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Original poster

Ok I am getting a bit paranoid about dd1's reading, can you tell me what sort of books your 8 year old (yr 3) is reading (g&t need not apply!!)?

76 replies

TheHonEnid · 06/02/2008 15:11

She cannot really sound out words although after having a tutor for a while she did improve. She is off the reading scheme at school and onto library books - she is not confident so is daunted by long pages of text but manages Usborne illustrated books like Puss In Boots very well. She is definitely the 'worst' (horrible word) girl reader in her class which I can live with but not sure whether I should be doing anything more than reading with her every day which I do - school listens to her read every other day or so and has mentioned difficulty in sounding out and tendency to guess but not really suggesting any way of improving...so I guess its down to me...

OP posts:

fartmeistergeneral · 06/02/2008 15:15

Not a great comparison I know, but my ds2 (6) was WAY off what my ds1 was (I know, you should never compare....very difficult!!) and I have sat and read with him twice a day every day (even when he cries and shouts!!! I just try to keep calm and tell him he HAS to do it). It's made a huge difference. You must keep plugging away. They probably hate it because it's so hard for them, but my ds2 now more often than not accepts it's his reading time and is chuffed to have been moved up a group!

Anna8888 · 06/02/2008 15:17

Enid - buy her lots of really easy-to-read books in series that she will enjoy - please don't be sniffy about quality as the point is only to get her reading masses (Enid Blyton is the author I'd recommend, but I'll get flamed by the PC posters ) and read them with her until she gets going on her own.

hellish · 06/02/2008 15:22

Try the Rainbow Magic books - maybe get her to read one page, and you read the next.

Iknow lots of people hate them but my girls love them and they have very short chapters (which I love)

Heated · 06/02/2008 15:44

No, I think Enid Blyton is a good choice - Famous Five, the Faraway Tree are good reads.

HonEnid, you mentioned dd liking Puss In Boots, so definitely go done that path - so many allusions are based upon knowing fairy stories.

I also came across this site which lists books to use which support phonics it also gives a list of recommened reading for 6-8 yr olds www.parentsintouch.co.uk/waystohelpyourchild/readinglists/ourbookrecommendationsphonics.htm

Tbh I think you are doing just the right thing in going to the library and making books part of her everyday life. I'm going to buy the Jollyphonics teaching/parents guide from Amazon so that I can help ds with his reading.

LadyMuck · 06/02/2008 15:52

Do you think that the difficulty in "sounding out" is that she doesn't know her phonics that well, or that she doesn't like the effort involved. Nothing wrong with guessing from the context really.

At what stage does the school provide extra support? Ie do other children get additional support but they are all boys, or is it simply that there is not further intervention until Year 4 say? Because, honestly, I think that you are doing as much as expected from a parent, and more than a lot of parents.

Can't help on books as ds1 is biased to boyish books. What is the female equivalent of Asterix?!

singersgirl · 06/02/2008 16:09

Echoing LadyMuck, does she really know her phonics? If not, you might try some of the Ruth Miskin series (ReadWrite, I think it's called, now published by OUP), where each book focuses on the ways of spelling a different sound (eg 'oa', 'ow', 'o-e','ough').

They will be easy for her in lots of ways but would really reinforce the letter/sound correspondences.

cory · 06/02/2008 17:41

My ds (yr 1, but only 7) is reading less well than your dd. I am taking a laidback approach, supplying plenty of book (and some comics) and getting him to do homework, but that's it. He will learn when he's ready.

flack · 06/02/2008 17:45

HonEnid, is your DD actually up to reading Enid Blyton yet? Only saying that because from your description, she's not ready for the Blyton books, is she? The weakest readers in DS1's y3 class couldn't tackle the EB books I've seen, anyway.

Bluntly speaking, if you are reading with her every night you are already doing more than some parents of the weakest Y3 readers I know.

I'm always harping on about this... but getting books from the public library has been the best thing for encouraging DC to learn reading. You can get very basic books on up. I figure anything they will read is valuable practice.

Original poster

TheHonEnid · 06/02/2008 18:24

She has tried EB but cannot really cope with them tbh.

cory thanks - I have to say Year 1 is quite different to year 3 though!

