Is the comments section in DC's reading log for parents or teachers?

[JustAJokeLikeOnTopGear]

DC has started in reception and has a reading record in her book bag.

The teacher writes the date and title in the first box and the instructions say to sign and date when you've read to your child. So I signed in the comments box.

But am I supposed to write more in that box about how we got on, or is it for the teacher?

Why have I never discovered this stamp, 3rd child now in y5...

@Rocketpants50 this is what MN is for! I also had printed labels with our name and address on for raffle tickets etc.

Most of the time I just date and sign. Occasionally I put a comment if there's anything relevant to say like "struggling with 'th' sound" or if it seemed to easy or hard.

I'm glad you wrote this post OP I've had the same issue! We got a book with no words and no story either cos it was just pictures of animal tracks, I had no idea what I was supposed to write and just put that it had been read. This thread has given me some comment ideas for her next book which at least has words!

When it's got no words you say things like

Jack could turn the pages of the book

Or

Jack could point out the animals in the pictures and tell me what they are.

Or

Jack could tell me that the cat stole the fish.

Or

Jack could tell me that the cat might have stolen the fish because he was hungry.

Or

Jack could sound out c-a-t

Teacher here, it's for you. From my point of view I don't need loads of comments if you can't be arsed or don't have time a tick and date is fine, it's just so I know they have read the book. If you feel like putting a longer comment in about what they found difficult or easy or if you have any questions you can pop them in too.

dd flailed dramatically around the kitchen and moaned excessively about having to read aloud. Eventually she read the story easily and laughed at the bit with the drum.

Yes its for you to pop in comments on how he got on reading the book and dating when you read. It just shows the school you are making the effort at home.

Our DS is in year one now and we are another one trying to find ways if saying he read the book. We use

He did great reading/great job whizzed through
Great expression throughout the book.
Good fluency in his reading
Good at noticing the punctuation.

We read every morning so i sometimes just add another date under the previous one to stop using another row if the comment is going to be nothing different.

I also add in any word he struggled with "we are concentrating on ......"

I am a TA. We have the same book. I write in there when I read with a child and I always appreciate a parent’s comment even if merely ‘read with mum’, or a shiny sticker and a smiley face, or ‘ read nursery rhyme to baby sibling’ 😊. Some parents tell us what their child struggled with or ask me to address a difficulty, so that’s helpful too 😊

No! This is perfect! It means we can engage with the child and continue what you did at home. We can talk about Sinbad and ask (for example) “what do you think Sinbad will do next?” A more personal approach and a clear cohesion between school and home is best! 😊

Both. Anyone who listens

This is my DC too 😂

As a teacher, the comments about flailing around the kitchen and Sinbad the cat would make my day! As a parent of a reception child who came home with her first reading record last week. .. how do you all put up with 7 years of writing comments every day?!

Omg this is a great idea!

This is a really useful thread op I've always wondered if I was doing that book right!

As soon as she could write I got my daughter to fill that bit in herself 😄

I use it if I have anything that needs to be communicated. Otherwise sign and date.

I am very glad that my Y5 has now been explicitly told that he no longer needs to read to an adult.

Teacher here finding the stamp idea a bit cringe... we don't do that with 30 kids to hear read! How many seconds does it take to scribble 'nice reading' or 'he's enjoying the story'?
More helpfully, If they're halfway through, so the teachers comment says to start from page 5 or whatever, 'retold the story so far' is quite a useful one to write if they can do that. Or 'predicted the ending' etc.

Oh no once they're a free reader and their hand-writing is legible you just let them get on with it, surely? My Y2 fills it in herself with notes on what she thinks of the book. (I do still read to and with her and her teacher knows this, but I don't feel the need to comment on the endless rainbow fairy books individually!)

That's a perfect thing to write. It's not just about reading the words it's about engaging with the story.

At my school parents and teachers wrote in that space. It was a dialogue between home and school. If older siblings heard the child read at home they wrote in it too.

That's a lovely idea about siblings writing in it. My eldest would feel terribly important and proud to feel it in I think.

These are brilliant- thank you!

DH does most of the reading with our DS and he never writes anything other than the page numbers! When I hear him I usually write “well read” or “good reading” or occasionally “found this challenging” but mostly the school seem to send home books at the right level. DS is in year 2 though and I hadn’t thought we’d still be signing reading records into Y5 and 6, really?? I assumed once they were free readers that would be it!!