered a gifted learner, kids learn in different ways and different rates.

@bigmouthstrikesagain Exactly! Although I tried to keep his age out of it because I don't think it's important as children develop at different rates.
I actually did something similar to the spiral thing for my senior school art project and got an A because it was "meaningful" and "deep" 🤣 maybe you've just got the next Bob Ross on your hands

bigmouthstrikesagain
Many people are only saying they have picked up pn an underlying tone to the thread which may suggest a fixation on certain things at the expense of others.

As an English teacher I love encouraging children to read. It is the bread and butter of my job but thr OP's approach sounds worryingly like some schools I have worked with who are more concerned with reading schemes, kids being on certain bands/levels than actually being strong, fluent, well rounded readers.

As an English teacher, it's great for drama and role play ahd story writing and art to be brought into reading and books. It's another way of approaching stories and understanding narrative. Early years play is no different in that respect.

Even when people have said maybe broader reading is going to offer strong foundations, the OP is back saying "yeh bit dr seuss can be banded too" and then are all at their own child's story. They are missing the point in favour of an approach more suited to if i get my child from red to Orange to purple to gold then I have proof for the school my child is gifted rather than 'i have a talented reader who is creative and imaginative who can understand and respond to a range of fiction and non fiction texts'.

Early reading schemes are great for some things. I wouldn't knock them. But i would be a bit sad to see children goinf through the motions because it allows adults to say 'yes my child is x level'.

Many books can be assessed and levelled on reading programmes. The accelerated reader programme is one many schools use and what it offers (and there are criticisms of the programme imo) is an opportunity for children to read widely, not just working through same old reading schemes. When done well, they get broad understandinh of books and read widely.

Being able to decode words and get through books is only one part of what it is to be a fluent and confident reader. The tone of the OP's posts suggest she has missed that.

@20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag does your DS understand the vocabulary and context?
Can he summarise a book he has read?
Can he answer questions from the book?
Can he make a reasonable prediction of what might happen next?
Guess the content from the blurb?
Does he make links to real life experiences?
Can he make inferences from the text like a small shabby house means they are poor, grey hair means the person is old, trembling and voice shaking means they are scared etc?

@RebelRogue
Yes or he will look it up
Yes
Yes he loves the little quizzes at the end of some of them
Yes
Yes but he sees it as cheating 😂
Yes
Those don't necessarily equate but he knows if something is ominous or sinister they're probably the bad guy etc

Funny how my rushed post has been (understandably) interpreted. The op is not looking for advice outside book ideas but I actually think broader advice / outlook is needed.

My anecdata is only there to show that reading early is not necessary, ds is autistic so he is not a good example for how 'normal' children develop. I have resisted all reading schemes, though biff and chip found their way to my house anyway. I think any scheme is at risk of turning reading into a chore, free and wide reading combined with imaginative play and real world experience is v important to learning.

Older children in many schools are faced with the accelerated reader scheme, which rewards reading and quizzing on books with certificates and medals etc. My older children were stressed out and irritated by the scheme as it restricts and commodifies reading. One dc got a series of the schemes "millionwordaire" certificates then flatly refused to participate as he had read all the books that he wanted to in the scheme, so I had hassle for a year from English teacher as dc still needed to 'prove' 20mins reading a day (he reads 2-3 hours a day). Schemes are tools that should be used appropriately.

I think the op needs to open up her dc to broader experience but I do understand the instinct to defend yourself from perceived slights against your parenting choices. My parenting is probably a little eccentric but that is due to my eccentric DC - they are turning out a bit lovely though - which is the main thing.

bigmouthstrikesagain
It sounds like you and I are on a similar page.

I like Accelerated Reader to a point but do agree that when done badly it's just like reading schemes.

I teach children who are reading classic literature (Dickens, Bronte etc) at 12/13 and aren't interested in saying they've done 31 quizzes. I let me keen readers read widely and encourage others to do so. I only monitor closely the ones who need the extra input. The STAR reading test results speak for themselves - children who are reading widely tend to have higher reading ages regardless of how many quizzes they complete.

There is a lot to be said for encouraging children to read a range of texts, engage with them in different ways and develop creative and lateral thinking about texts.

I think all these can be avoided if OP states clearly that she doesn't want any other opinion than what she was asking on opening post, like this time, about book scheme books. Or start the post on G&T board rather than education or primary.
I just find it sad that all these posters are actually trying to help, but it seems all futile.

What even is accelerated reader?

www.renlearn.co.uk/accelerated-reader/