OP posts:

LadyMuck · 06/02/2008 18:29

What about plays? Don't ORT have some plays available? What level did she get to before finishing (seems odd that she is off reading scheme tbh but I guess every school is different). Something that is a bit more interactive might appeal. On the same lines, the more advanced Puddle Lane books might appeal (adult reads story and then child read opposite page so I guess a precursor of the Usbourne ones).

flack · 06/02/2008 19:07

This year our school started small daily focused work groups for the weakest in literacy, maths. Is there anything like that at your school, HonEnid, would you be able to suggest a programme like it?
It does seem odd that your school doesn't have anything to suggest to help her out other than what what you're already doing.
I am sure that I have seen some other MNers say that they or their children really didn't click with reading until age 9-10. I don't know if this thread title would attract them, but maybe they could suggest what (if anything other than time) finally worked to help their DC "get" it.

ProfessorGrammaticus · 06/02/2008 19:28

I don't understand why she has come off the reading scheme if she still has difficulty sounding out - do you? The scheme goes on well into the juniors even for the able readers at our school.

hellish · 07/02/2008 03:20

Agree with Lady Muck, it seems as though she still needs a more structured approach, you can buy ORT books from OUP - they go all the way up to Y6.

My dd2 has some great ones that she loves to read and are much more of a confidence booster than struggling to read something that she's not quite ready for.

hellish · 07/02/2008 03:21

PS, they do drop the magic key stories and get more grown up after stage 9 (IIRC)

Original poster

TheHonEnid · 07/02/2008 09:24

Yes I couldn't agree more that it seems odd that she is off the reading scheme. I will mention it to the teacher at parents evening at the end of term. Clearly it isn't their policy to continue it after year 3. It is a small school and I have to say although it is lovely it is not great for children who are not particularly academic - the difference in the reception teachers attitude towards dd2 as compared to how she was with dd1 is astounding - clearly they like the bright ones and are not sure what to do with the strugglers! I notice that i wrote in dd1's reading book at the beginning of year one 'dd cannot seem to sound out words - should she be able to?' and the reply was 'yes if they are phonetic' - its taken me two years to realise that this wasn't actually very helpful!

I think she does read every day on her own with a TA or parent helper - fab. She says she is the only girl doing this so I guess that is the school's idea of support - there are three boys in the class who are obviously having more trouble than her - they are having extra support and I guess dd1 just slips through the net (it is a small school and not fantastically resourced).
I will investigate some reading schemes for older readers - thank you for that I had no idea that they existed.

In the meantime we have discovered that dd3 LOVES having dd1 read to her and dd1 is thrilled to appear Super Reader as dd3's books are perfect for her (the tiger who came to tea, the very hungry caterpillar etc). So this is boosting her confidence.

OP posts:

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:27

i think EB quite hard.

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:28

enid there is no reason for her to be off
ds1( reading age of 15 or swomthing) year 5 only came off this year then has to do kind of accredited reading at home

i knwo what oyu mean about those puss in boots kind of books....
will goand look for some others
haev you seent eh blue bananas range?

Original poster

TheHonEnid · 07/02/2008 09:29

yes, dh bullishly insisted it would be the answer to all dd1s problems then she got upset that she couldn't read it properly

do you know I think she might need her eyes tested too although she is ultra resistant to it

OP posts:

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:30

i think there is red rockets too or sowmehting - i saw them in watersontes

www.amazon.co.uk/Spinderella-Go-Bananas-Julia-Donaldson/dp/1405200723/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=gate way&qid=1202376554&sr=8-2

stleger · 07/02/2008 09:30

My dd2 'read' picture books for quite a while! If you need something to read to her Princess Mirrorbelle is less grim than the fairy books. And the Enid Blyton books about families with dinner gongs if you like putting on voices!

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:32

presnet it as a retail opportunity

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:33

what abotu all the " twatty the twat" fiary books

themildmanneredjanitor · 07/02/2008 09:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:34

these oens

CaptainCod · 07/02/2008 09:35

enid, re glasses

www.allaboutvision.com/whatsnew/eyeglasses-kids.htm

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